Question

Read the overview below and complete the activities that follow.

Melody, a certified nursing assistant (CNA), works in a skilled nursing care facility caring for elderly patients. "I like the hands-on care," she says, "and I love just visiting with my patients. They come from all walks of life, and some of them have traveled all over the world."

The part of her job she dislikes the most, Melody adds, "is the demanding patients, who want everything right now. Demanding relatives can also be unreasonable. A daughter will tell me, 'I want you to respond immediately whenever my mother calls for you.' They don't understand, or don't care, that I have several patients to look after."

Case:

Read the case below and answer the questions.

Once, Melody recalls, several family members were visiting their elderly relative. "I walked in to check my patient, and one of his granddaughters asked me to get her a soda. There was a vending machine in the visitors' lounge, and I debated telling the woman I'm not a waitress, and she could get her own drink. I didn't, though. I got her the drink, but I resented being asked to do it. I'm just a CNA, but I'm not there to wait on patients' relatives."

1.) From Melody's perspective, her job did not include providing refreshments for patients' visitors. What does her remark that she is "just a CNA" reveal about Melody's attitude concerning her work?

2.) From the demanding visitor's perspective, perhaps Melody's job is to serve all needs of anyone in the patient's room. In your opinion, would Melody's registered nurse (RN) supervisor have expected her to fulfill the visitor's request for a soda? Why or why not?

3.) How should Melody respond to patients and their visitors who seem unreasonably demanding?

Answer 1

1)From Melody's perspective, her job did not include providing refreshments for patients' visitors. What does her remark that she is "just a CNA" reveal about Melody's attitude concerning her work?

From the remark, ' just CNA' shows that Melody does not like to meet the demanding needs of the patient's relative.She would have mean that CNA has their own responsibility rather than taking care of patients relative.

2)From the demanding visitor's perspective, perhaps Melody's job is to serve all needs of anyone in the patient's room. In your opinion, would Melody's registered nurse (RN) supervisor have expected her to fulfill the visitor's request for a soda? Why or why not?

The RN would not have expected to meet the needs of the relative as it is not affected the patient in anyway ,physical or safety concerns.

3.) How should Melody respond to patients and their visitors who seem unreasonably demanding?

As a CNA ,it is important to meet the needs of the patient and to provide a safe environment.In this perspective, it is the relative who asked for a soda.Melody could have directed them to get the soda as there is a vending machine available in order to respect the individual.