Counseling for Nursing Assistants

The day to day activities of a Nursing Assistant can be rewarding and draining. Most of us only know that they offer assistance with feeding, dressing, and bathing patients. However, they do so much more. They develop ongoing relationships with the patients as they have more one on one time with them than any other medical staff. They also provide comfort to the patient and their family. They do all they can from reading to them, helping them write letters, and holding their hand as they move from life to death.

Experiencing the negative activities that occur in the Nursing Assistant profession can really take a toll on an individual. It is especially hard when someone they have been caring for takes a turn for the work, becomes terminally ill, or dies. They still have to go on with their other patients, but they can be left feeling empty and at a loss.

Many medical facilities are aware of this issue. With being compassionate comes true feelings of friendship and loss. Counseling is a good way to help Nursing Assistants deal with the events that take place in the working environment. This counseling can be conducted through the employer or at the expense of the Nursing Assistant from an outside resource.

Counseling services offered on site to Nursing Assistants is generally offered free of charge, as long as the information being discussed is work related. The employer may have several paid counselors that only provide services to employees. Others use their counselors to provide services to their employees, patients, and the family and friends of patients. You will need to look into how it is set up at your place of employment for specific details.

These counseling sessions can be ongoing or set up only when a Nursing Assistant feels the need to do so. It is important to understand that the information you discuss with the counselor at your worksite will not be shared with your employer. Too often, Nursing Assistants avoid this type of support and help because they are afraid their boss is going to get a transcript of the entire session. All counseling sessions are held in strict confidentiality. They only time anything is reported is if the counselor feels you are in danger of hurting yourself or others.

Since counseling is important in the medical profession, you may be able to encourage administration at your place of employment to set up services for employees. While they may argue that it is costly and not in the budget, be prepared to discuss the benefits to the overall effectiveness of the staff. Employees with good mental health will do a better job. They will also choose to continue employment longer than staff that needs counseling but does not receive it.

If your employer does not offer counseling services, it is important that you look into an outside resource for such services. The Nursing Assistant field can be draining and emotional. A key to staying on top of the game is to take care of yourself. This means both on a physical and emotional level. In reality, you aren’t going to be effectively caring for patients if you haven’t been taking care of your own needs. Counseling services can be expensive, but most health insurance plans cover them. If yours doesn’t or you don’t have health insurance, check in your area for discount programs and sliding scale fees.

Counseling services for Nursing Assistants is a vital key to staying compassionate and interested in your work. If you let the dark side of the profession consume you, then you will no longer be contributing to the well being of the patients you care for. Being a Nursing Assistant is a great opportunity to care for others and give something of yourself to society. However, it can’t be stressed enough that you must take the opportunity and time to properly meet your own needs. This is one of the biggest reasons so many people in the medical field suffer from burnout. They simply do not take their own needs into consideration at the level they should.

Consumer Complaints about Nursing Assistants

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.

Confidentiality is a Must for Nursing Assistants

Nursing Assistants are exposed to a wide variety of events taking place in the medical field. It is crucial that they are aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality in all aspects of their job.

Nursing Assistants are well trained in the policies and procedures of the facility. While it is important to follow them, it is not recommended to discuss them outside of the facility. For example, you don’t want to provide others with confidential information regarding evacuation and other emergency procedures. Doing so many compromise the safety of the patients and staff during a natural disaster or violent attack.

Patients requiring care in a medical facility are to have their privacy protected. This means you do not discuss their care or other personal information with any other person except staff they have an interest in the care of that patient. Confidentiality becomes an issue when you know someone in the facility or someone asks you why someone else in there.

All patients have the right to their privacy being maintained. Compromising this information is a direct violation of every medical practice. Providing such information can result in termination of your job, and in some cases, the loss of your Nursing Assistant Certification.

Communicable diseases can surface in medical facilities. It is important that you follow the policies and procedures set in place by the particular facility your work with. However, do not release information regarding such diseases to anyone. This could result in a panic over the possibility of an epidemic, and lead to patients wanting to leave the facility against medical advice.

