Teamwork vs doing someones job

Hello everyone! I have a concern (gripe) that I hope you can shed some light on. I am a register nurse at a local hospital, I work on a med/surg teaching floor. I am so frustrated with some of the unit clerks and patient care techs attitudes. I would like to know your thoughts.

It is a constant complaint from our clerks and techs that we (nurses) don't give enough baths, we don't answer enough calls bell or take off enough orders, etc. It is not that I (hopefully I am speaking for the rest of the nurses) feel beneath doing this, it is that we are busy too. I actually had one tech tell me I did not help her out enough, that I was capable of giving baths and getting patients ready for ot/pt. Just because I didn't help bath them or get them into the wheelchair doesn't mean I did not participate in helping prepare them for ot/pt. I gave them their morning medications, checked their chart for any orders that may have been missed, and assessed them making sure they were stable, all by 0900.

I know I am capable of doing their job, but they are not capable of doing mine. Do they realize that the nurses are accountable for many aspects of the patient care. Including their job!

A successful team beats with one heart (quoted by unknown) The point is we all have a job that is equally as important, we need to work together and get our job done. And yes, if I am not busy I will help others.

Look forward to you thoughts and suggestions. Last edit by brax881 on Feb 21, '06
The bottom line is you have lazy support staff who would rather blame you than do their jobs.In my experience, when the CNAs are griping that you aren't helping them it's because they don't want to do their own jobs.Hello -people it's called "nurse aide" - they've got it backwards. Your job isn't to help them, technically; their job exists so they can help YOU. You are the RN, the one with the license. They don't know or care what your responsibilities are. They care about trying to browbeat you into taking on their workload, as much as they can; so they can have an easier night.The fact that everything rests on your shoulders and your license is of no consequence to them. All they care about is being free for their next smoke break.And if you're giving a patient a bath and a doctor calls wanting to ask you about Patient X? About a lab value, about a test...........uh...are you "allowed" by them to talk to the doctor?Who the **** do some of these CNAs think they are?They really need a reality check.This wouldn't be going on unless management allowed it.

Wellllllllllllllllllllllllll...................... ..my opinion is.................YOU are the RN. Why are letting them tell you what you need to be doing? I know that we need to help, if something comes up that someone needs you.........like if they need help lifting someone, or 2 people needed for a transfer, but if you start bathing/dressing and assisting with all the ADL's, who do they think is going to be available to do your job? IMHO, they are just trying to get you to do their job. Personally, I think, since you are the RN, you should just tell these people if they don't like the job they are doing then take it up with the boss over the unit. I'm sure there are other applications on file of people wanting jobs. And this should go for the unit clerks, too. I know that if they get in a real tight, you would assist. But just in a normal day's work they should be able to do their jobs, shouldn't they?

Quote from Town & CountryThey really need a reality check.This wouldn't be going on unless management allowed it.

I highly agree with Town & Country. Are there any other aides there? If so (I do believe so), then they can go see if one of them would mind helping them for a minute. I have had that happen to me also for the aide that I had worked with that day. I told her that I had these 8 patients to give meds to and take off orders, etc. and if she could wait until I was not busy then I would help her, but until then, she would have to find someone else to help and I was busy at the moment. She actually got mad but she went and found someone else. The job got done and when she came back later, she (in so many words) apologized. Later that day she asked if I was busy, if I could help her turn a pt. I wasn't busy at the time, so I helped her. You just have to tell some people the way that it is (not being rude or anything). Then that's when they start to respect you instead of them thinking that you should jump just when they say too.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat: ^^^to all the above posts^^^^!!!

It is not true all the time but some nurses are lazy just like to do paper work .Some are excellent nurses who work as a team with CNA and PCT . Some nurses have really bad attitude and some Tech dont like to do their job .

I agree that management probably needs to step in with some education, but let me play the devils advocate for a moment. I was a CNA before I became a nurse. Our workload was hard, and very physical. We had certain duties we were expected to complete independently, like baths, scheduled VS, blood sugars, turning Q2 the patients who were bedbound, and answering call lights. (I don't know what the duties are for CNA's where you work) There were some days that having a needy patient meant that you probably could not complete everything you were assigned. And working with certain nurses could make or break you. Some nurses were very helpful, and some felt it was below them to help. Having said that, let me say that I had no idea back then what a tremendous responsibility the nurses had. As a CNA, they don't understand what your assessments entail, or that giving meds is not as simple as just giving a few pills. The way they see it, they are breaking their backs and the nurses have the "easy stuff". That should not be the attitude that CNA's have, but they don't know any better, and you don't fix it by putting them in their place. It is through education. I remember saying (jokingly) when I was a CNA that we do everything for the patients and the nurses just pass their pills. I had no idea how wrong I was. And, I am thankful that the nurses who were there when I said it, and knew I was going to school with the intention to become a nurse, just smiled knowinlg and did not jump all over me for it.

Quote from noc_owlHaving said that, let me say that I had no idea back then what a tremendous responsibility the nurses had. As a CNA, they don't understand what your assessments entail, or that giving meds is not as simple as just giving a few pills. The way they see it, they are breaking their backs and the nurses have the "easy stuff". That should not be the attitude that CNA's have, but they don't know any better, and you don't fix it by putting them in their place. It is through education.

I guess we could dedicate a "Day to take your CNA to work with you" and have them make every step you do, then maybe they might see what a nurse has to do.

Quote from LPN1974I was just wondering what your suggestions would be to educate the CNAs as to what the nurses job entails? Obviously you learned it by going on to school, becoming an RN and now that you walk in the shoes of an RN you know what it is to have the responsibility of a nurse, but how do you educate someone short of them actually going to school? CNAs cannot do the job of a nurse. They can't give the medications, {altho some places CNAs are doing that now} they don't do admissions, interpret lab results, call the doctor, deal with families/complaints, assessments, IVs, chart, and all the other duties of a nurse. I guess we could dedicate a "Day to take your CNA to work with you" and have them make every step you do, then maybe they might see what a nurse has to do. HOWever, any CNA who has eyeballs in her/his head should already be able to see these things that you are doing.

Quote from noc_owlI feel you are being a bit contemptuous here, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since the written word is often misinterpreted.

Quote from LPN1974Adj. 1. contemptuous - expressing extreme contemptdisdainful, scornful, insultingdisrespectful - exhibiting lack of respect; rude and discourteous; "remarks disrespectful of the law"; "disrespectful in the presence of his parents"; "disrespectful toward his teacher"I do not think that what I said was any of the above. I think you are misinterpreting what I have said. I was merely trying to express that anyone who is working on the unit surely can see that MOST nurses are very busy. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you did not intend to say that I was any in the above definition.