pericare with brief changing?

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I am a new cna and about to start my second semester of nursing school. I started a new job in LTC a week ago. I am light years away from being as fast as the other cna's who work the night shift with me. I am always going over my time. The other night another cna who has been there for twenty years told me that the reason I am so slow is because I am washing the residents (peri) when I change their briefs. I am supposed to, right? My preceptor said to but this aid told me that nobody does that including my preceptor and the only reason she did it with me was because with the two of us working together she had more time and help. She said eventually I would be fired for too much overtime or for being too slow. Also, this is one of the top rated homes in this area. After she said this I understood why every resident I changed on my shift had terrible odors and usually residue from the last BM. Does anyone have any feed back or suggestions? I really need this job. It is my first job in the field and eventhough I am in nursing school I still want to be a great cna too. Any comments are welcome. I would really like to know if this is true among aids because I find it apalling.

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Oh heavens to betsy. Gawd forbid that 20-year CNA gets ahold of another new CNA and destroys the sense of compassion and caring that is necessary to keep that facility 'top-rated.' Never let anyone tell you that you'll get fired for giving peri-care !! The crusty old CNA who told you that's the reason you are slow should get reported for neglect. I'd bet money that the only reason you are ~slow~ is that you are thorough and you simply haven't discovered your own personal 'flow' yet. You'll get it though, I promise. It comes with practice, and you'll get plenty of that. I started out pretty slow myself, and it was mostly because I was just unsure of so many little things. Now I'm neither the fastest CNA nor the slowest, I have my own pace that is comfortable and efficient....but I assure you none of my residents ever smell bad or have dried BM on them. The best way to learn about proper time management is in a LTC facility. Any CNA who wants to threaten you with firing because you peri-care people is probably running scared that you'll show them all up for cutting corners to save time. :eek:

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Specializes in IMCU.

I agree. Keep doing what you are doing. You will get a flow. I have to say I love that where I have been, peri care is done with no rinse wipes. Much faster.

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A lot of my coworkers do the same thing as this aide. It's disgusting. Every time I change a brief, I clean the resident with peri-wash and wet wipes. In time you will be faster, as you get a good routine down.

I hope one day, the aides who don't bother to clean the residents have to find out what it's like to have urine and bm left on their skin all day,

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Interceptinglight said it well. There are even CNAs who will not remove a soaked brief all night long. The resident is in the same mess they were in at 11 pm. I had to counsel a CNA who did that because he came to work to find a cubby hole and sleep all night long. The DON fired him.

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Specializes in geriatrics, dementia, ortho.

Ignore that person. You'll get faster with time & still be able to give your pericare. My facility doesn't even use disposable wipes; just washcloths and periwash, and there's still enough time to clean up the residents when changing them.

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Specializes in LTC.

We don't have wipes either. I work first shift and if I'm doing AM care I use soap and water and the rest of the day I use lotion and a dry towel. It's quicker, it uses less linens, and I think the lotion cleans more gently. So you could always try that.

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ALWAYS do peri care!

Forget the other CNAs. Speed comes in time. Go slow, learn your tricks as you go, eventually you won't be staying late. Good luck!

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One trick if you're in a hurry and about to do rounds is to put some washcloths (or wipes, if you have them!) in a bag and either dampen them with water or peri-wash if you have it. Then you will have them with you while you do your bedcheck. Saves you from having to run ot the sink to dampen your washcloths or try to get the wipes to come out of the package when they all like to stick together.

My facility has wet wipes and periwash, so before I start my bedchecks, I separate the wipes, put them in a small bag, and add some peri-wash to them (because the wipes alone don't take care of odor very well). Super convenient.

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Specializes in geriatrics, dementia, ortho.
One trick if you're in a hurry and about to do rounds is to put some washcloths (or wipes, if you have them!) in a bag and either dampen them with water or peri-wash if you have it.

This would be so handy but don't your residents complain that it's cold then? I swear I waste more time waiting for the sink to run warm water so I can do the pericare... frustrating! I usually turn it on while they're on the toilet or before I take their wet brief off in bed, but then I have to leave them for a sec to go get the now-wet washcloth. Wish there were a portable washcloth warmer I could carry for my rounds.

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Specializes in Orthopaedic Nursing; Geriatrics.

As a CNA instructor, I applaud you for doing things the right way! Hold your ground and continue to give your patients the best care that they deserve. Would that other CNA go to the bathroom and not wipe herself? Well...maybe she would. I guess you could ask her to find out. In the meantime, keep up the good work. I always tell myself this: When I go home from work at night, I am the one who has to sleep knowing what kind of job I did that day. If I decided to cut corners at the expense of a patient's comfort, I know I would not sleep very well. Good job!:yeah:

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You should always clean a patient after you change their brief, or there will be urine and feces on their skin which will irratate their skin and can cause worse problems. Some are just too lazy to go that extra step to make patients feel comfortable and clean. It's obvious that cna has been working for 20 yrs too long and she needs a different career, do what you know is right and don't worry about anybody else but your patients.

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