[k1968mm]

PS: I work in Med/surg and Neurovascular units. God save my back!

[BeachBayNurse]

I think both sides feel frustrated because we both have one thing in common: we are both way too overstretched, way too often. However, the one thing I cannot stand is when the CNA, secretary or sitter tells me how to do my job, how my job is sooo easy, how I make soooo much more money than they do. Each time I hear that, I reply that if it is sooo easy, then what are you waiting for, become a nurse, we would love to have you here!

[bethin]

Originally Posted by Weeping Willow

I find a lack of understanding on the part of some of our aides as to what the nurse's view is on certain things.

The aides think we do too many vitals, weights, I & O, rounds, etc. and decide, on their own, that they are unnecessary and do not do them. One of them was in the habit of removing IV's she thought were unnecessary. I reported her after she continued doing this after I'd told her not to. We had to stick the patient 5 times to restart his saline lock for antibiotics. Family was quite angry and I don't blame them. Another nurse told them the truth, though, which made them livid and they c/o to the DON, who fired the tech.

They want to sleep on duty while they are supposed to be watching to make sure nothing happens to mental patients and have a complete lack of understanding, apparently, that the patients will not wake them up to say, "OK, I'm going to kill myself now, or swallow scissors now, or cut myself now, stop me if you can." They do not seem to grasp that not only are they going to be fired and maybe prosecuted, blackballed, whatever if the patients suffer harm but that they are also jeopardizing my license and livelihood and ability to support my family if some investigator decides I was not properly supervising the aides - although how I am supposed to ride herd on them and still accomplish my own work is not totally clear to me.

I spend a lot of time and emotion on trying to make clear what I expect of aides, one thing being that they need to tell me if they need to leave the floor, other than for a quick potty stop. And if I say that they need to wait until their peer returns from his break, they need to wait. Some are wonderful, some get huffy, I hate all the upset and anger they toss my way at times. They do what I say, though, like it or not, as I have made it clear that I will do the write-up's that are sometimes necessary if they don't. They might not like me but I have earned their respect and they know not to cross me. Actually, I think they like me well enough and I even like them.

How about you? Do you have such troubles? Do you have the respect and cooperation of your techs? Do you like being in charge? Do you enjoy working with unlicensed staff?

Huh?!?!?!? As an aide, I triple check before I d/c an IV or foley. I do not want to be taking something out that I shouldn't. And I always request to see the dr's order to do so.

I don't give a second thought weights, I&O's, etc, because to me these things help the dr and nurse determine what's going on with a pt which in turn helps the pt heal quicker.

Who does she think she is by removing IV's? Some pt's are getting drips like cardizem and I'd imagine in my aide thinking that some pretty adverse reactions could happen if that was suddenly stopped.

I think you need to request a mandatory floor meeting or hit the road. Sounds like a very disorganized place where the aides are playing doctor.

[Indy]

Originally Posted by jackson145

Just try to remember how very little a tech makes when you wish they were doing more. It's very hard to make minimum wage and have a $30/hr nurse say "My job would be so much easier if you'd jump in and help me". Yeah, I bet you'd like that. Truth is, I have specific duties and so do the nurses. It takes my whole shift to complete my work and they certainly don't jump in and help me. That would be beneath them.

Boy, it sure would be nice to be an RN making thirty bucks an hour! In another decade maybe! Jeesh, where I am we start out around $20 per hour and if you're lucky, you get $22 in a couple years, then work nights for the shift diff. And by the way, whatever it is that I make, it's worth every penny for the blood, sweat and tears that went into the degree, and there will always be days it's not nearly enough for what we have to endure with our fellow human beings.

