Patient Care--Can it get better

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm a nursing assistant at a local hospital in STL, while going to school to become a Nurse.

I have but one question? Who is responsible for the Patient Care?

I ask the question b/c it seens that at time the nurses are to busy or so they say to do small things to help the patients. Don't get me wrong there are RNs who really help the aides out but then there are the RNs who won't clean a patien up b/c they don't like to do that anymore. :angryfire

I hate it when a male patient has a full urinal on the bedside table and the the nurse says that the aide will be in to empty it. :o Why cant they take 2 minutes to empty and chart it.

I had a new RN,BSN come to find me a couple of days ago to tell me that a patient needed to be cleand up and that she would help me, but she need to go and call the doctor. I didn't have a problem cleaning up the patient but he was mine-I did it anyway b/c it was the right thing to do. The thing that burns me up is that this RN,BSN was at the nurses station talking with the other nurses and playing games on the computer. :uhoh3:

I thought we all were in this profession to help the the paitent who couldn't help themselves. I know that the RN have more educatuion but does there compassion go out of the window when they become RN.

The question I pose to all of you is how would you like for your family members to be treated? Are we giving our patients the same kind of treatment if it were our family members?

I ask all of the nursing staff to take 2 min to make the patient feel special and to clean their areas up. Lets clean the bedside table-get towels off the floors-empty urinals and hats in the bathroom--not to mention flush the toilets- :)

Let all remember that we could be a patient at anytime. Would we like to be treated the same way that we treat some of these patients. Let's give more thought to the people that we are caring for and go that extra mile to make them feel welcome.

These are just my thought and I felt I could share --

Let me know what you think:balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

One of the biggest problems I've encountered is nurse aides who won't do their jobs.

That said, if I am in a patient room and they have a full urinal I always empty it and chart it. There's no reason not to (unless I have a very urgent matter to attend to elsewhere).

I empty urinals, I pick up stuff from the room that could be a hazard and that type of thing. I try to leave the room looking safe and presentable and meet the patient's needs and requests.

It is the nurse aides' job to do certain things, I'm not going to recite their duties here. When they won't do them, the patient suffers. I am so tired of hearing that nurses "think they are too good" to help patients, in all the places I have worked, I can honestly say I have never seen this.

Every nurse I have worked with, to my knowledge, has not refused to turn people.

It is EASIER to get a nurse to help me turn a patient than a tech on my unit.

The old assertion that "nurses thing they're too good" just doesn't hold water in my experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

I know what "shomelggs" is talking about. But I am lucky that we only have one nurse per shift like that. All others are really helpful and compassionate. Many times I was in the room helping a patient with a shower, while they called me to go to a different room to empty a urinal (knowing what I was doing). But the thing is, I know how busy the nurses are, and I LOVE my job. There is nothing better in the world for me that to help people out and feel like I have met their needs (and more). I love and respect all nurses I work with. Most days I am tired and wore out, but it is a good feeling.

So what I am trying to say is that there will always be lazy aides and lazy nurses, but most of them are there for the right reason. We should not forget that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'd agree with Town and Country. I was a tech for 4 years before I became a nurse. It was hard work, and there were nurses who managed to sit on their butts while I was working. I used to get really annoyed when I was restocking carts in the am and I would see a nurse sitting down reading or something. But, on the flip side, in my job description was restocking of carts, it was not in the Nurses job description.

I'm constantly amazed at the behavior that Nurse Aides get away with. Some of them disappear for hours (which would be impossible for a nurse) etc, etc...

The the others who are really excellent tech's get burned because they are doing the work of 2 or so...soooo.

Also, I'd worry less about someone having a BSN or not. Some people get up in arms about degrees, but the less emphasis put on it, the less strife in the workplace...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Folks, let's keep this from becoming the sort of techs-vs-nurses debate we've had here in the past. Be polite, consider each other's point of view, and please avoid generalizations such as "nurses just sit around 'charting' and talking on the phone all day" or "techs/aides are lazy and won't do what you ask them to". Thank you.:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

As far as I can see, we are being polite.

Disagreeing or having a different experience is not being impolite.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i've seen the best and worst of both nurses and aides.

the ideal is to work as a team.

in a million yrs would i ever walk by a full urinal and think "that's the aide's job", but would empty it myself.

if i have the time, i've changed many a patient and cleaned them up.

but once you take my help for granted, then it's time to have a major talk.

leslie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing assistant.

Oh! the poor poor patient is caught in the cross fire,,,

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've worked with some horrible CNAs...the ones who think that the RNs and LPNs don't do anything while they are sitting and charting or making phone calls or trying to solve a problem. The ones I have worked with have become angry any time a charge nurse asks them to do something or any time they feel like they are working harder. They forget that sometimes while they are having a great night, one of their coworkers might be cleaning up BM and emesis and have every single patient or resident in a foul mood.

I've also worked with CNAs who are noting short of amazing...the ones who seem to thoroughly enjoy every second of their job and smile and do every task with a smile on their face. Those are the CNAs who I want to take care of me and the people that I love.

I've worked with RNs and LPNs that are just as awful...the ones who have such a persecution complex that they think that they are always picked on and always get the worst assignments and seem to diasppear to the bathroon every time one of their patients turns on the call light.

I've also worked with RNs and LPNs that just rock...the ones who run their tails off all shift and give care that is so skilled and compassionate and awesome that it would make Florence Nightengale look like a slacker.

My point? There are great ones out there and there are duds out there. I will never understand how someone can go into anything and not do their very best at it. Whether you are a neuro surgeon or a post hole digger, you should strive to be the very best neuro surgeon or post hole digger you can be. No one should feel "above" giving the patient any type of care...but everyone also needs to be aware that we all have our own jobs to do and often, the charge nurse is the only person in the building who can do certain things...I'll do whatever I can to pitch in and help the CNAs when I can, but not at the expense of leaving my work undone. I am not going to leave my meds unpassed, my treatments undone, or my charting left for the end of my shift to help clean up a mess if there is someone who is just sitting around or does not have those duties to complete.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey guys --

Thanks for all of the great comments. I just want to make sure I am doing all I can do for the patient.

I know that there are going to be some great people and then there are the others. I am a team player and I want everyone else to be one, but i can't so I just do the very best job I can.

I love being and aide -its almost like getting paid for doing something that you love. I once told my husband that if i had this much fun as an aide -being a NURSE would be awsome.

I love knowing at the end of my day that I have done something to make a difference in someone's life. I just wished that the whole staff felt this way. I believe that some people are there just for the paychecks and this is the part that really bothers me. I would do this job for free--kidding

But I do love what I'm doing which is HELPING OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I understand the point you are making. I believe that those who go into nursing to be nurses are the best! But with the shortage and emphasis on some of the better points of nursing ($) I believe that there are many people out there for the perks of the job and not for actually "being" a nurse.

I hope patient care gets better, in all the aspects.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing assistant.
Hey guys --

Thanks for all of the great comments. I just want to make sure I am doing all I can do for the patient.

I know that there are going to be some great people and then there are the others. I am a team player and I want everyone else to be one, but i can't so I just do the very best job I can.

I love being and aide -its almost like getting paid for doing something that you love. I once told my husband that if i had this much fun as an aide -being a NURSE would be awsome.

I love knowing at the end of my day that I have done something to make a difference in someone's life. I just wished that the whole staff felt this way. I believe that some people are there just for the paychecks and this is the part that really bothers me. I would do this job for free--kidding

But I do love what I'm doing which is HELPING OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMEN! great post!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment