Newbie CNA shocked "care" given by CNA co-workers!

[MidLifeChg2Nursing]

I passed the state exam and received my CNA certification about the same time I started working at my first CNA position at a LTCF - I'm only working weekends; I work during the weekdays at a very good paying job.

I'm changing career with the goal of becoming an ER nurse. I'm working the weekends as a CNA because I'll be entering an ADN or LPN program August 2015 - ADN first choice, but if I get wait-listed, it makes sene to me to go ahead with the LPN program which has no wait list, then do LPN to RN. I'm a 44 year old male and don't think I should wait any longer.

I've been working at the LTCF for 4 weekends (CNA experience - 4 weekends) and I am just appalled at the care, treatment, and/or verbal abuse given by some CNAs to the residents. My wife (yes I am a male CNA), who was a CNA a while ago and is now an MA, said I should tell the DON.

Nothing is more important to a person than his/her health. We as CNAs are entrusted to help maintain their health - that's a huge responsibility, one that I take seriously. Making up numbers on charts is crazy; a non-compliant resident wouldn't allow me to take her temperature, so I asked a seasoned CNA (33 years) to help me - she looked at the previous day's vitals and just copied it. CNAs who didn't feed an assigned resident (they feed others assigned and not assigned) when charting say "well they usually eat and drink this much", and "they usually have this many BMs" - charting what they usually do will not catch changes which may prevent something; c'mon, their health is at stake.

Providing as much comfort and dignity is the next most important thing (of course safety trumps all). Needing help near the beginning of the shift with a resident whose large BM leaked out his briefs all up his back down his leg and all over and through the sheets, the experienced CNA I asked for help said he can wait, we being the only 2 CNAs (short that night) have to distribute johnnys/bibs/pads to the wing before dinner - yeah we were short, but with 2 of us and 1 experienced it wouldn't have taken but 10 minutes to change him and the sheets, instead of him waiting in his **** for an hour - c'mon that's disgusting.

And I can't even number the verbal abuse I witnessed or that they jokingly tell me about.

Maybe because I'm a brand new, wide-eyed, idealistic, fresh, untainted CNA, I expected caring and compassionate healthcare professionals. As was taught in CNA class and re-emphasized during new employee orientation the residents at LTCF have lost all their possessions - all they have now fits in half a room; their home now resembles a hospital floor; they are dependent on others to wipe their butts, or feed them, which in their minds may be humiliating and degrading; they lost a lot of independence; so yeah, some may have a hard time with that and may be a little grumpy. Again, maybe because I'm new, but some of the residents who have "rude" behavior and language doesn't bother me.

I took my wife's advise and told the DON - I'm not trying to be a snitch or get anybody in trouble, but as I said, I take seriously my job of providing safety, care, comfort, dignity; CNAs are also advocates, standing up for them against those who bully them - that's how I see it, as much as we hear about bullies in school, these CNAs are bullying those weaker than themselves. I don't know what actions may be taken, and I am a little worried that I will be found out as the "snitch" - I do have to work with them, and hopefully will get help when asked. I keep thinking of the last 10 months of my dad's life - he was reasonably healthy and lived on his own in an apartment; but, when his body started to shut down, it was a runaway train going down a cliff. He had no major health problems for 77 years, then his health just ran away from him - he spent the last 10 months in a nursing home, and I can't help but to ask, "is this how they treated my dad?".

Treat others the way you want to be treated, and the way you would want your loved ones treated - every time I go in to work, I think of how I would have wanted my dad treated.

I don't want to be the bad guy; but when I think about it, I'm not.

[dedicated_2b_RN]

Thank you Commuter for listening to my rant

thoughtless and uncaring people in healthcare should realize one day they will be on the other side of abuse

i hope they remember how they did their job then what goes around does in fact come around

[mwilliams5486]

Good for you for going to the DON. I have been a CNA for 14 yrs. I'm enrolled in an LPN program now. It's so sad that patients get treated so poorly. Last year I got a job at a neurologic rehab and similar things were going on there but worse. When some of these young aides had to TRAIN me, I watched them put 3 briefs, and 4 chuck pads under a patient that had MRSA so they wouldn't need to go back for the rest of there shift.Some of them would curse at the PT's, hide out in the rooms on their cell phones, etc. I stayed for a week and could not drag myself to walk in the building on my 8th night. I turned around, got in my car and went home. I ended up writing a 4 page letter to the administrator and the DON about what I saw and explained that I would not be a part of it by working in the facility. They had a meeting with me, and said they would address the situation, and do what needed to be done , they begged me to stay but deep down I had a feeling if change was made it won't last long. Everytime I've worked in a LTC facility

I feel so bad about leaving because I wonder who really takes care of them if no one is there that really cares... But then I can't let myself be associated with that type of care.nursing definitely needs more caring people like you so keep up the great work!! And as one of my instructors says daily " in nursing, be a RAT, if you see something wrong,

then rat, you are there for your

patients, do the right thing!"

