The Relationship Between HCAs & Nurses

Healthcare assistants and nurses work together in a variety of settings. In this video, Registered Nurse Fiona explores the relationship between HCAs and nurses, and how to make sure you get the best out of the partnership.

Hi, my name's Fiona. I'm an RGN in London. Today, I want to talk about the relationship between HCAs and nurses.

My experience with working [as a nurse] is within hospital settings. I used to be a HCA before as well, amongst many other things that I worked as. But I worked as a HCA, especially while I was studying nursing.

Building A Relationship With Your HCA

When I qualified and became a nurse, obviously it's a different experience working with an HCA. And I find that, over time, that relationship has changed.

Before, nurses would just tell me what to do and I'd get on with it and do it. Whereas I find that after becoming a nurse, things have changed somewhat, where it's become a part of our nursing role to now build relationships differently.

I don't want to say manage your HCA, but it's almost like, in a way, managing the HCA. It's a part of our role now. It's something that's not spoken about, it's not said. But that's what's expected of you, to build that relationship and get your HCA on board to have a flowing workday, and get your patients looked after very well for that day.

There's obviously negatives and positives in things like this. Because you have to build a relationship, talk to them, find out who they are, and just general work chat, as well as getting your patients prepped and ready, and things like that.

You're also having to manage anything else that happens. So, whatever the HCA's attitude might be, however they might behave, whether it's good or it's bad, you need to be managing that. And if there's any reporting that needs to be done, you need to be taking that to the managers as well, obviously.

Diverse Backgrounds

One of the other things I've noticed with working with HCAs is that some of them come from various backgrounds.

Everybody's got different aims and goals, like I did when I was studying. So, I was obviously working as an HCA, but studying to be a nurse. And that's the case for some people. Some people have been there for years, and they've even trained the matrons. So that puts a spin on things as well.

Some of them are coming from abroad, and they might have studied nursing already, have multiple degrees and a master's, for example.

You just don't know who’s who and what is what. And it doesn't mean that because a person has got more qualifications, you want to treat them with more respect. You treat people with respect, regardless. But understanding this will also help you to understand who they are, where they're coming from, and just their attitude, and how they behave in the workplace.

HCAs Can Help NQNs

Some people are very knowledgeable, and they actually help new nurses as well to settle into their role. Because when you graduate from being a nurse, it's actually quite scary. There are loads of papers written on being a nurse, coming from a nursing student to enrolling as an actual nurse. Because it's such a vast responsibility.

And you get there, and it's like. "Everybody knows what they're doing, and I don't know what I'm doing." But the HCAs that have been there for years (like I said, some of them have trained the matron), they know a lot of things and they can help you.

With nursing, it's so intense, in the sense that you learn so many different skills. You have to learn to work with people. Not only are you working with your patients, but you’re also working with your colleagues.

The Importance Of HCAs

Now, it's important that you build that relationship, that rapport with them, to get them... So it's almost like that's a part of your skillset that, like I said, it's not spoken of or said. That you get them on board, especially when you're working on a ward.

And they can help you. Some of them can take bloods. As new nurses, we come out, we can't. We haven't had the opportunity to take that for real. We might have done it on a dummy, but they've been there for years doing that sort of job. And we come and we have to train to do some of these things. And so this is where we can't do without them, or the ward can't do without them.

They're very important. Just as much as we're very important to the doctors prescribing, and we're having to go round and administer our medications as well.

The nurses from abroad, for example, they come over, they might not be able to continue to practice over here. They need to do OSCEs and other things to get them to get them working. And some people just don't have the energy, or their situation might be different. They might have other responsibilities. But they're very knowledgeable, and it's important for us to tap into that.

Is There A Negative Side?

The negative side, obviously, putting a spin on that, can be where somebody might feel as though “you know nothing, and I know everything”.

And they're not really very helpful, or they're not really that great with interactions, or the relationship is just not clicking, in terms of building that rapport and actually working together.

And that can be a bit of a problem because, obviously, the patients are more important at this point, rather than an actual relationship. And we are there to do a job.

And, unfortunately, sometimes this happens. And, again, that's a part of our nursing that is not spoken of. But it's something that you have to learn when you are a new nurse, or just a nurse in general, to get through.

You have to then develop that skill of “how do I work with someone that's challenging?” for example, or work within challenging situations. And in situations like this, some nurses I've met, they've just said, "You know what? I don't matter what you're going to do, I'm just going to get on and do my job."

The relationship between HCAs and nurses is very beneficial. It's much needed in the hospital service… in the community, in a variety of settings.

Communication Is Key

Now, you've got to be careful with that because you can't do everything on your own. So, this is where you work in line with your managers as well. And it's important to let the charge nurses know what's happening, if you feel that it's something that you need to report.

Or you could speak to the individual and say, "Look, hey, we've got a job to do. Can we just try and get through this? Maybe you can take this on." So, you, from the beginning of the shift, if you think this is going to happen, maybe try and speak to them.

You can also say, "Hey, this is the workload that I'm expecting today. Can you take this on? I'll take this on." And just break it up. So, if they know what's expected of them, you're not in a situation where you're telling somebody, "Look, clean this person." Or "Help me to do this." Or "Help me to do that." Because maybe they just don't like being told what to do or asked what to do.

Learn To Work With Each Other

So, it's important to get to read people. With nursing, it's so intense, in the sense that you learn so many different skills. You have to learn to work with people. Not only are you working with your patients, but you’re also working with your colleagues. And working on the ward, it does take a lot from you, in that sense.

And all of us have to train on the wards as nurses, as students. And we come in as new nurses, that's where our core learning comes from. And all these skills, we have to put them to good use.

Make Use Of Unique Abilities

We must learn how to make use of different people's abilities. And that's a part of our leadership skills. And from there on, you'll build on your leadership skills. And you'll then be able to learn with more challenging situations that will arise, which will then take you up the banding.

This is where you will become more confident as a nurse, more confident to deal with a variety of people, a variety of personalities.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, the relationship between HCAs and nurses is very beneficial, as I mentioned before. It's much needed in the hospital service, especially, even in the community, in a variety of settings.

We're very grateful for HCAs, just as much as we're very grateful for nurses, as I am myself. And the relationship can be strained between us. And, obviously, it's also important to involve your management system, where necessary.

But we can be a great team when come together. And we, as nurses, use our leadership skills to delegate, and make sure our patients are safe, that will help our leadership skills. As I said, it's not spoken of, but it's something that we need to develop within ourselves.

Thank you for watching/ reading.