Communicating with UAPs
Included In This Lesson
Outline
Overview
- Techs, care partners
- Respect
- Give explanation of why
Nursing Points
General
- Respect
- Please and thank you
- Ask if they can, don’t order
- Explanation
- Explain what you have to do and will be doing while they do the task
- Direction
- Clear on what is needed and what the priority is
- Give instruction if you need follow up
- Ie: blood sugar result
- Remember the delegation rules
- Ensure that the UAP can do the task
- Right task
- Right circumstance
- Right person
- Right communication
- Right supervision
- Ensure that the UAP can do the task
Transcript
In this lesson we are going to talk about the best way to communicate with UAPs which stands for Unlicensed Assistive Personnel.
UAPs are also known as patient care techs or care partners and it is just anyone that is unlicensed and there to help provide care to the patient. When I first became a nurse I had a really hard time with this communication because I had been a patient care tech on the unit I was now working as a nurse on and had done all those jobs and tasks that I was supposed to be delegating. It was a hard adjustment but learned that I couldn’t do it all and I was going to have to communicate and delegate so I could get my work done. Now let’s look at some helpful communication tips for nurse and UAP communication.
So first respect. Please and thank you go along way. UAPs have a hard job and are pulled in multiple directions by many nurses and patients so keep that in mind when you need help. Many of you have probably been a UAP during nursing school so keep in mind how that was for you. You have so many tasks to do plus the never ending call bell. Ask them if they can or are able instead of ordering them to. It help to given an explanation. So explain what you have to do and will be doing while they do the task. A simple “hey I have to go start and IV and give medications to room 302 could you please help feed the patient in 305 for me?” And then direction is also important in communication. Let me give you a scenario that happened on my unit that could have been avoided if clear direct communication had occurred. We had a patient care tech helping during circumcisions one morning and just cleaning the restraint boards and getting set up. A nurse rolled her baby into the nursery with emla ointment in the crib that is used by some doctors for numbing. She said “can someone put the emla on the baby for me?” and went to grab another baby. Later when they went to sign off on the paper MAR it was realized that the PCT had put the emla on. She had seen it done multiple times and didn’t think of it as medication. Both the nurse and the tech had to be reported by management because of this. If the nurse had one not just let the medicine in the crib but also been direct and asked a specific nurse to apply it then the situation would not have occurred. So remember those rules of delegation so you are clear on what can be delegated to the UAPs. Right task, circumstance, person, communication, and supervision. We want help but don’t want to misdeligate. When offering tasks to be done also be clear on what the priority. You are the nurse and you know what needs to happen first. So make sure they know the priority if there is one and then also be very clear on instruction if you need a follow up. For example if you need them to take a blood pressure or get a blood sugar then also communicate the need for them to come report the number to you.
Ok let’s review. It is important to always be respectful. You are the nurse and they are a UAP. They are there to help but not be ordered around so please and thank you can go a long way. Make sure if you are giving a list of items to be done that if one is a priority then that is included in the communication. Ensure follow up is done on any task as part of the communication as well. And give an explanation. It goes better to ask “hey can you do such and such because I have to do such and such”. This way it doesn’t look like you are doing nothing. It is just received better.
Make sure you review the key points and rules of delegation to make sure you are communicating properly with UAPs and start putting them into practice. Now, go out and be your best selves today. And, as always, happy nursing.
Katies NCLEX
Concepts Covered:
- Test Taking Strategies
- Medication Administration
- Adult
- Emergency Care of the Cardiac Patient
- Microbiology
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depressive Disorders
- Nervous System
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Fundamentals of Emergency Nursing
- Dosage Calculations
- Understanding Society
- Circulatory System
- Concepts of Pharmacology
- Studying
- Newborn Care
- Adulthood Growth and Development
- Respiratory Disorders
- Pregnancy Risks
- Neurological
- Postpartum Complications
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- Bipolar Disorders
- Learning Pharmacology
- Psychotic Disorders
- Prenatal Concepts
- Tissues and Glands
- Factors Influencing Community Health
- Concepts of Population Health
- Community Health Overview
- Developmental Considerations
- Communication
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Cardiovascular
- Emergency Care of the Neurological Patient
- Emergency Care of the Respiratory Patient
- Emergency Care of the Trauma Patient
- Delegation
- Multisystem
- Health & Stress
- Childhood Growth and Development
- Prenatal and Neonatal Growth and Development
- Trauma-Stress Disorders
- Developmental Theories
- Concepts of Mental Health
- Gastrointestinal
- Newborn Complications
- Labor Complications
- Fetal Development
- Terminology
- Labor and Delivery
- Postpartum Care
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- Proteins
- Statistics
- Med Term Basic
- Med Term Whole
- Cardiac Disorders
- Preoperative Nursing
- Intraoperative Nursing
- Vascular Disorders
- Noninfectious Respiratory Disorder
- Upper GI Disorders
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Brain
- Shock
- Immunological Disorders
- Postoperative Nursing
- Perioperative Nursing Roles
- Hematologic Disorders
- Disorders of Pancreas
- Neurological Trauma
- Neurological Emergencies
- Musculoskeletal Trauma
- EENT Disorders
- Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
- Respiratory Emergencies
- Shock
- Disorders of the Posterior Pituitary Gland
- Endocrine
- Disorders of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Glands
- Liver & Gallbladder Disorders
- Lower GI Disorders
- Respiratory
- Acute & Chronic Renal Disorders
- Disorders of the Adrenal Gland
- Documentation and Communication
- Oncology Disorders
- Female Reproductive Disorders
- Cognitive Disorders
- Renal Disorders
- Male Reproductive Disorders
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Infectious Respiratory Disorder
- Integumentary Disorders
- Urinary Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Disorders of Thermoregulation
- Basics of NCLEX
- Integumentary Important Points
- Urinary System
- Neurologic and Cognitive Disorders
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Spinal Cord
- Renal and Urinary Disorders
- Respiratory System
- Infectious Disease Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Psychological Emergencies
- Somatoform Disorders
- Prioritization
- Hematologic Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
- Oncologic Disorders
- Behavior
- Emotions and Motivation
- Growth & Development
- Intelligence and Language
- Psychological Disorders
- State of Consciousness
- Basics of Sociology
- Note Taking
- Basics of Human Biology