teamwork vent

I’ve read posts about lazy CNA’s/nurses, lack of teamwork, people saying “That’s not my patient/resident”, and felt that I just had to post a thread about the lack of teamwork I ran into at the LTC I used to work at.

There were 3 co-workers that I know of that believed in teamwork and helping co-workers, and I had a good shift when at least one of them was there, and I sure appreciated working with them.

Most of the time, though, I had problems with getting someone to help me with a 2 person transfer. I had the resident clean, dressed, ready to transfer, and it wasn’t like I was asking someone else to do my job for me, and I was certainly willing to and have helped with transfers, toileting, etc. for other CNA’s residents.

One day, I spent 40-45 minutes hunting down and asking other co-workers for help with the 2 person transfer, and the answer was the same, “I can’t do it/I don’t have time, ask someone else.” (They had time to gossip during the breakfast tray pass, and I noticed they’d help their friend with a transfer.)

The worst time was when I asked for help from this one co-worker to transfer someone to the toilet, and she said she was busy getting the safety bingo numbers, and to use the sit-to-stand. She even told me later that day that the sit-to-stand was faster then a 2 person transfer. (It isn’t, especially with a combative resident.) This may sound petty, but a month or so later, I saw the same person helping another CNA with a 2 person transfer to toilet a resident---and it was the same resident!

Other CNA’s have had problems getting help with 2 person transfers. There’s been quite a few back injuries when a CNA tried to transfer the 2 person resident by themselves, injured their back, and dropped the resident. Luckily so far, no one broke a hip, or got seriously hurt.

I can’t prove it, but I get the feeling maybe those CNA’s were told they could do the transfer by themselves because the others didn’t want to take the time to help them.