[Autymnfyres]

OP - its awesome you are so focused and aware of where you want to stand on the line between right and wrong. I was SO happy to get the chance to go to CNA school over the summer and thought I'd work weekend overnights to supplement funds while I'm in school full time Mon-Thurs. Rethinking my path now seriously.

And btw from other posters here, 20 residents on the midshift, really???? Heh, I can only wish.

I'm learning a lot but basically my supposed 'Orientation' was a crazy mesh of different shifts with different people -- almost ALL of whom 'take care' of the residents differently, spread out over two to three weeks. My first overnight shift I was alone on my unit with one other CNA way on the other side and just one nurse. In my opinion about the only consistency is that safety seems to be practiced as a priority; but cleanliness/sanitary conditions? Heh. And 20 residents is definitely NOT the norm here on an overnight shift. I've 37. The floor is divided into three 'units'. For some reason the middle hall section, which has about 17 residents always goes to one of the vets on staff, and I'm told to do the other larger section. I am trying to be proactive, think ahead, grab supplies before I go into rooms, have my pockets stuffed with extra washcloths, a roll of plastic bags, and lots of gloves -- and get done everything I'm supposed to for this shifts responsibilities, but I'm still so slow.

I have learned some better time-management, but some things you just cannot 'hurry up', and I find it hard to believe there are not two CNA's that basically could work together on all of the two-assist residents and the hoyer ones. It goes so much faster and you have each other to be able to remind or help additionally when needed.

Q-2 turns, at least three or four fall risks who stay up all hours of the night with several who need the bedpan or have bedside commodes three to six times through the shift; one or two regular showers per night shift, wheelchair cleaning, CNA notes and charting ...and really the thing that annoys me the most: no clean laundry.

I go early so I can hunt out on two different floors at least enough clean towels and washrags for my 4 or 5 residents I have to do complete care on, dress and get up before the morning crew comes in. It sounds so trivial maybe, but oh crud its not. And yes, of course I have written a request for laundry to be in better supply, and/or for washing machines and dryers to be repaired.

The fall risk residents worry me so much when I'm the only one there aside from my Nurse. The nurses usually are very helpful; but they aren't always in the common area/at the nurses station either...they have treatments to take care of in addition to their meds etc.

I am not talking a l-o-l who 'might' fall out of her bed onto the floor mattress. I'm talking the 6 ft-plus 275 lb early stage-dementia-oh-dear-shouldn't-he-be-on-the-other-unit? The one who either has a UTI or has had them repeatedly so believes he 'feels' the urge to go to the bathroom literally every 15 to 20 minutes, and who is focused on doing just that whether anyone is nearby to help him be safe or not. And it is never just one fall risk when you go to work.

It is bragged about that our facility is a no restraint type. I understand the trend/positive reasons for lessening restraints in LTC's but I'm not yet convinced there is any practical, safe considerations really being looked at from shift to shift and with manpower dictates in relation to making sure our residents are really safe. And as far as falls go, if it doesn't result in 'blood' or contusion, there is such a fluster with everyone that 'now we've had a fall-er' - oh dear we have to do sequential vitals through the shift and fill out 7 pages of paperwork, and most especially really watch the one who fell so they don't fall again...uhm yea, remember: safety first. Eek, I sound scattered I know. But this is SO not what I thought it would be, heh.

I've met great staff and such wonderful residents in my month so far, but I just don't see how I can deal with the 'lack-of' needed items to care for people on my shift, the certain LNA's that are so bitter, so 'trapped because I have the insurance and my husband is out of work', so burnt out because they accept 55-60 hours a week in extra call-in shifts.

O-P you are obviously very conscientious and I applaud you. This is really tough. And let me explain, I am a 40-something with three careers, including a long while in the military, so I know what hard work is and don't shy away from it. I've lived in many different cultures, consider people-work to be a great thing, and have been wanting to work as an CNA partially as a pay-back for the fabulous care my relative got from a private duty nurse and two CNA's during the two years leading up to her death from cancer. But its kinda hard to really 'help people' when in these circumstances.

Maybe I will get a chance to try per diem Home Health or hospital shift work. I keep telling myself to wait another month or three and it'll somehow be better...but I know really, it won't. I don't see how I can get another position yet with being so new though ;o/. And on top of these ambivalent feelings, now our facility hired another student from my CNA class and she's super nice and really motivated but stopped me in the hallway to say she feels confused and isn't really getting orientation etc. I just tried to encourage her and wished her a good shift. But most of the CNA's I work with have worked in other LTC's and they say its a really rare situation to find any LTC that is greatly different from the working conditions in ours.

[mwilliams5486]

You should definetly try Homehealth. Very rewarding... It's usually patients that have just had a surgery and you are helping them through the rehabilitation process. I spent most of my 14 hrs as a CNA as a a home health aide and absolutely loved it

You can work at your own pace, let them know how many visits you want ahead of time and you pretty much make your own schedule.