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?
Yeah that sort of was my point, over stating the obvious I guess. But I have run into Nursing assistants who call themselves nurses, so it must not be so obvious to some.
My point: nurses who take the lead and still show respect to the nursing assistant bring the most to their patients because a team has so much more to offer.
Yeah that sort of was my point, over stating the obvious I guess. But I have run into Nursing assistants who call themselves nurses, so it must not be so obvious to some.
My point: nurses who take the lead and still show respect to the nursing assistant bring the most to their patients because a team has so much more to offer.
Chadash,
If I ever have to go into LTC, I hope you are taking care of me. You are one in a million. :balloons:
And here is the rub----the techs/CNA whatever you call them ONLY want to do the "tech"work also, like the glucoscans, vital signs, pheblotomy, in/outs etc. They don't want to do the bedbaths, bedpans, comfort care either. So then WHO is doing it????
Keep giving them more "tech" work to do and see what happends
Wow, amazing how different things are. Our CNA's are not allowed to do phlebotomy, in/outs, glucoscans, etc.
Wow, amazing how different things are. Our CNA's are not allowed to do phlebotomy, in/outs, glucoscans, etc. They do vitals and personal care. steph[/quote
The PCA's at our hospital are trained to do phlebotomy, also do accuchecks, v/s, bath/linen changes. They can't do in/outs or foleys although I do know some PCA's that have worked at other hospitals in the area and were able to do so. They are only allowed to d/c foleys, PICC lines, IV's for post-mortem care. I wish our hospital would train PCA's to do these things when pts are discharged. Others might blast me for saying that, but I don't think these things are rocket science.
I was a PCA for a year while I finished nursing school, and nothing has changed since I became a nurse. Not tooting my own horn, but I try VERY HARD to help the PCA's when it comes to cleaning someone up. Of course, there are times that I am overwhelmed with other things, and they understand that.
I started as an MA then went to work in a hospital as a Nurse tech. As an MA I didn't do any butt wiping since I worked in a doctors office, so when I actually started as a Nurse tech...wiping was a little weird but I got used to it. Now that I have become an RN...I will STILL do the care that I have done. Just because I am an RN doesn't mean I don't have to do any of those tasks anymore. Nursing is total care at times. I appreciate CNA's and all of their hardwork because I was one. You definately need to treat them with respect because they do alot for a nurse. And nursing is about delegation. My biggest feat will be to actually delegate tasks to others when I have done everything myself in the past. I will not hesitate to help my CNA's out, they deserve more credit than what they are given. I am working as a CVICU nurse which I do total care, I don't have an aide to help me...I do it all because I want to. I know that my patients are getting taken care of completely.
My biggest feat will be to actually delegate tasks to others when I have done everything myself in the past
:yeahthat:
Been there, done that!! As my pt load increased (was in a new RN intern program - started with one pt and worked my way up to 5 over a period of 4 months), I slowly learned the art of delegation!!
I work on a med/surg floor with only 9 private rooms. We have 2 RNs per shift and we do total pt. care. I enjoy the time I get to spend with my pts, although I admit, total pt. care (depending on the acuity and needs of the pts) can be VERY time consuming! Some of the other RNs in the hospital have nicked named our unit the "Hilton", the "cushy floor", or they call us the "diva's". I think they believe because the unit is decorated nicely, that we have it made. It is hilarous to have one of them get pulled to our floor and have to do total pt. care! I truly admire all the NA's out there, it is hard work and they are under paid and under appreciated! I think that total pt care is a good idea in general.....but, I believe the staff has to be based on acuity, not numbers.
This is a very good question that has been posed. I also believe that just because you're an RN doesn't mean you are too good to wipe butts. Unfortunately, like some of you have mentioned, there are nurses out there with this attitude. When I was in nursing school we were taught that your CNA's can "make or break you". If you are not willing to help them, they might not be so willing to help you. I do not ask a CNA (or LPN for that matter) to do something I am not willing to do myself. There are some nurses on the floor where I work that will walk the halls looking for the CNA to clean a patient or to dump a commode/hat, when they could have spent that time doing it themselves (obviously, they had nothing else to do). Also, I've noticed the change in nursing school of teaching that it is the CNA's job. Some of the instructors at the local college have been overheard telling the students "That's the CNA's job". Not so! Especially when many departments will not hire anything but RN's because of the condition of patients they get. If the RN's don't want to wipe butts, then what happens to those patients? Most important: The Patient Comes First!
Interesting that some nurses won't wipe behinds or do peri care. But they'll happily place a Foley catheter or manage an ostomy. Hmmm. Those are the technocrats, who think nursing is all about technical tasks. It isn't.
I had nursing students, all CNAs, who were horrified that I was teaching them about feeding patients. "That's CNA work." They were technocrat-wannabes. They thought learning more tasks would make them nurses instead of aides.
I know an RN in long-term care who says she didn't go to nursing school to pass meds. She also didn't go to nursing school to wipe behinds. The only thing she wants to do is be the queen of the desk and hang IVs for the LPNs.
Many years ago when I was in med-surg, I had a CNA go off on me because I came out of a room and asked her to put someone on a bedpan. Never mind that I was in the middle of about 800 other things I had to do that she wasn't allowed to do, and never mind the 900 other times I *had* put someone on the bedpan or similar CNA job and hadn't told her about it--I was a bad person, no doubt.
As an ICU nurse, I always started my assessment with, "Let me help you turn on your side so I can listen to you breathe and rub your back." Start out right away with physical care.
I worked with a great CNA in that ICU on the night shift and I remember her apologizing one night as she made a suggestion on how to do a better bed bath. I was confused by her apologizing. Everyone can learn from anyone. And CNAs have more expertise in that area than I do, anyway. Why wouldn't I want to listen?
No matter what we do or don't do as nurses, somebody's gonna find fault. Everyone who goes home every day feeling wonderful and validated, raise your hand. Higher. I can't see you.
I really see nothing wrong in wiping someones but if it needs done,no matter what level nurse you are.As long as there is nothing more important to be done by thr trained professionals.However it would be a good idea for the families to assist in doing so (as long as it is safe meaning no risk of dislodging attachments)seeing that they will be discharge home someday and may not have a livein nurse,they need to know how to manage at home.
Specializes in Tele-Float Pool, Home Care, Pt Safety.
I'm a second-career nursing student. After 20 years in industry - manufacturing, engineering, mba - I can tell you that anyone who begins a sentence with "I didn't get four years of education to..." is automatically labelled a primadona. To be successful in any profession, you have to learn take some crap and do some of the crap jobs. However, in nursing, that's not a just a metaphor.
chadash
1,429 Posts
Yeah that sort of was my point, over stating the obvious I guess. But I have run into Nursing assistants who call themselves nurses, so it must not be so obvious to some.
My point: nurses who take the lead and still show respect to the nursing assistant bring the most to their patients because a team has so much more to offer.