cna's who don't do their job

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

I started my job 6 weeks ago and my 2nd day of orientation I went with another aide (we'll call her "B") who infuriated me. She charted all of her patients as "bathed" even though none of them was ever given a full bath. If she changed the patients brief or cleaned them after a BM she considered that a bath. A lot of times she charts them as "refused bath" when what the patient really said was "can we wait until after breakfast (or lunch)." Never once during that day did she put water in the wash basin and get out the wash rags. She used the disposable wipes to clean their bottoms and sprayed some deoderant and anti-microbial spray on them and that was it. And yet B always told her nurses that the patients had been bathed. Our charge nurse/PCC asked me if B had actually bathed any patients and I told her no. So the next day B said "you can work with me again today" and our charge said she wanted me with someone else. I let our charge nurse know later that that wasn't an example that I intended to follow and thanked her for not having me work with her again. Our shifts are from 630a to 7p but if something happens during the 30 minute overlap of shift change she always says it's not her responsibility and the other shift needs to take care of it. Or instead of giving the next aide report on the patients she will hand them her patient roster with notes on it and say "I'm leaving." Last weekend she left and then we found out that one of her patients (who happens to be 300+ lbs and needs 3 people just to clean up) had told her an hour earlier that he had soiled himself and needed cleaned up but she left him. So myself and the other aide who were finishing our shift helped one of the aides coming on get him cleaned up. B constantly leaves the floor without telling anyone and comes back when she wants to. Lately she's been pairing up with one of the other aides and saying "lets go see if there's anything new in the giftshop" or some other excuse to leave the floor and leave me alone.

Sunday we had all just gotten there and I heard her tell the other aide "let's just fart around today." WHAT? Besides the fact that she "farts around" every day, what kind of attitude is that to have at work? I'm so sick of it and plan to talk to either my manager or charge nurse when I go to work on Friday. I'm just wondering if it will look like I'm the new girl stirring up trouble. How should I handle it? I also know that unless she is fired or quits, having someone get on to her will not make a difference. She will still do her job the same way.

Hello I understand what you mean I had a resident that was walking around going to the bathroom and just because they had to keep their eye on her, they thought she waas a fall risk and put her in a chair with a lap pillow on it so that she would have to stay in the chair, then she got use to being in the chair an now she cant even keep a steady gait oh also they put her in briefs. It hurts to see them lose their abilities to suit others.

Specializes in LTC.

OMG, do not worry about being a "tattle-tale." This is real life and this is work, not kindergarten. These people are paying to be taken care of, and it is your job to make sure the effort is being made and the job is being done. Are you saying that if someone was soaking in urine and reeking of BM and their aide refused to do anything, you wouldn't tell your highest supervisor immediately? That is so, so wrong.

I'd rather apologize to my own patients and vaguely explain the situation and take care of MANY and work my butt off, than deny a lazy aide's patients all care. I'm sorry, I'm here for the people needing care, not making sure my feet aren't sore at the end of the day! I'll work 'til I can work no more for my patients or residents.

I know exactly what your talking about.. i've been putting up with it since i've started working as a cna this last july. I'm still putting up with it.. there's no easy solution to it i'll tell you that. Personally I mentioned it to the lpns and went on up the latter when nothing was done, because I got tired of doing my job and theirs to. It gets old quick. but like someone had said previously nothing ever gets done about it. I will never understand it. I mean some are so lazy as to were they are rough with the patients. I don't know how many times a certain girl at work has been called to the office with write ups and all, but they give her chance after chance so i don't know. hopefully your situation will get better.

I understand your frustration. At my previous job, I worked with someone who sounds exactly like "B". There were also a handful of people that spent more time on other halls chatting than doing any work at all.

One night really sticks out in my mind - I was working on my (then) usual hall with an aide that I don't usually work with. The hall had 28 residents on it, and most of the time there was no real problem with my usual hall partners - we'd end up taking care of a comparable number of residents on most nights.

One night, my usual charge nurse wasn'tat work, so one of the RNs who usually works in one of the offices was the nurse on my hall. Said RN also happened to be good friends with the aide I was working with. After dinner, the other aide helped two people get ready for bed - two of the easiest ones to take care of on the hall. After that, I didn't see her for a bit. I started about my routine, putting the residents to bed as they were ready. I assumed she'd been doing the same. I found that I needed something from central supply, so I walked by the RNs office which was on the way...and inside were the nurse and the other aide, eating brownies and literally chatting about "boys". I told them that i needed to run to central supply and asked the other aide if she'd keep an eye on the hall. I got a half nod in response, so I went on my way.

When I returned (about 15 minutes later - Central Supply was on the opposite side of the facility and it is so disorganized - it takes ages to find anything in there) - they were still chatting in the office. As I walked down the hall, I realized that she hadn't done anything with ANYONE but those first two residents - meanwhile, I had already put 7 or 8 people to bed. I had a couple of people who are supposed to be 2 assists left, so I went and asked her to come help me with them. The RN told me, "Ask one of the other aides, we're in the middle of something important."

Long story short, I ended up doing the entire hall myself that night minus the 2 that the other girl initially did. I went to some of the other nurses about it, but this particular RN was weekend manager and was technically in charge of them at the time, so they didn't know what to do besides to have me go to the DON. I did, but nothing was ever done about it. That night was actually what got me looking for a new job.

If I were you, I would definitely keep talking to the higher-ups about it until something is done.

That is exactly what i'm dealing with. I mean its bad when the nurses above them are just as bad as them. I've never heard anyone getting grouched at for doing their jobs until the other night. I saw it with my own eyes. It's unbelievable. It just makes me soooo mad:angryfire. I am, however, sad that this problem is all over and not just local. The worst thing i've seen lately is a CNA who does a wonderful job with the patients left because of bad cna's that she had worked with. It's a shame, because the patients are the ones who suffer because they are not getting taken care of properly.. a good example is a cna who didn't take certain patients to the bathroom from 3 until almost 10 o'clock, and just laughed at the patient when she had soaked herself and the floor. It just irritates me because the D.O.N. and L.P.N that was on that group that night.. thinks nothing of it.. or me for that matter because i'm "young" ... i may be "young" but i'm not stupid... sorry had to vent.

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