The problem with Some new nurses

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I work at a hospital. We have CNA's some nurses think it's bellow them to even take their patient to the bathroom. Hell they even refuse to get water if the patient needs it. Sometimes the unit is filled and all 30 beds are occupied and due to staffing issues, we only have 1 NA. An NA who is expected to run to bed alarms, get snacks, change an incontinent and take patients to the bathroom. I mean I've seen nurses complain about even placing a bedpan on the patient. It's ridiculous. When did nursing change and how do we change it back to being a team job?

My employer instructed the nurses to not do "CNA work" because the overtime for the nurses was out of control. They started getting all over us if we stayed 1 minute late. Fast forward 2 months...we got a new edict: call light wait times are through the roof. We must now stop whatever we are doing and answer call lights immediately.

Gee, I wonder what'll happen to the overtime. I want to do those tasks. I do, but when I can't get everything else (that I can't delegate) done in a shift, how? I can't physically (or mentally) do it. It's not fair to the CNA, nurse or patient.

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Specializes in ICU.

It's not an us vs. them issue. I was a tech. It was MY job to take care of personal care. I was paid well to do it as well.

Now, I'm an RN. If it's 1600 and I don't have my 0800 assessments on my patients put in yet, you get your bottom dollar I'm calling a tech. I'm calling to delegate what I can, so I can chart and get home to my family at a decent hour. Me making a joke with my colleagues as I chart does not mean I'm doing nothing. I'm decompressing. I'm decompressing because I had one hour neuros to do and had a difficult family with the next. I can multitask. Isn't that part of nursing? I never once complained as a tech. I knew what my role was.

I'm sorry the CNA feels this way with new nurses. I hope my techs don't. They always ask if I need help, which I appreciate.

Also, I do all the turning and positioning myself so I can assess pressure points each time.

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An RN that can't provide basic nursing care when the CNA is busy should be ashamed of themselves and hang up their stethoscope. Nursing is team sport. Always take care of your CNA's and they will take care of you.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
An RN that can't provide basic nursing care when the CNA is busy should be ashamed of themselves and hang up their stethoscope. Nursing is team sport. Always take care of your CNA's and they will take care of you.

There is only so much work 1 person can do. This isn't an issue of teamwork; it's an issue of understaffing.

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