When You Get Left in Charge
The day you have feared and avoided will eventually come to pass. For some, it will come sooner than later. It will always be sooner than you think you're ready for. Your supervisor calls in sick, and you are suddenly the most senior person on the unit. Panic inside, but hold your composure. You can do this! And remember there's always someone you can call if you need help.
Take a deep breath, and call your team together. Let them know that you are capable of handling this and that you expect their full cooperation. If you all work together you can get through this. Be confident, but not cocky. Make a plan together. Listen to everyone's needs and try your best to meet as many as possible. Enlist their help. This is the first big test of how much they trust and respect you. Always thank them for their loyalty and help. Recognize sacrifices and those who go the extra mile. Find a way to nudge the slackers as well.
If things get really tense, call them all together for a moment to regroup. Break the tension with a funny story or have them all close their eyes, shrug their shoulders, and take a few slow deep breaths. If this group enjoys singing a quick silly song or making a silly group cheer, then do it just to break the tension and make them laugh. Then see who needs help and who can help out. Begin again, renewed.
Sometimes the best approach is to work together. Try double teaming a group of patients for a change. One person gets them all fresh water and gets them set up for the shift by fluffing pillows and fixing linens, etc. The other person takes the vital signs and attends to any requests for PRN meds. Work together to get procedures and treatments done and to take patients who need to walk for a stroll down the hallway together. Or one walks the patients while the other straightens up the beds. Start at one end and get everyone else up to chairs for a short stay and then go back and fix linens. As you do, take the patients to the bathroom and then back to bed. Turn all your bed-bound patients together and check carefully for any skin breakdown or risky areas.
Just a simple change of pace and a sense of camaraderie can make the time seem to go by more quickly while helping staff to meet the needs of the patients. Sometimes the R.N. will do all the vitals while the aides and LPNs work together to double team the rest of the tasks. Working together keeps everyone involved and feeling a sense of accomplishment. It also gives you a chance to double team the patients when providing instructions. If your approach isn't working, perhaps someone else's input will turn on the light bulb and vice versa.
When staff works together, everyone has a sense of ownership, and no one feels more overburdened than the rest. It gives each person a chance to learn from their peers and to earn their respect as well. Use opportunities that can otherwise be less than ideal to build your team and to make the most of a bad situation. Learn that together you are strong and that staying focused will help all of you to enjoy your job.
