Most Nursing Assistants work very hard to ensure the safety of patients as well as provide them with quality care. However, consumer complaints happen often, resulting in the profession not getting a fair look. Too often the focus is on the negative that takes place during interactions with Nursing Assistants than reporting good staff to the proper people.
One of the biggest complaints about Nursing Assistants by consumers is that they are too rushed. They often have to hurry through bathing and dressing because they have too many demands on their time in a given shift. This often results in patients getting cared for, but quickly and robotically. The personal touch is often smothered in an effort to get it all done.
For patients, simple requests are on of the few perks they have in a medical facility. It also allows they to still exercise some control over their decisions. This is very important to someone who no longer is able to be at home or do basic tasks for themselves without assistance. These requests can be as simple as helping them from the bed to a chair or bringing them a pen and paper to write a letter.
It is easy for Nursing Assistants to get side tracked or forget. However, since these simply requests are important to the patient, it is very important that Nursing Assistants follow through with them. Carrying a pen and notepad to jot down requests is a great way to remember them.
Patients don't like to be kept waiting. It is very hard to adjust to. They may forget they are not the only patient. Nursing Assistants do the best they can to stay on schedule. However, working short staffed and medical emergencies can quickly put them behind schedule. Nursing Assistants have to prioritize, so sometimes helping someone who has fallen is more important than giving the patient a shower on time. Since confidentiality is so important, the Nursing Assistant can't tell the patient why they are running late.
Never discuss a patient with another staff member or family member in a manner that makes the patient feel as if they are not in the room. Speak with them in mind. It is important to carefully choose your words, even when you think they are asleep or in a coma. Many patients have filed complaints regarding conversations they overheard while Nursing Assistants thought they were sleeping or unresponsive.
One huge area of controversy is that many consumers are uneasy with who quickly a Nursing Assistant can obtain a license. They do not feel there is adequate training time to do an effective job. Federal guidelines require all Nursing Assistant programs to have a minimum of 75 hours of training. The actual amount will depend on the program coordinator and the state requirements for a particular program. However, it is often debated that to be certified as a manicurist, it takes over 1000 hours of training, but so little to become a Nursing Assistant.
Medical facilities and program developers defend the hours required to earn a certificate as a Nursing Assistant. They feel the training builds on individuals basic concepts of feeding, bathing, and dressing individuals. It is routine tasks we have all done at some point in our lives.
They also stress that the clinical hours are hands on training in a medical facility with close observation. This type of training is more effective than just classroom curriculum's of other programs. In addition, Nursing Assistants are closely supervised by nursing staff on a regular basis.
Nursing Assistants work hard to do an effective job of meeting the needs of consumers. Complaints will continue to be file as long as Nursing Assistants maintain such high workloads. With the demand of this field continuing to grow, it is not likely that the workloads will get anything but larger over time.
On the 23rd of August, a new Thai law came into effect, known as the Consumer Case Procedures Act. Prior to this Act's inception, it had been logistically and legally difficult for consumers top make complaints against corporations, with travel, court costs and time creating significant difficulties for consumers. This new law makes provisions for the location of court cases and who is responsible for paying court costs, as well as the handling of repeat complaints against companies.
Teeravath Chantarasomboon is director of legal affairs at the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB). He believes that the new laws "will be fairer to consumers. It will force entrepreneurs, which have more bargaining power than consumers, to prove their cases". Mr Teeravath pointed to previous cases where, although Thai law may have supported the consumer, they were unable to receive compensation or to continue with their complaint because they had to travel to civil courts from the home jurisdictions. This effectively made justice out of the reach of many, especially those in rural areas.
Companies also need to be aware of this Thai business law, especially as regards their policies and procedures. One important adjustment to Thailand's consumer law with this new act is the fact that if a repeat complaint is brought against a company, where the company previously lost the case, there will be no trial. The judgment of the new case would be based on the previous complaint, with similar penalties or compensation applied.
Business law in Thailand will also be affected by the reduction in the number of courts that will handle consumer complaints - the court of first instance and one appeal court are the only avenues open to businesses and consumers who disagree. This is one measure which will help with overcrowding of the legal system in Thailand. Another important streamliner for the legal process is the fact that only one postponement of 15 days or less will be allowed, so companies will need to be efficient at gathering required documents and evidence - as will consumers.
The new Thai law had its first test recently, when former Bangkok senator Chirmsak Panthong complained about lax security, suing the director of Nakhom Si Thammarat provincial airport, and the budget airline Nok Air.
This complaint was under the new Thai law's provision that affected people can file charges against substandard goods and service providers in court. Mr Chirmsak said that check-in staff had not searched passengers for weapons before they boarded the aircraft. Mr Chirmsak said ''I told the staff member that such [lax security measures] would put our lives at high risk. That female staff member said I had to take risks today [Aug 16]. I didn't feel good and was worried as there were 150 passengers on board the flight. If someone had hidden explosives, we would have died en masse,''
''This is a case of negligence and a reckless act that might cause serious damage to the lives and property of passengers. I decided to bring the case to the court's attention", he continued. The court reprimanded the airline.
Under Thailand's new consumer laws, complainants do not have to pay court fees, except if the damages sought are deemed to be excessive, or the suit is found to be unreasonable. Even if complainants lose the suit, as long as the first two conditions are met, there will be no court fees charged to them. However, check with your Thailand legal service, as companies are required to pay court costs in the event that they lose the case.
The new laws are widely hailed as levelling the playing field and making consumer law in Thailand much fairer.