Most
Nursing Assistants work very hard to ensure the safety of patients as well as
provide them with quality care. However, consumer complaints happen often,
resulting in the profession not getting a fair look. Too often the focus is on
the negative that takes place during interactions with Nursing Assistants than
reporting good staff to the proper people.
One of the
biggest complaints about Nursing Assistants by consumers is that they are too
rushed. They often have to hurry through bathing and dressing because they have
too many demands on their time in a given shift. This often results in patients
getting cared for, but quickly and robotically. The personal touch is often
smothered in an effort to get it all done.
For
patients, simple requests are on of the few perks they have in a medical
facility. It also allows they to still exercise some control over their
decisions. This is very important to someone who no longer is able to be at
home or do basic tasks for themselves without assistance. These requests can be
as simple as helping them from the bed to a chair or bringing them a pen and
paper to write a letter. It is easy for Nursing Assistants to get side tracked
or forget. However, since these simply requests are important to the patient,
it is very important that Nursing Assistants follow through with them. Carrying
a pen and notepad to jot down requests is a great way to remember them.
Patients
don’t like to be kept waiting. It is very hard to adjust to. They may forget
they are not the only patient. Nursing Assistants do the best they can to stay
on schedule. However, working short staffed and medical emergencies can quickly
put them behind schedule. Nursing Assistants have to prioritize, so sometimes helping
someone who has fallen is more important than giving the patient a shower on
time. Since confidentiality is so important, the Nursing Assistant can’t tell
the patient why they are running late.
Never
discuss a patient with another staff member or family member in a manner that
makes the patient feel as if they are not in the room. Speak with them in mind.
It is important to carefully choose your words, even when you think they are
asleep or in a coma. Many patients have filed complaints regarding conversations
they overheard while Nursing Assistants thought they were sleeping or
unresponsive.
One huge
area of controversy is that many consumers are uneasy with who quickly a
Nursing Assistant can obtain a license. They do not feel there is adequate training
time to do an effective job. Federal guidelines require all Nursing Assistant
programs to have a minimum of 75 hours of training. The actual amount will
depend on the program coordinator and the state requirements for a particular
program. However, it is often debated that to be certified as a manicurist, it
takes over 1000 hours of training, but so little to become a Nursing Assistant.
Medical
facilities and program developers defend the hours required to earn a
certificate as a Nursing Assistant. They feel the training builds on an
individuals basic concepts of feeding, bathing, and dressing individuals. It is
routine tasks we have all done at some point in our lives. They also stress
that the clinical hours are hands on training in a medical facility with close
observation. This type of training is more effective than just classroom
curriculums of other programs. In addition, Nursing Assistants are closely
supervised by Nursing staff on a regular basis.
Nursing
Assistants work hard to do an effective job of meeting the needs of consumers.
Complaints will continue to be file as long as Nursing Assistants maintain such
high workloads. With the demand of this field continuing to grow, it is not
likely that the workloads will get anything but larger over time.
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