Pcts telling you to get it yourself

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

I am so frustrated at work right now. We are on a trend to try to improve patient care scores by telling the nurses that we have to do the pct's work as well. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem getting someone coffee, juice, taking them to the bathroom and cleaning up total care patients, but when it comes to choosing to get coffee for someone and managing a bp of 210/100 and a couple of BS that are over 300 while the PCT is at the computer, I will always choose to manage the bp and bs and deligate to the PCT. I had someone absolutley refuse to get a pt coffee while they were charting at the computer and when I asked they told me to get it myself. This was while I was trying the manage the above cases. What do you say to that?? (Of course I had a few choice things in mind at the time, but really didn't want to get fired)

Specializes in ER, progressive care.
Hi there,

I have worked with some nurses that demand a hundred little things every shift - and other nurses that will get it themselves. I think some nurses tend to forget that the assistants have their own jobs -(patient care, secretarial work, inputting DR and lab orders into the computer, running to bloodbank or lab, etc. ) to do too (while assisting 2-10 nurses and ?# patients)

I have personally worked in the night shift ICU with 20 patients and 10 nurses - 1 tech. When a nurse asked me to get her something - then she promptly sat down and started reading her personal email. Really? I've just cleaned up 4 diarrhea beds, done 7 other bed baths, gotten 40+ full sets of vitals, made 12 trips to the lab, 2 trips to bloodbank, been vommited on by a hep c+ bleeding ulcer haven't sat down or eaten in 12 hours and you want me to get your ONE patient another cup of coffee so that you can get back to emailing your facebook friends about the night you've had? Oh, sure I'll get right on that!

I put patient care above everything else, but when nurses constantly demand things that they could do themselves - I might have already learned to tune you out when you actually do need something.

The nurses that treat their techs with respect get respect back - and that extra cup of coffee! (maybe one for you too - since I actually do know how you like your coffee...)

Overworked and underappreciated -

Karen

Well written.

I'm a nurse tech and couldn't agree more. Sure, I don't mind doing things for the nurses and of course patient care is #1, but sometimes nurses need to remember that I am ONE person and cannot possibly do EVERYTHING that you ask of me. I hate it when nurses ask me to do something because they are "so busy" and they just sit at the nurses station on their phone, reading a magazine, or BSing with the other nurses.

One day I was getting admission vitals on a patient (which btw, we aren't even supposed to do because the admission, including the vitals, is supposed to be part of the RN's assessment, yet the RN's delegate it to us anyway...even if they're in the room DOING their assessment they still delegate the vitals...you're going to be in the room anyway, why can't you just do it yourself? :mad:) but anyway, I had to run out of the room to grab something. One of the other nurses DEMANDED that I get a blood sugar on a patient because their tray was here and that she couldn't get it because she had to call a doc about something. Now I understand that yes she was truly busy, but I was in the middle of an admission, I am one person, I cannot do everything all at once and there were other nurses who were NOT busy that easily could have checked the sugar for her. But she DEMANDED it, so I did it anyway. That just really bothered me. :mad: Just because I'm out in the hall does NOT mean I am "not busy" or have nothing to do. As soon as the nurses see me suddenly it's "hey M, can you do this, this and this" "oh and while you're at it can you do this..." etc etc etc.

Specializes in ICU, Dementia care, Home Heath Care.

M- Wouldn't it be nice if the nurses could work together? Techs and CNAs get the bad rap - but maybe the focus is on the wrong person? Do you often have nurses with a "That's not my patient" attitude?

Mama D- In my experience, staffing people are rarely ever on the units and have never done patient care - to them, a CNA is a CNA is a CNA - it doesn't matter that you are pulling a CNA from Oncology (with vast oncology knowlege) to work the ICU (totally different skill set) or a L&D tech to work med/surg!

I used to start my Tech shift with a report from the outgoing Tech, then full vitals on all my patients while the RNs got report. Then when to each nurse individually and planned out my night "What will you and your patient need from me tonight? set a 'date' - bedbath @11? blood draws @ 3 - got it. then filled in my night with all the other stuff that happens in ICU. (Although those pesky codes never kept to my schedule!:rolleyes: )

Karen

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I hope this shows as a reply to Karen in regards to how over worked and under appreciated Techs are. I just graduated from nursing school in December for my BSN, and I begin my nursing position tomorrow actually. I worked as a tech for over a year while in school. One of the MAIN things I hope to never forget is how difficult and unappreciated the position can be.

I am not suggesting that the tech who refused to grab the coffee was in line by refusing to do so, but Karen makes a great point. Some nurses become so reliant on techs, that they fail to remember who's patient it really is. When they cry wolf a hundred times a week, the time they really require assistance may be blown off.

Some techs abuse their ability to pretend like they are too busy... however it is a two way street. I believe that every nurse should have to be a tech before obtaining their RN license. The respect for the position might be a little better understood!

Working together as a team is the best way to get things done!

Good thread!!

Specializes in ICU, Dementia care, Home Heath Care.

School Mack - Very well said! I whole heartedly agree that ALL Nurses should be a Tech first! At the local nursing school - prospective nursing students are given a bonus point toward admission by having their CNA license.

Some of the best nurses I have ever worked with started out as techs! (or have been a nurse so long that they were nurses before the tech were even born!)

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I've noticed that nurses get really lazy with answering call lights when they have techs/aides on the floor.

and one night I was working 3-11...the nightshift aide called off so the floor didn't have anyone for the rest of the night. 11pm is a much less busy time compared to shift change when all h*** breaks loose, but when the nurses learned that they wouldn't have a support and that they had to do their own vitals, they freaked out.

sometimes we're really taken for granted. :rolleyes:

Specializes in ER, progressive care.
M- Wouldn't it be nice if the nurses could work together? Techs and CNAs get the bad rap - but maybe the focus is on the wrong person? Do you often have nurses with a "That's not my patient" attitude?

surprisingly not at the hospital I work at and I float to a lot of different floors, so I've worked with many different nurses, both in med-surg and critical care. I've had nurses who think they are "too good" to do things like clean a patient up or put them on the bed pan, though. I'm pretty sure basic patient care including wiping poopy butts still falls within your description as an RN/LPN :rolleyes:

Specializes in Home Health.
NO! Would never abuse my right hand people. I am on a med/surg floor, so nurses have 6-7 pts and the techs have 8-10 pts. BP that high on the med/surg is call for closer observation, which is hard to do with 5 accuchecks to cover and the tech not helping with coffee and water.

An important thing to remember is that you liable for any harm that may come to a patient. The PCTs have no liability. If the PCT doesn't want to get the coffee, it will have to wait. Most patients will understand the delay if they know you have an emergency with another patient and the PCT is not available. Feedback ratings from the patient may not be very good, but you will know that you gave good competent care and that is what matters.

Specializes in Home Health.

Everything you have said above is why I will never work in a hospital again.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

First of all, I am one of the nurses who does help a pt on a bedpan if they need it and I happen to be in their room. If I am not running around with acute patients or a patient calling out for pain and the pt's room I am in wants water because they are out, I will get it. But the patient in pain or the more acute issue or having to call the doctor is going to be dealt with before I get water. I don't mean to sound lazy. If it sounds lazy, all I can say is that safety is first, and that it is the nurses who are leaving at 8 pm on my floor. The CNA's always leave at 7 on the dot. Every night. CNA's are not the only ones running around. Just because I am sitting on the computer doesn't mean I am goofing off.

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