The proper medical staff will release information on communicable diseases to the proper agencies. Often this includes the area health department. They can then help the medical facility incorporate a plan of action to remedy the solution. The decision might be made to share the information with the area newspapers in an effort to allow them to protect themselves and to seek medical attention if they display the symptoms of a communicable disease that requires treatment.

Confidentiality also includes other medical staff. Nursing Assistants should not be disclosing any information they overhear among other staff in regards to a patient. Likewise, they should not disclose any information that they hear about the private interactions of staff. Often referred to as gossip, this violation of confidentiality can result in poor working relationships. The result is often a stressful work environment and patients not receiving the best care because lines of communication are not open.

To protect yourself, it is important that you clearly understand the basics of confidentiality and why it is so important in the Nursing Assistant profession. Make sure you are fully aware of the specific policies and procedures in place for the facility you work for prior to accepting employment. In addition, it is the responsibility of the Nursing Assistant to report any violations of the confidentiality policies and procedures to the proper person. Not doing so makes you as much a part of the violation as those who committed it.

While it is human nature to talk and discuss things in common, make sure the information you are sharing in regards to your work are being shared with those who need to know the information. It can be humiliating enough for individuals who need to be in a medical facility without worrying about who is going to find out about what took place while they were in care.

Ways to Show Appreciation to Nursing Assistants

Nursing Assistants work very hard to offer a contribution to the medical field. They work hard to help patients meet their basic needs. They also offer comfort and support. They work one on one with patients, getting to know them better than the other medical staff. They use this knowledge to make things easier for the patient as well as to help the other staff do what is best for the patient. In addition, they work with Nursing staff, often assisting with anything that comes up at a moments notice.

While most Nursing Assistants are happy in their role, they often do feel like they are taken for granted. The do so much behind the scenes that often the patients and the employer don’t realize all that they contribute to the overall goals of the medical facility and the medical profession as a whole. There are several things patients, staff, and employers can do to recognize the efforts of Nursing Assistants.

Many patients and their family choose to send a simply thank you note or letter to the Nursing Assistant. Often, this heartfelt thank you is more than sufficient. It can often help a Nursing Assistant stay motivated, knowing what they do really does make a difference for many people. A simple gift of candy, flowers, or a gift card can also be a great token of appreciation for someone who offered so much during your time of need.

Many Nursing Assistants do not feel appreciated by other medical staff, especially the Nursing staff they work directly under. Too often Nursing staff only point of what a Nursing Assistant didn’t do. This needs to be addressed, and verbal appreciation needs to be expressed towards the efforts of Nursing Assistants. Another great way to show appreciation is to ask Nursing Assistants for their input regarding patient care and include them in discussions about how to handle particular patient issues. This will definitely make them feel appreciated and valued.

Employers need to work hard to make Nursing Assistants feel appreciated as well. With them being is such high demand, they need to work hard to keep those quality workers they already have. In addition, their attitude towards the issue will often set the tone for other medical staff.

Employers can extend appreciation to individual Nursing Assistants or the profession as a whole in employment newsletters. These are often well read materials that pertain to the medical facility and can be distributed monthly or every pay day along with your check. If your facility participates in Medical Appreciate Week, then it is imperative that the Nursing Assistants feel honored during that time as well. Some employers offer raises to Nursing Assistants based on their performance as a bonus to recognize their efforts.

It is important to understand that Nursing Assistants don’t enter the profession looking for recognition. They sincerely want to help others the best way they can. However, being over worked and under appreciated it a mix that leads to stress, burnout, and often leaving the profession. Medical facilities need to take the opportunity to inform other staff of all the duties Nursing Assistants perform. Other staff and the facility need to work hard to make them feel as important as any other staff member. Too often, the mentality is that they are entry level workers with less education. This misconception will lead to a continued shortage of Nursing Assistants to help patients and other staff. That being said, it is definitely to the advantage of the staff and facility to make sure Nursing Assistants feel welcome, appreciated, and an intricate part of the team.