Did the title catch your attention? Good, I was hoping it would.
I've seen people talk about this attitude on allnurses quite a bit, and I find the reactions fascinating. I'm amazed at the passion, care and professionalism of the nurses on this board and really about every nurse I've ever met.
BUT, everyone-from the most seasoned nurse to the student- knows that nursing is changing and will probably continue to change dramatically over the years to come. There are CNAs and MAs who seem to have an increasing role in the healthcare system and nurses themselves have more responsibility (all the charting etc.) and demanding jobs as new diseases, new medicines and standards of care make their way into our lives.
My question is, do you think their should be a change in what nurses do? Will there come a time when basic hygiene and certain other tasks often done by nurses in the past will be the responsibility of CNAs and others in similar roles? Would this be a good thing for nurses? Is there really anything wrong with nurses who feel that four years of education + all of their other demands and responsibilities should mean that they shouldn't have to do these tasks?
Okay so I have a story for you all. I was in my CNA clinicals at a LTC facility. While doing HS cares for a resident who was incont of both Urine and Stool we asked our instructor if you ever get immune or used to cleaning up BM. Her reply to us was,"No, that is why I am not a CNA." So she must also be of the belief that she is too educated to wipe butts?? NOt to mention why would you say that to a group of students that you are training to be CNAs.
I have only been a CNA for a little more then a year and only at one place but, the first impression I got was that if I ever wanted to be a lazy nurse long term care is the place to be. Of all of our nurses only a small few will actually help with cares. Most will answer the light and then come hunt down an aid to tell them who needs what. IMHO all the really do is pass meds. Some even think that if they have to give meds at an unscheduled time it is the biggest inconvienice ever and how dare the resident ask for more meds when they were just down the wings.
Have you really seen a family pitch in and help out?? We do not encourage that as a society of nurses, at least not the experience that I have had, possibly because I worked in an ICU setting and therefore physical care of the patient was at all times an ongoing assessment of skin, secretions, etc.
I have had only a few families help out and then of course YOU as the nurse need to know what they did and what they found also so you are all on the same page.
In Europe I know that families help out much more. I am not seeing that trend here in the USA
I have seen it but not too often. I work in subacute. I think that sometimes it's not that they're not willing, but because they don't want to interfere. Some just aren't going to be willing to though.
I remember thinking at the beginning of the school year when my daughter was starting fifth grade, her teacher started to ask for parent help, saying I have 28 kids, I can't manage this this and this.
I thought about a similar scenario in nursing where I said in front of family members, Look, I have 14 patients and can't manage to do this this and this and how unthinkable it would have been.
we asked our instructor if you ever get immune or used to cleaning up BM. Her reply to us was,"No, that is why I am not a CNA."
People say dumb things, don't they?
As if CNAs are CNAs because they PREFER wiping butts to other nursing tasks?! A CNA in LTC might have more tricks and techniques for toileting than the average nurse but that's because he or she does a good job and takes pride in their work, not because poop smells better to them!
Cleaning up BM is a part of the CNA's job... and part of the nurse's job as well. In LTC, a nurse ought to be willing to help, but they've generally got a bunch of other responsibilities and SHOULDN'T be toileting patients frequently. Unfortunately, it seems many LTC facilities are understaffed both in terms of CNAs and nurses so everyone loses.
I view my role as the nurse's assistant, and rely on the nurse to delegate task that are within my scope. I actually have seen NAs trying to run the show so to speak in LTC. I like to work with nurses that take a real leadership role, make expectations clear, draw clear connections between our responsibilities and patient goals, demand high standards in care, and are realistic about what can and can't be done. I am happy to do the "dirty work" as part of a team that shows mutual respect, and puts patient care and well being ahead of personal "stuff".
i know that this isn't church but i just want to say amen on what you sad. a nurse with the right attitude is a good nurse, a cna with the right attitude is a good cna, doesn't just think about them selves but the patrients or residents comfort care the most.
Not a single one of us said we like doing it either. The point is, it comes with the job and we don't just wait for an available aide to do it. If it needs to be done, it gets done. It is not just the aide's job, it's EVERYBODY'S job.
