Riddle me this

[cmonkey]

I'm ending my third week in the CNA class (required to apply for the LPN/RN program) and I have to say I'm developing a real appreciation for what CNAs do on a day-to-day basis.

It got me wondering, and I am NOT trying to be snarky, I genuinely don't know: what is it that nurses *do* all day? I see a lot of posts about how crammed the day is, how little time there is even to pee, and what I can list so far is obvious things like starting IVs, giving meds, caths, etc. But I'm clearly missing a huge piece of the puzzle. I also know it's hard to generalize, given the vast differences between different fields of practice, but I'd love a from-the-trenches view.

I guess I have always thought that a lot of the work CNAs do was done by nurses. Probably good to have a better idea of what I'm getting into before I apply, huh?

[TazziRN, RN]

Coordinate care, field phone calls to and from the docs, give meds, perform treatments, IV care, bathing.........you'd be surprised just how much time all that takes.

[hikernurse]

Tazzi's right. These things seem to take an inordinate time...I do remember feeling the same way you do back when I was a CNA in nursing school. I knew nurses did a lot, but I wasn't sure exactly what took so long and why some of them looked so frazzled.

Part of it is that so much is out of your control. You assess patients at the beginning of the shift and sometimes it's done and charted in ten minutes, but other times there are things that pop up--pain, a dehisced wound, lungs that don't sound like they should. There are a lot of family issues. Coordinating care can take a long time; sometimes you have to contact a lot of people to get the job done.

Even though the CNAs do a lot of work--and they do :), we couldn't do it without you--the nurse still needs to make sure things are done and within the appropriate parameters. An admit/discharge requires a lot of charting.

One other thing I really found was that the flow of days was so different between CNAs and nurses. A lot of the time when the nurses were swamped, the CNAs had time to sit and talk and vice versa.

To be honest, some days I'm still not sure why I'm so busy, yet I am .

And here's something else, the new grad nurse may have been the CNA just a couple of weeks earlier . Time management and learning the ropes can take a loooong time :).

[GilaRRT]

Let us be honest. Charting would be the answer to your question in many cases. Even in the ER: Triage assessment form, primary assessment form, ongoing assessment form with nursing care plan, med rec form, consent to bill form, misc charges form, disposition computer form, disposition acuity form, and order entry form, charges to pharmacy process, discharge instructions, and discharge charting form.

[Dolce, RN]

Unfortunately, I could have a 5 minute interaction with a patient and chart about it for 20 minutes. The charting these days is astronomical. It is actually quite overwhelming to have 6 med/surg patients with full assessments to complete. An admission assessment can take up to an hour to complete. I know it seems like nurses are just "sitting at the computer" but the charting takes sooo long to complete.

[cmonkey]

Do any of you use EMRs, and if so, does that speed up the charting? The clinic I was at bought a system and it had mixed reviews. People who could type seemed to love it. lol

[all4schwa]

I work 7p-7a, and there are times that I dont get to touch that astronomical amount of charting untill 0200! And I wonder, how did I get so behind? I've been chasing my tail and am still behind, where did the last 5 hours go!!!

Lucky for me, I have the notes to prove it, but it does continue to amaze me how the time flys when youre having fun!

[EmmaG, RN]

Paperwork. Paperwork. Paperwork.

Did I mention paperwork?

[EmmaG, RN]

To be honest, some days I'm still not sure why I'm so busy, yet I am .

I'll be standing there with hair on end, feeling like I've been run over by a truck... and wonder just what the hell happened.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

In LTC....passing med takes forever. Get stopped every 5 minutes to help toilet, answer the phone or call bell or deal with family issues or staff issues. Charting, charting , charting. Treatments. Run to supply. Patient, family, staff education. Fix things (broken bed, wheel chairs, etc) Meetings with other departments (therapy, social service, dietary) Did I mention paperwork and charting? Did I mention the never ending med pass?

LOL. I wondered the same when I was a CNA, then I soon realized.

Trust me...most nurses wish they could do more bediside or hands on nursing.

[ShayRN]

Paperwork. Paperwork. Paperwork.

Did I mention paperwork?

:yeahthat:

[BeachBayNurse]

Due to our *fabulous staffing* I have worked as a CNA several times when my hospital is short. I definitely gained a new appreciation for in how many directions CNAs are pulled. Even though I had been a nurse for over a year, I could even see in a few hours how it may look like nurses do a lot of sitting. However, most nurses would gladly trade the responsiblity that is on our shoulders for that entire shift. We are sitting, yes, but looking at labs, checking for mistakes in the orders:icon_roll, looking at consults so when the doctor calls we have half a clue, etc. All of that stuff needs to be done. Also, I do not hesitate to help a CNA if she is overwhelmed, but she is not able to take over my nursing duties for me. It may not be obvious because most nurses don't talk about it, but I spend about 30% of my time doing "CNA type work" (taking patients to the bathroom, getting snacks, changing beds etc). I am not one to go find the CNA if I have time to do it myself. It may look sometimes like nurses are just hanging out, but MOST of the time we aren't, I promise!