Hot take: We shouldn't bash fellow CNAs because they might not know better
Today I was visiting a hospice paitent who resides in a LTCF for her bed bath. This particular paitent is having a very natural death and is at a point in her transition that she is no longer respondent or continent and is considered "total care".
I knocked and entered the room to see two PCTs changing her briefs. I recognized the guy as one of the regular aids I see often but didn't know the other. I picked up on just enough of their conversation to gather that she might be training, so I introduce myself and ask if she's new to CNA work. Turns out she's actually taking a management position in the facility but is shadowing across all roles. (Love to see it!)
Anyway, the guy starts to say since hospice is here we can just leave her. The paitent at this point is rolled on her side and they're wiping her. I tell him they're okay to finish up, and I'll take over when they're done. I go to start running the water and sanitizing the table top I use, etc.
Then we go right back to it. He says okay we're done and when I look over my paitent is laying there flat on the bed, no bottoms on, no cover. Just naked waist down.
With a smile on my face I said "Actually if you would go ahead and finish her care and put a brief on her, I'll start her bed bath after. With incontinent paitents I prefer that they have a brief on because we wash the peri area last during bed baths."
He ended up saying he's new and has only seen a bed bath once but that's not something they did. Well long story short, I invited him to stay and help and got to show this guy how to give a really thorough bed bath as well as some insider tricks (like leaving the brief on until we were ready to clean that area so we don't end up with accidental wet sheets or having to re-wash after a clean up).
Here's why I'm sharing this:
• I walked away feeling good about that interaction
• The PCT walked away feeling good about that interaction
• My paitent was treated with dignity (regardless of cognitive state)
• A new skill was taught without putting anyone down
I am constantly seeing posts of people bashing on others for being lazy and inept. I understand the frustrations and I have felt real burn out before. But maybe, if we all just take a breath and give some grace instead of following that initial reaction of frustration, we could all grow and all our paitents would be better off for it.
I could have just as easily gotten mad that he was being lazy and trying to pass off changing a patient on me. But sometimes it's the blind leading the blind and it's no one's fault. That "just leave it for hospice" would have followed over into the person training. You see it, call it out (kindly) and stop that culture from spreading.