"That" co worker

[hookyarnandblanket]

My fellow co workers and I are completely stumped with how to handle one of our part time co workers. She has worked at our hospital slightly longer than I have and I have been there for a year and a half. She only works Fridays and weekends and some holidays. She's a nice person, but she doesn't understand or is not willing to follow routine, and her patient care skills are lacking in major ways.

For example, we have two long term care patients who should only take 20 minutes, tops, for a complete bath in the whirlpool tub. She takes 45 minutes with each of them. While giving someone a good bath is important, it should not take 45 minutes. She left a Hoyer lift sling under a patient, with the straps still crossed for the entire a.m. portion of a shift. If she answers a call light (which is rare), if it isn't one of her patients, she will find one of us to complete the patient's request.

The majority of the schedule, she works evenings, but on the weekends I work, she works 1st shift, and all we hear is, "That isn't how we do it on 2nd shift" or "Oh, we do it this way because..." That is all well and good, but because we serve two meals and do all the bathing on 1st shift, we have to be efficient and we have to prioritize. She can do neither.

We have been to our nurses during our shifts about her inability to prioritize and be efficient because she has actually put the rest of us behind on our work due to her lack of efficiency. I even mentioned something to our DON and she suggested perhaps she needs more training. While some of this is due to the fact she doesn't work with us full time, we feel like it is more her skills and ability. The other shifts have had the same issues with her that we have. We gently explain how things need to be done, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. We are at a loss as to how to explain to her that she has to be more efficient and she has to learn how to prioritize. Playing music for two patients when there are 12 total patients between just 2 CNAs, everyone needs to be bathed before lunch, and the ER is swamped and the nurses can't help doesn't work. We need a way to tell her that she needs to step up her game. Any advice appreciated.

[caliotter3]

The team approach, where two CNAs work together, makes for an efficient and safer way to get the work done. When someone works with this CNA, she will speed up as time goes on.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

It's a difficult position to be in, and very frustrating, to have to pick up the slack for someone who spends too much time with the patients.

Sometimes you have to figure out a way to make it work when paired with the weak link.

I would probably have lunch with her and ask her how do you think things could be better and more efficient. Listen.

Then you state 3 areas that you feel could be improved. Be nice, but keep it real and say I wish that we could communicate better. I didnt like the way our last interaction went when you told me to do thus and so when I was busy and you were not. It is not easy, but we have to be adults and go to each other first and have these conversations. Do this in a respectful manner. This is a management skill that gets easier the more that you do it.

If you have tried talking with her, explaining the routine and tag teaming the work and she persists on socializing with patients and doing her own thing, then, and only as a last resort, I would ask management to keep her on the other shift because she can not function as a team member, manage her time or keep up with the pace on days.

[mirandaaa]

I have definitely, 100% been there and it is very frustrating.

My first step in this situation was to tell the nurse in charge, hoping she would speak with her, but of course when I went to her for help, she said, "Well have you talked to her about it?"

So myself and the other CNA on duty pulled her aside and told her that we really need her help stepping up her speed and follow our routine (because it was one that worked) and rather than agreeing or understanding, she became angry and confrontational so the other CNA and I were left essentially doing everything ourselves as the other one disappeared.

Eventually I came to a point where I ended up speaking to the DON and told her I could not work with her anymore and the DON ended up speaking to her and moved her to the other floor. The other floor ended up complaining about it as well and she was fed up with getting in trouble and ended up transferring to dietary and worked in the kitchen for meals instead.

I'm not saying you'll be that lucky, but just sharing experiences.

[Red Kryptonite]

Maybe she needs to work in a different environment. Perhaps hospice would be a good fit, where we actually are encouraged to spend a little more time on our patients, and usually see them one at a time.

[hookyarnandblanket]

Thanks, everyone. Unfortunately, there is no way to float her to another floor. We do it all; we are acute, med-surg, skilled, tele, rehab, long term care, outpatient, and observation. Our nurses, for the most part, are great, but since they have to handle the ER and hospital patients, they can't always help. I think this co worker just can't handle the demands of working 1st shift; while we are a very small hospital, it can still be quite busy, especially on the weekends, but it can also be slow. Either way, 1st shift is the most demanding since we get everyone up, bathe them, and serve two meals. There isn't much downtime, and having worked 2nd shift, I know there is much more downtime during that shift. Plus, the three of us who work full time on 1st have a solid routine that works and the nurses like, and we have a method to our patient care which ensures everyone gets quality care with the best quantity of time. We still do things our own way, but our general routine works for a reason. Going cowboy and doing it how it's done on another shift doesn't always work.

[Alnitak7]

Some people are slow when they first start and then pick up speed.

[hookyarnandblanket]

Some people are slow when they first start and then pick up speed.

I could understand it if she were new, but she isn't. As I said in my initial post, she has worked here longer than I have. Some of the major issues we have with her do not occur on 1st shift alone; they also occur on 2nd shift and I have heard the 2nd full time staff voice the same complaints.