[ellie96]

I've been a CNA since my senior year in high school (1983) and now with my children grown, I'm starting my final semester of nursing school. After reading some of these postings, I cannot believe the total lack of respect some CNA's have for their fellow coworkers. I've worked in many places, currently on a med/surg floor, and I would never dream of overstepping my bounds and possibly injuring a patient. The nurses in this facility are the best I've ever worked with. We work together and it doesn't matter how many patients anyone has, we have one common goal, and that is to provide safe patient care. Since I've worked in this hospital, I've seen one CNA who thought that since he was applying for nursing school, he should be able to flush IVs, take down VAC dressings, and change dressings on post-op hip replacements. He was promply fired.
I see qualities in some of the nurses that I work with that I hope to mimic, and I see some that I will avoid at all cost! I'm thankful for my years of experience as a CNA and I hope to be a terrific RN.
Ellie

[Haldolallergy]

I worked as a CNA during nursing school, then worked alongside of them in all of my RN jobs. Like a previous poster has said--the good ones are worth their weight in gold and can make the nurses' jobs so much easier. And they know it. Nurses have to be very diplomatic and cultivate a good relationship with support staff if they want anything to get done. It's just the way it is.
That being said, many hospitals in my area including my own are looking into moving away from CNA's. There are already 2 or 3 pilot floors in my facility which have gotten rid of all CNA's and use only RN's with a smaller patient load. These floors have very high RN and patient work satisfaction rates. My own floor is said to be moving towards this goal in 2 years and quite frankly I welcome it.

[k1968mm]

I try to be a valuable resource to my nurses, and will do so no matter what the circumstance may be. As a current aide, I personally feel that the nurses need to become an aide prior to, or during, nursing school in order to know where the other side is coming from. IMHO, though...[/quote]


I am with you in that nurses need to become an aide prior to, or during, nursing school in order to know where the other side is coming from.
One of my most favorite nurses graduated just recently, but prior to becoming a nurse, she worked with us for 10 years as a Tech (the hospital did away with CNA title, as well as with Nursing Assistant title.
They call us Patient Care Specialists (PCS). My friend/coworker April was a PCS all those years before becoming an RN. Because of her years of experience as a PCS, she now has a different poit of view about us Techs. This little lady is a joy to work with. If she sees that we are buried she comes to help. Sometimes I have to stop her from doing my work (turning patients, collecting blood samples, etc.
I am blessed in that there more nurses in our unit that work very well with us. Marjie for example, every time I ask her if I can watch her do a more complex procedure, she lets me. Although I am just a tech I am constantly looking to learn more and more about the nursing world as well as I am learning treasures on human behavior.
I am a senior in Psychology, and a junior in nursing. I have never oversteped my boundaries with my nurses. Even though I have some knowlegde and some training from nursing school, I will never fall into this trap.
A lot of our nurses have to do my job when someone call in sick too late in the day. So an RN has a chance to do all that we do. Many have said that it is hard work.. a few of them feels like the work is beneath them.
I love all my night nurses. They do a fantastic job in our older than dirt unit And sometimes they even say thank you Kat for a job well done

[Butterflybee]

Welcome to the world of people. It all is a matter of respect which is going down the tubes fast these days. Doctors w/nurses...nurses w/aides and so forth..... I believe the bottom line is to work diplomatically and tactfully at getting along with ALL people because we all need to work together. Conflict resolution... I think time would be better spent learning this all around because it is ultimately the patient that suffers....us workers...just get our feelings hurt.

[rainydayrn]

You are too difficult to use and I do not have the time to work it out. But, I'll keep trying off and on.

[tferdaise]

Interesting Thread....

Like most of you, I was a CNA, before becoming a LPN so I know what its like to work as a CNA, you feel like you are getting dumped on. I have had many a conversation with CNAs regarding this, and to try to get them to understand the differences and the amount of responsiblty that is put on the nurses shoulder. Some get it, some do not. I think what really gets me the most if when you have a CNA who knows what needs to be done and doesn't do it. Then when you remind them, you get the "well you have good 2 good legs, go do it yourself" lecture... I had that happen yesterday 1-7-08 and I normally laugh it off, but this time I reminded this certain CNA that, if I'm busy doing your job (the CNAs job) who is doing my job, since you are not a nurse you can't do my job. this particular CNA did everything she could to hide from me the rest of the shift. She has been written up many time about her attitude and the lack of respect she give the nurses.

I agree with one of the other post regarding the breaks, I have worked through my lunchs, either catching up on my charting (and eating lunch at the same time) or just working the whole shift. Then the CNA will just leave (without saying anything) the floor for thier lunch.

I wish I knew what the answer was, but I belive it lack of education of what the nurses really have to do..

Tony