What would make your job better?

my job would be a lot easier if...1) we always had a float to help with the two people transfers,instead of waiting around for help. 2) if night shift made sure the laundry was done and put away.3) we had lifts for harder people, to spare us the backaches. 4) prns when needed5) making sure people had toothpaste and new shoes when they need them etc. 6) enouph wipes 7) that men could be put on heavy wings. 8) that people would respnd better to showers lol and 10) if nurses took things more serously!! like when we call and they dont really give helpfull instructions...oh theres lots more im just tired.

Larger rooms, so you don't feel like you're solving a sliding puzzle every time someone has to use the commode, or giving a show to the roommate when you hoyer someone, because the room is so small and the hoyer is so big that the privacy curtain is no use.

Feeding aides. When 3 people are expected to pass trays out to 30 people and like 25 of them need to be fed, heavily cued, or supervised 1:1, you know we're not doing it right.

more laundry carts, especially the little single ones you can park outside the room.

a place to sit down at the end of the night. after you've been running around all night and your feet and legs ache it's an insult to have to do your charting standing up.

And having the other departments do their jobs right. I hate it when supper trays are late, trays come up with empty cups or no silverware, supplies aren't ordered or aren't brought upstairs, linens are short, etc.

1) Better pay
2) Few call offs (more work for the rest of us)
3) Few patients to work with, so that other patients can get the care they deserve
4) There just needs to be some kind financial incentive in general to make NAs more motivated and accountable for their work.

I agree with all the above. Laundry - the residence's cloths needs to be organized, sufficient and in usable condition. Many do not have enough socks, not enough cloths period while other closets are so packed you can't find correct clothing because many times it is the wrong size and/or the clothing can't be used because of missing buttons, holes and so forth. It would also help with the laundry if there were more wash cloths and towels. If every patient were to actualy wash their face with a washcloth in the morning there would not be enough washcloths to go around when showers happen. In 80% of the Nursing Homes I have worked in there is always a towel and washcloth shortage. If the showers were larger specific for heavy patients that need to be moved with hoyer lifts, and more shower stalls available. Many facilities have had one shower per 45 residence available. The showers for residence that always have bowel movements when showering if the shower had a toilet in side the stall so a shower chair could be move over the toilet while showering would help (many hospitals patients are showered this way). Better ventalation is the shower rooms. - More aides, or a special team that provides specific mouth care, shaves, nail care, foot care, lotions patients regular that have dry skin. One aide should not have more than 4 patients, 6 at most if 2 are independent and cognent. Aides/all healthcare workers should be provided with a healthcare insurance plan paid by the employeer 100% to include co-pays.

In general, I feel that my facility does its best in regards to pay, supplies, and inservices. But, my number one complaint? STAFFING! Provide perfect attendance incentives, and fire the CNAs who call in 2-3 times a month! Seriously, it sickens me when I go to work feeling completely exhausted and nearing a flu, while another CNA calls out because they have a headache. Absolutely ridiculous that you'd expect from a teenager, not an adult with a family to support.

Should CNA's be allowed to pass MEDS?

I don't think so. They only learn to pop the pills and check the dosage and ID of the resident/pt. They don't learn about interactions and important side-effects.

I can't believe the states are allowing this. It's actually helping out the greedy American corporations who are taking advantage of the nurse assistant by adding more workload to all her/his duties for the same amount of pay, instead of hiring more LPN's who get paid much more for passing meds.

Aha, that's why the LPN's are being phased out, it's more cost-effective. Thumbs down to the few CNA's who don't mind passing meds, because you are being taking advantage of and your residents are not getting the care they deserve. I am a college student and I did this for a month before I went back to my sales job this year, and let me tell you, I never felt comfortable with knowing that all those lives were in my hands, and if I made one error, it could kill someone. I sent a letter of resignation to the pathetic corporation I worked for, and I'm preparing to send a formal letter to the state with my concerns as well.

- More on the job training. I'm 20 and I've been working in a nursing home for the last month, having never worked in one before. I'm a nursing student at uni (second year) but I'd never actually had a whole patient load to myself before. I was terrified of dropping someone or giving them the wrong direction etcetc. I had two "orientation" shifts (one on each unit - dementia and acute) and after that I was expected to manage on my own. & that was fine until I got to the point where there weren't enough management details to tell me who needed what manual handling equipment or hip protectors - or the basic things like who to get out of bed first in the morning.