Need opinion about unlicensed assistive personnel

NursesRmofun, ASN, RN · Apr 7, 2004

How do nurses' feel about sharing duties with CNA's/ technician's? How comfortable are you with delegation of tasks to them? Do you feel that RN's are losing control?

Not really sure what you are getting at. In general, I am happy to have CNAs and Techs. I have to delegate tasks to CNAs/Techs, but they usually already know what their job is, for the most part. Are RNs losing control? In what way?

gwk · Apr 7, 2004

im usually thrilled tio have them only prob is that sometimes they forget to tell you when vital signs are outside of norm...u need to keep on top of that but usually they are a saving grace...

obeyacts2 · Apr 7, 2004

I look at my delegated tasks as freeing up the RN for other more advanced tasks that I cannot do (yet!) It doesnt take much to get vitals, get some basic care done...... The only thing that really annoys me is the occasional RN with an attitude that either treats the aides like maids/or that we are all as about as bright as furniture. Most arent like that, fortunately.

Laura

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 7, 2004

I work in dialysis, and the techs have way to much control of things. They have the power and authority (per our NM) to assess pts, and determine their tx goal. They often cause a lot of problems for pts as well as nurses.

It would be great to have them if their duties were determined by their training and abilities, but they are not. I feel that their "asessments" are highly inaccurate. They chart dangerous V/S, but take no other action, such as informing the nurse. They are the primary reason that I have transferred to an all RN dept.

Stitchie · Apr 7, 2004

The techs in the ED are often paramedics so they are invaluable. In the ED everybody works up to their skill level and beyond, I think, so having techs who can do IV's and other higher level tasks is great.

There are those techs who make me smile when I see them because I know it's going to be a good day. There are others who are useless. You just have to know who you're dealing with and how competent they are.

I was a tech before I finished nursing school and it has made me a better nurse. But I also expect much more from the techs, too, because I know I worked my :balloons: off as a tech, because I wanted experience. So if you know what their motivation is sometimes you are able to use that to your benefit. I had a tech yesterday who wasn't very experienced at drawing blood, and had a 55 year old man with diverticular abcesses (there's one you don't see every day!). I went into the room with her and helped her draw the blood, even though we were insanely busy. She is a student graduating in May; she needs to develop this skill! It also helped that this gentleman was African American, because in our hospital the typical patient is 75, white, female, widowed and Catholic. This gentleman also was rather anxious about blood draws/IV starts, etc, but said that she did a good job. I told him that HE did a better job and his patience is to be admired.

So she got a great experience with an untypical patient who boosted her confidence. She'll remember that this, and that makes me feel good, especially since I'm still on orientation in my ER.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 8, 2004

I worked as a tech before I graduated from nursing school, and it definitely was an invaluable experience for me........................I have always worked with staff of different educational levels and have actually preferred that.......

a good learning experience for all

:balloons:

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 8, 2004

Working as a tech has plenty of advantages. Quite a few make it know that you're appreciated, and that means quite a bit. There are a few that take the "delegation" (that word still makes me lmao) a little too far on a power trip.. One that comes to mind is just amazing. In the 10 hours that i worked "with" her, she never once did a job that required her to put on gloves. NOOOO, that was for ME :). She CHARTS that she turned a pt q2 and that pericare was provided for 3 BMs. What she FAILED to mention was that I was the one that turned cleaned and dried her pts. But there it is in the nurse's notes, "L., RN provided...". Yes that steams me. I'm not exactly "assisting" her if i'm doing that care of care all by myself. Ever since she started working as a nurse, though, she's had this princessy attitude that anything dirty can be pawned off on the aide, because she "doesn't like to do that" (her words). :angryfire

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 8, 2004

I enjoy having techs/aides/sitters that are competent; However, that rarely happens consistantly. I also worked as tech in school, and found it valuable, unfortunately not all people have the same work ethic, and without a license on the line, they can be careless and dangerous.

Thus, I prefer to work in an all licensed environment with fewer patients. I have more controlover the care my patient receives as I am the one performing most/all of it.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Apr 8, 2004

I work in dialysis, and the techs have way to much control of things. They have the power and authority (per our NM) to assess pts, and determine their tx goal...

Per the description provided, this sounds like a management problem to me.

acgemt · Apr 8, 2004

Being a tech while in nursing school is a valuable experience for me. There are so many skills that I have already accomplished that my fellow nursing students haven't learned yet, so it has definitely given me an advantage (I work in a surgical ICU). I must say though that since we are unlicensed, we learn the skills in the place that we work. So competence can only be evaluated by what the hospital is teaching and what our preceptors (RNs) are reinforcing. We as techs are eager to learn, just like RNs are eager to learn. Personally, I enjoy keeping busy at work so I am always trying to take the tasks off the nurses. Enjoy working with us as much as we enjoy working for you.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 8, 2004

When they use unlicensed personnel to increase the RN/LPN to patient ratio then I'm bothered. I'm a very good delegator and I don't feel I'm loosing control. I think there's greater patient satisfaction when there are more people to help take care of their needs.