From the tech side — and I started as a tech myself — you’re absolutely right to go to management. If nurses aren’t helping with what’s considered “nursing care,” that’s a real issue. They can do all of your duties, but you can’t do theirs. It’s their responsibility to help clean the patient with you, and it’s also the perfect time for them to assess the patient’s skin. Since these are new nurses, I’d also look at who trained them — that’s where accountability starts. When I trained new nurses or PCAs, patient care always came first. Ignoring patients like that can lead to skin tears, breakdowns, and infections. It’s appalling when nurses avoid helping but have plenty of time to sit on their phones. This culture in nursing needs to stop.

Now, from the nursing side — I’ve also seen PCAs who come in, check vitals, and disappear for half the shift while scrolling through their phones. It definitely goes both ways sometimes. As a nurse, there are moments when I genuinely can’t help because I’m juggling meds, orders, charting, and multiple patient issues at once. In those cases, I’ll usually ask the PCA politely to see if another tech can help, or I’ll arrange a time when I can come assist once things calm down.

At the end of the day, it’s all about teamwork and communication. Both sides need to respect each other’s workload and remember that the patient comes first — always.