When to answer other cna's call lights

azcna · Apr 16, 2010

"I don't want to be THAT cna that bounces around doing everyone else's job, including my own."

Why not? People love other people who help out. As long as you aren't doing anything else, I would say answer the other lights! If you work in LTC it is probably hectic enough where you should help the other CNAs out.

Butterfliesnroses · Apr 16, 2010

If I have my own call lights going off or people that are requesting me in my section I tend to them first. The reason being is b/c if I'm in someone else's section and they are in their section and my pt's need me then my pt's needs are being neglected. If we are all done and I'm sitting at the desk and another CNA is too and her call light goes off I don't go answer her call light. And I've had CNA's sitting there and not go answer her call light...sorry not doing your work hun! Now there are certainly times I go answer call lights. If I don't have an immediate deadline to get something done, if that pt's CNA isn't sitting at the desk I'll gladly hop up even if I don't like the CNA...I guess the only time I don't answer call lights are when my pt's will suffer or like I said when the CNA is sitting right there, not doing anything. Don't put yourself in a place where you do everyones work, you are the only one who will care for your pt's put them first! Also it's easy to get burned out if you try to do everyone's work. Been there, done that.

juliaann · Apr 16, 2010

As long as your assignment is caught up and none of your lights are going off, definitely answer other lights! The residents on other assignments need care, and it is only by everyone's effort that prompt care can be given! Any less time that a resident has to spend in a soiled brief or linens or waiting to go to the bathroom or needing meds or needing water or whatever is a great thing, and we should all strive towards it! There are real humans at the other end of those bells, counting on us to help care for them. It's a shame that people say "that's not my patient/resident/assignment."

Now, don't let others take advantage of your good work ethic, but remember that the residents come first. Don't punish another CNA's *residents* because that CNA is lazy. Take care of the residents/patients, and if you see a pattern of you spending more time with another CNA's residents than your own, you need to say something to a supervisor. Maybe that CNA has a rough assignment, or maybe they need to have more orientation, retraining, or some help learning to prioritize and manage their time. Or maybe they need to get told to get out of the breakroom or off their cellphone. Let a supervisor deal with that.

Like a previous commenter said, it is easy to get burned out by doing too much. Make sure you take care of yourself, too. Wanting to help other CNAs and caring about all the residents is a great attribute, and makes great co-workers, CNAs, and nurses. Don't let your good deeds and good work ethic bring you down.

I'm not working as a CNA anymore, but I'm in and out of rooms with patients and on the floors my whole shift. I always ask the patients if they need anything when I'm leaving their rooms, and I empty full urinals if I see them. I pick up linen and bring extra blankets. I answer the call light phone at the desk when I'm up putting test results in charts, and I either help the patients or pass the message along before I leave that floor. Sometimes I have rapid responses, codes, or STATs I need to get to and can't stay long enough to help the CNAs, but I always pass along messages and help as much as I can. If I have a half hour with nothing scheduled, I'll help pass trays or feed patients. I'll give a sitter or the monitor tech a break. I see it as part of my job.

NurxingRoxx · Apr 16, 2010

"I don't want to be THAT cna that bounces around doing everyone else's job, including my own."
Why not? People love other people who help out.

But that is exactly my point! I don't mind HELPING out, but like I quoted 'I don't want to bounce around DOING everyone else's job, INCLUDING MY OWN.' I am not getting paid their salary on top of mine. If I wasn't willing to help and assist in the first place, I wouldn't be answering other cna's call lights. And I'd be like those lazy cna's 'sitting on their rump'. Again, like I quoted 'I don't want to be taken advantage of either.' I am trying to 'find a balance'.

...thanks for your advice

NurxingRoxx · Apr 17, 2010

Thank you so much for your responses, Butterfliesnroses and Juliaann! :redbeathe Very helpful advice!

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 17, 2010

Ditto what everyone else said. I am more than happy to help out CNA's who are *actually* working and doing their job. I know that if I go and help them when they need help, they will be more than willing to return the favor when I need it. But, if someone is sitting at the nurses station reading "US Weekly" or watching Survivor on the big TV, I politely inform them they have a light going off. I'm not there to do their job for them. They need to do some work if they expect to be paid. :rolleyes: If this makes them mad, so be it.

