www.dotcomhunter.com Consumer Complaints about Nursing Assistants Most Nursing Assistants work very hard to ensure the safety of patien ts as well as provide them with quality care. However, consumer compl aints happen often, resulting in the profession not getting a fair lo ok. Too often the focus is on the negative that takes place during in teractions with Nursing Assistants than reporting good staff to the p roper people. One of the biggest complaints about Nursing Assistants by consumers i s 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 gi ven shift. This often results in patients getting cared for, but quic kly and robotically. The personal touch is often smothered in an effo rt 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 assis tance. These requests can be as simple as helping them from the bed t o a chair or bringing them a pen and paper to write a letter. It is e asy for Nursing Assistants to get side tracked or forget. However, si nce these simply requests are important to the patient, it is very im portant 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 staffe d and medical emergencies can quickly put them behind schedule. Nursi ng Assistants have to prioritize, so sometimes helping someone who ha s fallen is more important than giving the patient a shower on time. Since confidentiality is so important, the Nursing Assistant can’t te ll the patient why they are running late. Never discuss a patient with another staff member or family member i n a manner that makes the patient feel as if they are not in the roo m. 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 patie nts have filed complaints regarding conversations they overheard whi le Nursing Assistants thought they were sleeping or unresponsive. One huge area of controversy is that many consumers are uneasy with w ho quickly a Nursing Assistant can obtain a license. They do not feel there is adequate training time to do an effective job. Federal guid elines require all Nursing Assistant programs to have a minimum of 75 hours of training. The actual amount will depend on the program coor A gift from www.dotcomhunter.comwww.dotcomhunter.com dinator and the state requirements for a particular program. However, it is often debated that to be certified as a manicurist, it takes o ver 1000 hours of training, but so little to become a Nursing Assista nt. Medical facilities and program developers defend the hours required to earn a certificate as a Nursing Assistant. They feel the training bui lds on an individuals basic concepts of feeding, bathing, and dressing individuals. It is routine tasks we have all done at some point in ou r lives. They also stress that the clinical hours are hands on trainin g in a medical facility with close observation. This type of training is more effective than just classroom curriculums of other programs. I n 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 nee ds of consumers. Complaints will continue to be file as long as Nursin g Assistants maintain such high workloads. With the demand of this fie ld continuing to grow, it is not likely that the workloads will get an ything but larger over time. PPPPP Word Count 650 A gift from www.dotcomhunter.com