I view my role as the nurse's assistant, and rely on the nurse to delegate task that are within my scope. I actually have seen NAs trying to run the show so to speak in LTC. I like to work with nurses that take a real leadership role, make expectations clear, draw clear connections between our responsibilities and patient goals, demand high standards in care, and are realistic about what can and can't be done. I am happy to do the "dirty work" as part of a team that shows mutual respect, and puts patient care and well being ahead of personal "stuff".
if the shoe was on the other foot, if you were a patient or a client and you were laying in a pool of b.m. would it matter who cleans you up as long you're clean up?
Okay so I have a story for you all. I was in my CNA clinicals at a LTC facility. While doing HS cares for a resident who was incont of both Urine and Stool we asked our instructor if you ever get immune or used to cleaning up BM. Her reply to us was,"No, that is why I am not a CNA." So she must also be of the belief that she is too educated to wipe butts?? NOt to mention why would you say that to a group of students that you are training to be CNAs.
I have only been a CNA for a little more then a year and only at one place but, the first impression I got was that if I ever wanted to be a lazy nurse long term care is the place to be. Of all of our nurses only a small few will actually help with cares. Most will answer the light and then come hunt down an aid to tell them who needs what. IMHO all the really do is pass meds. Some even think that if they have to give meds at an unscheduled time it is the biggest inconvienice ever and how dare the resident ask for more meds when they were just down the wings.
"All they have to do is pass meds"? You definitely have no clue just how time consuming giving the right med, at the right time, to the right pt. is. Think of it this way: You can't help the nurses do their tasks like giving meds, calling docs, all of the reams of documentation. If they have time to help you after doing what they need to do, then they should. But you really can't comment on whiat it's like for the LPNs and RNs until you yourself are one.
The pt. care is the reason you have your position. It's an important one. You have to realize though, that the kind of pt. care you do is not the licensed nurse's first responsibility.
In my personal experience, nurses don't refuse to jump in and help when the aide is overwhelmed and when the nurse is able to. Sometimes the nurse is overwhelmed, too.
and this is why i stated "i know that nurses are extremely busy..." i am very aware that there are great nurses out there that give their best to the patient everyday, but then you have the ones that don't. i believe the ones that don't will take offense to what i stated.
my solution was to hire more cna's so that for every nurse there would be a cna assigned to the nurse. this way the nurse has 4 patients and the cna has the same 4 patients. yes, the cna may have some down time during a shift but this will allow the cna to answer a call light immediately. the nurse will be happy because she has less cleaning to do and she knows her patients are being cared for, the patients are happy because thier call lights are being answered immediately, and the doctors are happy because their patients are being cared for! what does this cost the hospital well....there is normally 9 nurses..so that would be 9 cna's instead of the usual 3. IF you paid each cna $10/hour that would be $90/hour for this floor. $90 to have happier staff and happier patients....sounds like a bargain to me!!
once again..a BIG THANK YOU to all the nurses out there given their all!!
The day a poor suffering pt. looks down on anyone CNA,Rn,LPN,LVN or the janitor who comes to their aid at a time they cannot help themselves. I will get out of Nursing! That goes double for the day Nurses feel too educated to aid poor suffering pts by giving the care they were trained and Licensed to give. This sounds like a Nurse looking for a desk job!
CrazyMomma
9 Posts
Okay so I have a story for you all. I was in my CNA clinicals at a LTC facility. While doing HS cares for a resident who was incont of both Urine and Stool we asked our instructor if you ever get immune or used to cleaning up BM. Her reply to us was,"No, that is why I am not a CNA." So she must also be of the belief that she is too educated to wipe butts?? NOt to mention why would you say that to a group of students that you are training to be CNAs.
I have only been a CNA for a little more then a year and only at one place but, the first impression I got was that if I ever wanted to be a lazy nurse long term care is the place to be. Of all of our nurses only a small few will actually help with cares. Most will answer the light and then come hunt down an aid to tell them who needs what. IMHO all the really do is pass meds. Some even think that if they have to give meds at an unscheduled time it is the biggest inconvienice ever and how dare the resident ask for more meds when they were just down the wings.