Just don't let others abuse your willingness to help. I know of more than a few aides that would hide in empty residents' rooms (or occupied, for that matter) and do whatever because they know that if you don't see them, you will assume they are "busy" and do their work for them. Don't let that happen. :)

Sometimes roaming and answering call lights gets tricky if there are new admissions on other halls during the shift. Care plans don't always get made in a timely manner [gasp], and there aren't always other people around to give you report and specific info about them (how they transfer, etc.). At times, it's even TRICKIER because of certain illnesses (i.e. dementia), where they can't tell you exactly what they need. They may have forgotten that they just had surgery or can't walk. In these cases, you can at least answer their light and find out what they need. If you're comfortable with doing whatever care they require, great. If not, you can reassure them and then go find their CNA and notify him/her.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Apr 17, 2010

I don't seem to encounter this as much on first shift, probably because there are things to do right up until the end of shift, but when I worked 3-11 there were always girls who would finish all their HS cares and go sit at the desk goofing off with each other pretending to chart. They would ignore all the call lights and I'd be running around answering them all on top of doing the side work like linens and stuff. If things weren't insanely busy I didn't mind answering the lights but still... it was annoying sometimes. Especially when they would helpfully point out that So-and-so was ringing, with no intention of getting up off their own duff to answer it. Or when they'd insist on only answering the lights on "their" residents. If things are crazy and there are a million lights going off then it makes sense for everybody to prioritize their own, but at the end of the night when things are calm, that's just petty. After a while I started finding ways to look busy doing side work off the floor and if someone mentioned that a light was on I'd say so answer it yourself.

loriangel14, RN · Apr 17, 2010

Whenever I get free time on my hands, I have a habit of answering other cna's call lights that ring for a certain period of time. The call light noise is so annoying, and I don't want the nurses or the nursing supervisor hearing that buzz while they see other aides on different assignments sitting on their rump, ignoring the sound. When the light goes off, I look around for the cna assigned to that room. And when I don't see them, I assume that they are busy with another resident, so I tend to answer the call. I don't want to be THAT cna that bounces around doing everyone else's job, including my own. And I don't want to be taken advantage of either. I just want to be decent at what I was hired to do. Do you answer other cna's call lights? How do I find a balance, so I won't be hopping up and down the halls like a jack rabbit?

I am a nurse and where I work ANYONE sitting on their behind when a call bell goes off is expected to get up, whether it is your room or not. It's a little thing we call being a team player. The first time I found myself sitting there while my charge went and answered a bell I was very uncomfortable.

azcna · Apr 17, 2010

"I am not getting paid their salary on top of mine. If I wasn't willing to help and assist in the first place, I wouldn't be answering other cna's call lights. And I'd be like those lazy cna's 'sitting on their rump'. Again, like I quoted 'I don't want to be taken advantage of either.' I am trying to 'find a balance'."

I understand what you are saying, and I can appreciate that you don't want to be taken advantage of. It's always hard when you are working with lazy aides, just makes your job that much more stressful/difficult.

When I worked in LTC I tried very hard not to be the lazy aide. If I wasn't doing anything I was answering lights, no matter whose lights they were. If someone is sitting there doing nothing and their light goes off and they just don't get up and answer it for a few minutes I would maybe ask them if they were going to get it, or if they wanted me to. If they make it a common practice not to answer lights, I would tell the nurse about it.

My point is that you want the nurses to know that you can be relied upon. You care about the patients, you are helpful, and you don't need to be babysat like some of the other aides. This will get you a LONG way with the nurses, and the supervisors. If you ended up deciding to leave LTC for a hospital job you would have great references. You would also know that you did your job, and helped all the residents to the best of your ability!

NurxingRoxx · Apr 17, 2010

Thank you, azcna!

CaitlinLiz · Apr 17, 2010

To be completely honest, it is rare that I get to sit down during a shift because of what you are asking about. I start off my shift by toileting everyone in my assignment. Unfortunately, we are almost ALWAYS given 14-16 patients and the day you are lucky enough to get 9 or 10 a certain senior aid at the facility would graciously hand over some of her responsibility to you so she could "chart" at the desk all shift. But anyway, I do toileting, then I refill ice waters. Then I go hand out gowns/briefs/wash cloths. I start at 3, so by this time people are going down the the dining room for dinner. I help people reach their places in the dining room then I attend to my dinner assignment. After dinner I do a toilet run for my assignment, refill waters and start to get people ready for bed as they call. That is just a general idea... now; if another aid's light is on and ringing consistently without being turned off and I am in a position where I can pause my rounds to answer their light, I will. But if it is a tie between my responsibilities and someone else's, mine always comes first. Why? Because the DON is always watching. At least at my facility- they always know who is sitting around and who isn't. I would say if you have the time, then yes I feel it is okay to answer someone else's assigned room. But if I have the choice of sitting down or doing busy work like checking on ice waters or filling my linen cart, I'll do that just because otherwise I feel like I'm jumping up and down like you mentioned. I would rather be constantly moving than be up and down and up and down.