So I've been working a little bit over a year now and found that a lot of times I end up staying later to do work that my tech should've done. We share work responsibilites but when I'm getting admissions and giving meds and they're sitting in an empty room talking on their cell.
And when I ask them to get vitals for a new patient they sometimes just flat out tell me no and walk off. They never say no to the charge nurses and are always spending more time helping their patients so that it seems like they're doing a great job when really they're ignoring my patients.
I have reported this to my manager once, but not much was done about it and I feel like the techs are taking advantage of me because I'm still a relatively new nurse, not to mention the youngest one on the unit.
Any advice on how to get along better with these techs but not let them walk all over me?
Thankfully I have had the luck to work with some really GREAT aides, who are an important extension of myself. They are my eyes, ears, & nose when I don't always have the time myself... I always try to explain my rationale... I never run from cleaning up one of my patients either, and that is a big deal when working with staff in general... It doesn't even need to be my patient, if you need help & I'm available I'm there. Of, course turnabout is fair play. If I cannot rush to help right that moment I explain myself... I need to reassess so & so, or so & so needs meds right now, etc... If I will be busy for an extended amount of time I tell them so... if it'll be quick I'll say get such & such supplies & I'll meet you in 5 minutes... I work 3rd shift, so we tend to be tighter knit anyhow, but everyone has a really bad night now & again & if you consistently work as a team it pays off big when you need it... Not to be funny, but it may be a matter of how you approach the techs... or how you appear to the techs... maybe they see you as someone who is not a team player.... I'm only speculating as I'm not in your shoes here... try to make a greater effort to become more proficient at time management, which may in turn allow you more time to be available to assist the techs at times...I've always found that if you shock them a little by being genuinely willing to help, they tend to see you in a whole different light & may actually attempt to work with you, instead of against you. Just try to remember the work of a tech is never beneath you... it's all part of an assessment.... what better way to assess than be right there in the trenches wiping someone's behind...or assisting a pt to the bathroom you can assess their LOC & gait & oh so many other things.
Like I said I don't know your whole story, but a more hands on proactive approach may benefit you, whenever you are able, it may peak your tech's interest & you may find you have just gained an irreplaceable priceless coworker. Good luck to you!!
Hi there-I'm sorry to hear that you're having this issue. I work as a tech on a step down ICU and I am also in nursing school.
I'm not going to try and justify the way they are speaking to you, especially if they are flat out saying "No". However, where I work on a good day I work with 5 nurses which equals 10-12 pts. On a bad day I work with 10 nurses and about 20 pts. Which means I have all these ppl asking me to help them. Which is fine, I just can't be everywhere at once. I basically get my a$$ kicked everyday, not by the nurses themselves, but by the work. I'm sure some techs are lazy, but most likely if you can't find one it's because they are in another room doing something else. I've literally been in the middle of a clean up, knee deep in poo, and one of my nurses was walking up and down the unit calling my name because she couldn't find me. WTH??? Maybe they are just stretched so thin that they don't have time to do what you are asking of them. I know that I'm responsible for all the blood sugars, foleys, am care, trach care, and luckily all of our pts are monitered so I don't have to take individual VS. All this plus the clean ups, dressing changes, lifts etc. I usually don't get a moments rest all day. The nurses really don't either. I'm not sure how many techs are on your unit, but are there any other ones that can help or do all of them behave this way? I know its tough, but we're all busy. Also, it greatly depends on how YOU treat them. I've had nurses who are just so mean and lazy that, yes I do go out of my way NOT to help them. If you treat me with respect and like a human being I will be more than happy to help/assist you. Good luck and i hope it works out.
eccentricRN
174 Posts
Thankfully I have had the luck to work with some really GREAT aides, who are an important extension of myself. They are my eyes, ears, & nose when I don't always have the time myself... I always try to explain my rationale... I never run from cleaning up one of my patients either, and that is a big deal when working with staff in general... It doesn't even need to be my patient, if you need help & I'm available I'm there. Of, course turnabout is fair play. If I cannot rush to help right that moment I explain myself... I need to reassess so & so, or so & so needs meds right now, etc... If I will be busy for an extended amount of time I tell them so... if it'll be quick I'll say get such & such supplies & I'll meet you in 5 minutes... I work 3rd shift, so we tend to be tighter knit anyhow, but everyone has a really bad night now & again & if you consistently work as a team it pays off big when you need it... Not to be funny, but it may be a matter of how you approach the techs... or how you appear to the techs... maybe they see you as someone who is not a team player.... I'm only speculating as I'm not in your shoes here... try to make a greater effort to become more proficient at time management, which may in turn allow you more time to be available to assist the techs at times...I've always found that if you shock them a little by being genuinely willing to help, they tend to see you in a whole different light & may actually attempt to work with you, instead of against you. Just try to remember the work of a tech is never beneath you... it's all part of an assessment.... what better way to assess than be right there in the trenches wiping someone's behind...or assisting a pt to the bathroom you can assess their LOC & gait & oh so many other things.
Like I said I don't know your whole story, but a more hands on proactive approach may benefit you, whenever you are able, it may peak your tech's interest & you may find you have just gained an irreplaceable priceless coworker. Good luck to you!!