[NancyNurse08]

Back to the OP. Yes, I have seen this behavior. There are some CNAs who are lazy. Some CNAs are burnt out. Some CNAs have no idea just how much the nurse has to juggle. Then there are the wanna be nurse CNAs.

I think, with a CNA like this, ask nicely, and if they give you grief, get firm. You have to not care about being liked by them. If they still give you grief, then you need to report the insubordination.

[Hausfrau]

I'd be upset, too!! I just can't believe that anyone would act that way. I'd be thankful I had a job there and try my best to keep up.

[locolorenzo22]

Either way, I work to provide CARE for my patients....and I have NO patience for fellow aides that don't do their share of the work. Often, I have one fellow aide who will call off every saturday, and when she does work, she doesn't do any of our extra required duties.
I am always there to help out, and from a student nurse perspective, I know the nurses are working....even when they're on the computer. Such is life.
After so long, many aides get burned out when they get asked things that some nurses believe are above them. One nurse asked me my last shift to take someone off the bedpan.....(yes, I put them on, I was going back, but that nurse gave them pain pills while on it, and then when asked...said "let me go get the aide."
I will NEVER forget where I came from, but there will be nights where I'm too swamped to help.....that's life.

[jackson145]

I've seen just as many lazy nurses as CNA/techs. I've also seen Docs who barely keep any office hours because they like to golf and a FNP who is always rescheduling all her appointments because "something came up". We've had lab techs and X-Ray techs who had to be forced out of their chairs and off their butts to get some work done. There is the maintenance man who never gets around to fixing anything and the housekeeping gal who is never to be found when someone pukes in the hallway.
On the other hand, there are employees in each of these positions who do the work of 2 or 3 people and always have a smile on their face when you ask them to do something.
It seems to always hold true - when you are so annoyed at another employee's behavior, you can bet that there's an employee somewhere who is really annoyed with your behavior.

[YellowFinchFan]

One of my managers once said to me it's not an equal tradeoff - the nurse can do both her job and the CNAs job(s) but the CNA could never do the nurse's job - so therefore it's double work if the CNA is not pulling their weight and the nurse has to do everything.

I work closely with my aides and I tell them at start of shift to get me when they have to wash this patient or that one - because I know they are heavy and I also need to assess or they are swamped too I will do the admission by myself.....we work as a team....I love the aides on my floor - and I treat them with respect. It's a really hard job they have - they are overworked (like the nurses!) and they DON'T get PAID ENOUGH!!!

[GrumpyRN63]

I work with some awesome PCA's, I think if you respect others, they will work really well with you, I've seen some PCA's get really ****** at other nurses b/c of the way they are treated and made to feel like slaves, I also think we all can be burnt out at times and made to feel that way RN,LPN,CNA,PCT,PCA whoever, it doesn't matter we are all overwhelmed and stressed at times, one hand needs to wash the other

[casi]

Slave, Tech... Aren't they the same thing? :-P

I'm one of those lowly CNA's but I'm a bit cocky and think I'm an amazing CNA. When running my butt off while another CNA sits at the desk and flips through magazines I've learned that when you say "Can you...." they can easily say no. Instead I say. "I have XYZ going on I need to to do ______ for me because _______"

[Medic04]

Okay I have to wonder where you all work where the CNA/PCTs sit on their butt all the time, refuse to do vitals, turns , blood sugars and so on. My unit I work as a tech on is VERY busy. We(the techs) run like crazy all the time. There are only MAYBE 2 who are lazy, get along with the important folks and get their way and are just lazy and RNs make excuses for them and their reasons. If we refused to do these things write ups would ensue and potental job loss I would figure where I work waiting to finish RN school. I am in a hospital setting.

I work as a tech, give 110% all the time and run all night, miss lunch for my pts come first always, rarely sit down ever, even to chart, and sometimes get to void hours after really wanting too. I want to know where the lazy aides are who get to talk on the phone(we sure are not allowed too) that way I can find a place I can sit down at once in a while to see what it is like.

[Medic04]

Originally Posted by ChristineN

BTW: don't think just because an aide is a student nurse that the aide will provide good care. I've worked with some students as aides that provided some of the worst care I've ever seen. They didn't care about their pts, they were just their to get a paycheck. (not to lump all students together, because my pts do get excellent care)

AMEN to that or. I hear" I am sooooooo tired from school." all shift long and how hard they have to work and go to school. WELL D'UH! Welcome to the real world. We are all tired tooand many go to school besides "you" but we still do our jobs 100%, no matter how tired we are.

[Drifternurse]

Sure I've seen this lazy behavior! There are "bad eggs" everywhere; simply too many to count at our facility! Alas, if you complain about them, YOU are considered the complainer, the non-teamworker and then suffer for it in one way or another. Those who sit around seem to have more rights than those of us who bust our butts. Management has its favorites.