[xmaxiex]

What to do when stuck with a few bad nurses aide's ?
I have reported and written up . I am getting no back up from my DON ? What's a nurse to do . Any advice would be helpful . I find myself running like a madwoman , toileting people , answering call bells because my aides have disappeared , or are hiding in pt's rooms on their cell phones ? Ughhhh so frustrated .

[memphispanda]

I don't know what the answer is...I think sometimes they are so desperate for aides (just the warm body) that they let them get away with doing almost nothing. The aide assigned to my hall repeatedly didn't answer pages the last night I worked, until I asked the US to page her "phone call at desk". Guess who showed up? Then she tried to claim she didn't get the other pages.

[GoLytely]

Sounds like some real sloppy management. That kind of stuff from any employee wouldn't fly at the nursing home where I work, they wouldn't last two days.
I would probably resign with the reason being complacent uncooperative aides and poor management.

What part of CT is this in? We may be moving to CT when I get finished with school.

[oramar]

I have had this problem in the past at other jobs. Thanks goodness my current NM totally backs me up in situations like this. I remember what a nightmare it was when I worked jpbs where I could not get anything done about it. Recently we had a bad aide from an agency(most of them are great but this one was a lazy bum). We nurses approached NM and she quickly cancelled the aide. What I am saying is that if management is not supporting you in this situation then they are as big a problem as the problem aides.

[HyperRNRachel]

A friend of mine, who is a nursing student, works 20 hours a week at a hopital as a PCA/nursing student. She works 12 hours a week as a PCA and then 8 hours a week under the direction of another nurse. She is helping them to fill a positon and at the same time gaining skills. I wish that there were more of these positions available. Could this be an option for you?

[SharonH, RN]

Good luck. I worked as a nurse tech when I was in college. It was horrible, back-breaking thankless work. The nurses were rude, they did not help at all, they were patronizing and they tended to treat the aides like property(where's my aide?). Plus some of them made it their mission to see that you never took a break or stood still for more than 10 seconds so they were constantly looking to keep you busy. I will never forget how I used to get to work and I would be taking my coat off and they would be in your face talking about what needed to be done. And all of that for NO recognition and ****-poor pay.

Anyway, my point is that I can see why many of them would be less than motivated to do a great job. And I have been on the other side and I have worked with some great aides and some shamefully lazy aides. But I still remember what it was like.


Good luck.

[SoulShine75]

Originally Posted by xmaxiex

What to do when stuck with a few bad nurses aide's ?
I have reported and written up . I am getting no back up from my DON ? What's a nurse to do . Any advice would be helpful . I find myself running like a madwoman , toileting people , answering call bells because my aides have disappeared , or are hiding in pt's rooms on their cell phones ? Ughhhh so frustrated .

Sorry to hear you're having bad time at work and that no one is backing you up. On the other hand, I was a nurse aide once and it was the hardest job i've ever had in my life. How many pt's does each aide have at your facility?

[cotjockey]

I really don't think there is any excuse for not doing the job you were hired to do to the best of your abilities. I can remember being a CNA and I know how hard it is, but, no matter what, the work had to be done and I was getting paid to do it. A lot of jobs are hard and a lot of jobs don't pay well, but that is no reason not to give it your all...that is what people notice and that is what will help people move up in the world!

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Go to the administrator. That doesn't work? Go to the corporate office. The crap will keep happening as long as they know they can get away with it.

[SoulShine75]

[quote=SharonMH31]Good luck. I worked as a nurse tech when I was in college. It was horrible, back-breaking thankless work. The nurses were rude, they did not help at all, they were patronizing and they tended to treat the aides like property(where's my aide?). Plus some of them made it their mission to see that you never took a break or stood still for more than 10 seconds so they were constantly looking to keep you busy. I will never forget how I used to get to work and I would be taking my coat off and they would be in your face talking about what needed to be done. And all of that for NO recognition and ****-poor pay.

Anyway, my point is that I can see why many of them would be less than motivated to do a great job. And I have been on the other side and I have worked with some great aides and some shamefully lazy aides. But I still remember what it was like.

My feelings exactly Sharon. Everything you just said is exactly how I felt working as an aide. Just the thought of ever doing that again makes my skin crawl. I just felt terrible for those patients who don't get good quality care because the aide's are too busy and overworked. At the facility I was at the only thing the nurses did was order us around (don't know abut other facilities). I left there crying everyday because I was so completely overwhelmed. Hopefully I can take that experience and use it when I become a nurse to remember what the aides went through.