[chadash]

Originally Posted by pebbles

I *am* really sick of CNA's who don't understand my work dissing me and my work, and deciding what is or isn't important about patient care.

I had a CNA tell a new nurse the other day that "this patient isn't really an ICU patient anyway, the alarms don't matter, she shouldn't even need a monitor". Well, actually, that patient was pretty darn sick. But the CNA couldn't understand that because the pt wasn't on a ventilator.

I've heard and been subjected to countless ******** sessions about nurses being lazy - I really believe that these less-educated CNA's do think that RN's get paid to sit around all day. The ignorance about the work of nursing and what it is that nurses are paid to do - is what leads to that disrespect. And I am sick of it.

I don't feel that I disrespect the CNA's or their work, so why are they so disrespectful to mine????

I have seen this, and understand your frustration.
If delegation and education is the role of the nurse, can you all think of some ways to "educate" the nursing assistants?

[NancyNurse08]

Originally Posted by Kunzieo

Respect is earned, not given.

And having an RN after your name does not automatically mean you have earned respect.


/rant.

Likewise.

[pebbles]

Originally Posted by chadash

I have seen this, and understand your frustration.
If delegation and education is the role of the nurse, can you all think of some ways to "educate" the nursing assistants?

I don't think it's my role to always be educating people who don't want to be educated. The ones who genuinely don't know lots about nursing, I talk a lot to them about what I do, and what decisions have to be made, why, etc. Then they get a glimpse into the world of nursing from my perspective and we both benefit.

The problems are the CNA's who want to think of themselves as superior to the "lazy" nurse, etc. The people who don't want to understand the other perspective. My unit is not a healthy workplace by any stretch of the imagination - at some point, it does become the managers' job and not the bedside nurse's.

[chadash]

Originally Posted by pebbles

I don't think it's my role to always be educating people who don't want to be educated. The ones who genuinely don't know lots about nursing, I talk a lot to them about what I do, and what decisions have to be made, why, etc. Then they get a glimpse into the world of nursing from my perspective and we both benefit.

The problems are the CNA's who want to think of themselves as superior to the "lazy" nurse, etc. The people who don't want to understand the other perspective. My unit is not a healthy workplace by any stretch of the imagination - at some point, it does become the managers' job and not the bedside nurse's.

That is a great point, that management has the responsibility to set the tone in the workplace. Any ideas of how management can "manage" the team better? Education?
punitive measures? rewards?
What guidlines in hiring practices, and orientation could help?

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by Kunzieo

What makes you think that an aide doesn't "understand" what all your job entails?

Because I hear things like "you're not really doing anything why don't you do it yourself", "all you have to do is chart and pass meds, I do all the work" (this one from a tech that just passed her 25th year at this facility. Things like that.

I've also had more than one CNA graduate into RN status saying "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time.......I had no idea....now I know".

But I understand what you're saying and appreciate that you are understand and it must feel demeaning to hear us say "wait until you're a nurse". I hope when I'm ranting it's understood that I'm not talking about all CNAs.

[pebbles]

Originally Posted by chadash

That is a great point, that management has the responsibility to set the tone in the workplace. Any ideas of how management can "manage" the team better? Education?
punitive measures? rewards?
What guidlines in hiring practices, and orientation could help?

No offense, but I'm not a student.

How about a new manager.

[NancyNurse08]

I think what would help my unit would be two things; better staffing, and more structure. Right now, the aides come onto the floor and get report from the previous aides, then you don't see them again unless you're fortunate to cross paths with them, and then they're in the middle of something and can't stop to get report.

I think it should be more structured. They should get a *brief* report from the offgoing shift, who should remain on the floor answering call lights until their shift ends. We have a half hour overlap, which should give the new shift time to go room to room while the offgoing shift answers lights. They should go room to room, checking the three Ps; Pain, position, and potty. After doing a round, they should seek out their nurses for report; find out which patients they need to get VS on, which patients need to be ambulated, which patients need hemoccult testing, etc.

The way it is now, it seems that the offgoing shift leaves as soon as they've given report, so the oncoming shift has to hit the floor running, answering call lights instead of having the opportunity to round first. This puts them behind the eight ball from the start.

[chadash]

Originally Posted by pebbles

No offense, but I'm not a student.

How about a new manager.

Just wondering, could we be struggling with functional fixation? Maybe we need to rethink the roles in healthcare totally. If we don't, who will?
I am not a student either, I am a Nursing Assistant.

[Ms Kylee]

My last half hour of my shift is spent charting end of shift vitals. If I had to answer call lights while the new shift came on, I'd never get out of work before 7PM.

What gets my goat are the nurses that want to hog me all to themselves and forget that I have 3 other nurses that need me too. And then the nurse that says "Don't let Nurse X hog you. I need you too. You tell her that." No, I'm NOT going to tell her that. If you think I'm being hogged, say something about it. Otherwise, I'll finish up with whatever Nurse X wants me to do, and then I'll come back to you. I'm not going to stop in the middle of a diaper or bed change because I'm needed elsewhere. I'm busy with a patient right now. I'll be back as soon as I can.

[southernbelle319]

Originally Posted by NancyNurse08

They should get a *brief* report from the offgoing shift, who should remain on the floor answering call lights until their shift ends. We have a half hour overlap, which should give the new shift time to go room to room while the offgoing shift answers lights.

This is how it's done the majority of the time at the hospital I work at. Whenever I work units like Psych, Hospice or Rehab the aides and nurses are all in report together with one of the night shift (I work days) nurses giving report. The only time I leave in the middle of report is when I go to psych and have to do safety rounds with someone who's going off shift. Whenever I work on other floors in part of the main hospital I get my assigned patients from the charge and get report from the off going aide. I know what I have to do on each floor when I get there and if I have a question about something I ask and hope I don't have to ask again. It doesn't happen often, but when there is absolutely NOTHING for me to do, I go to the nurses and ask "What else can I do to help?!" Even if it's just a small simple task because I know they could use that extra few minutes to jump on the computer to chart or better yet, eat something.

*Sorry, I think I went off track a little lol*