Need a second opinion...

caliotter3 · May 22, 2010

The aide was just being snippy. After all, you are in nursing school and she is not. Don't take what she said seriously. Discuss this question with your preceptor. Expectations might be a little different in your student setting than would be at a job and you want to insure that you are meeting expectations.

anonymous1919, LPN · May 22, 2010

I think you did the right thing. Although helping residents in every way you can is important, taking them to the bathroom is not your job. If you are super swamped and there is a CNA available, they should be taking that resident to the restroom, in my opinion. You are right, you can help them out as much as you can when you have time, and they should help you as much as they can when they have time (although their help is very limited, they can do things to help you). People like to create drama, and that CNA may just be the drama seeking kind of person. Since you weren't the LPN on the floor, I would stick to talkng to your preceptor about it.. if you were working on the floor I would ask the CNA if you could talk to her privately and explain that you overheard her frustrations and wish she had come to you with them so that you could explain that you were really busy at the time which is why you pulled the light. I'd also make sure she knows you are willing to help when you can and that she can always come to you.

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 22, 2010

I'll let the CNAs and/or experienced nurses chime in here about interrupting an LPN/RN-only time sensitive task for something that is within a CNA's scope of practice. As a fellow student, I would have done one thing differently. Instead of pulling the call light, I would have communicated directly with an aide. Possibly said something like, "I have to do the meds for X number of residents in X number of minutes. The resident in room XXX needs to go to the bathroom right now. Could you please help him/her? If you need help with something when I'm done passing meds, just let me know."

The aides' responses show that they had the impression that you were ignoring a call light. You weren't; you actually pulled it. So, communicating directly to them the next time would be a better way to go.

anonymous1919, LPN · May 22, 2010

I'll let the CNAs and/or experienced nurses chime in here about interrupting an LPN/RN-only time sensitive task for something that is within a CNA's scope of practice. As a fellow student, I would have done one thing differently. Instead of pulling the call light, I would have communicated directly with an aide. Possibly said something like, "I have to do the meds for X number of residents in X number of minutes. The resident in room XXX needs to go to the bathroom right now. Could you please help him/her? If you need help with something when I'm done passing meds, just let me know."
The aides' responses show that they had the impression that you were ignoring a call light. You weren't; you actually pulled it. So, communicating directly to them the next time would be a better way to go.

I agree with that, pulling the light as well as finding an aide and briefly explaining the situation. :up: :up:

lkwashington · May 22, 2010

My question is what are you going to do in the real world? If a patient states I need to use the restroom, are you going to leave the room to go find a CNA? The time to take to go find one could be the time you can assist the patient to the restroom. I may take 20 mins to find the CNA or 20 mins later that patient helped to the restroom. I have been behind in several occasions. I would have assisted the patient to the restroom and explain to the patient someone else would assist you off. I would have told the CNA which patient was in the bathroom and would has asked them to helped assist them off.

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 22, 2010

My question is what are you going to do in the real world? If a patient states I need to use the restroom, are you going to leave the room to go find a CNA? The time to take to go find one could be the time you can assist the patient to the restroom. I may take 20 mins to find the CNA or 20 mins later that patient helped to the restroom. I have been behind in several occasions. I would have assisted the patient to the restroom and explain to the patient someone else would assist you off. I would have told the CNA which patient was in the bathroom and would has asked them to helped assist them off.

In my LTC rotation, I've seen that done, and it would work too. One helps the resident on, and if the original nurse or CNA had another task, a different nurse or CNA is requested to help off, so the second person watches for the red light. (Where I was, the call light was red if the cord in the bathroom was pulled.)