Please, don't be "that" aide.

chacha82, ADN, BSN · Nov 7, 2013

Try to take it in a helpful mode. Did they do it in a mean way? If not, they were probably just trying to be helpful. If you're new, they might want to let you in on things that may seem small to you, but are a big deal to your superiors. I'd rather hear it from someone on the floor who can help me correct it.

HappyWife77, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2013

Its all about team work. You can change your attitude and be like...ok sure, thank you!

HappyWife77, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2013

Most places have policies on the way beds and rooms are to be. Just be openminded and willing to learn, it will make your experience a lot easier. :yes:

mstearns09 · Nov 7, 2013

It was much more than that, especially now she took pleasure in talking about how she told a new hire that if she (the new hire) did a no-call, no-show again, she would "stomp her @$$ in." And loud enough patients could hear it at 7 a.m. Just saying: Being this bossy and rude will earn you a reputation you don't want to have. The other aide I worked with today even said they were glad this person doesn't work full time on our shift anymore. I replaced her slot on this shift so I think she might be upset about that.

TrevyRN, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2013

That's why I work in the ER... I hate making beds! I don't even make my own bed - just throw a comforter over my fitted sheet and bury myself in pillows at night... like a rat burrowing into a disgusting nest. Don't let me distract you from the topic at hand or anything.

Anyways, anytime someone snaps or goes nuts on me for something (pretty rare, I'm fortunate to say), I usually give them a confused and empathetic look and ask them if there is something bothering them because they seem really upset about this. Is it really about the bed corner?

It does two things... makes you seem like you care (even if you don't!) and makes them look like an over-reacting idiot.

Sometimes I'm surprised by what people say. The other day my coworker tried that trick on someone that yelled at her for something unusual. Afterwards, she asked him if there was something bothering him because he seemed upset about something he never gets bent out of shape over. He told her he was just yelling at her to do something for the benefit of a student in the room. Then she was like "Oh awesome - yell at me to do that again so the students get the point" and now it's like a fun thing for them.

I think I'm rambling... I need to focus... food.... hmmm...... *leaves keyboard for fridge*

SummerWertz · Nov 8, 2013

I've worked as a caregiver (not certified) for a private family for nearly a year now. One of my coworkers has been a caregiver for our patient for about 6 years now, and she is certified. When I first started, she would leave me notes and tell me that I wasn't doing things correctly. After a while she laid off a bit but would still do it every so often. Finally, about 2 months ago, I confronted her and told her that I had been employed for nearly a year and that I knew how to do my job. We have had no problems since. But basically what I'm trying to say is that everyone has their system of doing things, and you have to learn to work together. You're new, so this older CNA was probably letting you know how things worked. But she also sounds bossy. Best thing to do is just keep your nose clean, and do your job, and if she's every out of line about something, confront her.

mstearns09 · Nov 8, 2013

After working with this person for three days, it's clear she is nothing but a workplace bully. I remembered today that another co-worker told me that this particular aide bullied a part-timer so badly that the part-timer ended up crying in a corner. I have zero tolerance for workplace bullies. She even went so far as to try to redo my work today that I had done completely and to the standard of the nurse in charge of my patient. I believe her problem with me is that I am doing my job the way I am supposed to do it but I won't kowtow to her bullying and it makes her mad.

ufnurse13 · Nov 8, 2013

It seems like no matter where you go there is one aid like that. Everywhere i have worked i have experienced someone like that.

ComeTogether, LPN · Nov 9, 2013

I understand what you're saying, and its not appropriate for anyone to pull you aside and correct you in the middle of patient care. I will say though, that as a new aide, the only way you are going to learn is if a more seasoned aide pulls you aside at some point and tells you when you've done something wrong, or when they may have a better way to do it.

Obviously, there needs to be a time and place for this to happen and I get what your saying about being bothered in the middle of patient care about something that has already happened and nothing can be done about it now.

Just make sure that you do allow others to teach and show you because there is always more than one way to do something. Something like a bed pan not being placed correctly can seem like a small thing, but if the patients bed became soiled or their skin integrity was an issue because of it, it really does need to be mentioned. There are actually a lot of things that seem like minor no-big deal type things but often times there is a good reason for someone to mention it to you.

I'm just saying, I'm not defending what happened and like I said....time and a place. Just make sure you listen to whats being said and not just how and when its being said, ya know?

Edit: She does sound like a bully after reading some of the other posts. If it were me I would just smile and nod and walk away. You can try to report her, but if she has seniority it may be tough to do.

mstearns09 · Nov 9, 2013

I have no problem with people who have worked there longer than I have giving me tips. However, I've been a CNA for two years. I know the basics, so when someone tells me I'm not doing right when I am, it's a personal problem, not a skill problem. Her approach is to bully, not to help. Really, she is a very insecure person and I think so many people have problems working with her that they more or less have had to move her almost exclusively to night shift where she has to more or less work by herself. That's when they hired me for the position I am working. I have witnessed her try to bully not just aides but maintenance, nurses, and physical therapists. I think the PT putting her in her place yesterday may have been the coffin nail for her working my shift.

My thing is this: Bullying people only works for so long. It's one thing to be aggressive but it's another to make everyone's shift miserable. Like I said, I have zero tolerance for bullies, especially in healthcare where someone's mental state could directly affect the care you receive.

funtimes · Nov 9, 2013

Work place bully's are a cancer, and its ultimately managements fault when they aren't weeded out and gotten rid of. I have seen units in a hospital go through new techs like Kleenex because of one or two techs who see it as a badge of pride to sabotage new employees or continually give them a hard time. I would take a newer hard working inexperienced tech or aide with a good attitude over one of these any day of the week.

Its especially hard if you have experience somewhere else, then sometimes they will see you as a threat to their status. Im beginning to think its best to just skip the CNA/PCT thing and just go right for RN if you can to avoid that kind of petty BS and aggravation after seeing so many new techs and CNAs struggle over a job that isn't rocket science but is made harder by the fact you are always going to have at least one or two coworkers like this.