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.
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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.
Consumer Complaints about Nursing Assistants - Innakaghatsa.com