Everyone on your unit is busy and you requested that your unit's nursing assistants bathe one of your patients earlier today. The patient has yet to be bathed and she is upset about it. Tell me how you proceed.
Inpatient nursing is very much a team effort, and while nursing assistants and care partners are typically available to assist with tasks such as bathing patients, they are sometimes at capacity and are unable to take on all the requests. In these situations, it is a requirement of all members of the care team, including nurses, to care for the patient, and this includes changing, bathing, or otherwise cleaning them. To effectively answer this question, the candidate should indicate that they would take initiative and bathe the patient rather than allowing the patient to wait even longer and become even more upset. A more successful answer to this question would include a specific example from the candidate's nursing career where they provided similar care for a patient when nursing assistants were unavailable.
"In this situation, it sounds like the nursing assistants are very busy and are unable to get to the request put in for the patient. So, I would cancel the request I previously sent to the nursing assistants and bathe the patient myself. Not only would this help my patient feel more comfortable, it would help my nursing assistant team members out as well because it would be one less thing they would need to do. I know I am a nurse, but I do not feel I am above doing things like changing and bathing patients. To me, these tasks are part of providing adequate care to my patients, and I will always do what is needed."
"If the patient had not yet had her bath, I would apologize and let her know I would help her with her bath right away. Then I would set up the bath and assist my patient. Having the help of a nursing assistant is so useful, but sometimes a nursing assistant gets too busy with other tasks to complete every request. Helping my patient with her bath is a great time to assess her skin and any lines, wounds, or surgical sites. It's also a time I can get to know the patient better, reiterate any teaching we're working on, and find out if there are other needs she has."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
You would apologize to this patient and either offer to bathe her yourself or go find the assistant and get a definite time she will be back to bathe this patient.
Chad's Feedback
Excellent! Apologizing to the patient is a great first step and a great indication of your bedside manner. It is also clear from your response that you recognize inpatient nursing is a team effort, and are more than willing to step up and complete unfinished tasks. Rather than indicating you would seek out the nursing assistant, which may result in the patient waiting even longer and becoming even more upset, consider focusing your answer on taking the initiative to bathe the patient yourself.
Anonymous Answer
I would be polite, approach the patient, apologize and let her know it's been a busy day. Sorry for the delay, some really sick patients today required more hands-on, less time for baths. Apologize give her a basin and some warm clothes in the meantime for comfort.
Cindy's Feedback
Good! Your approach demonstrates both empathy and good problem solving when you have to make difficult choices.
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