Shorting us of our NAs---WHY??

[Riseupandnurse]

Once again the hospital is on a tear to cut down the "bodies" on the floor, mostly with the nurse assistants. We have some really good nurse assistants who work hard, care about the patients, take responsibility, but now they are being expected to take care of 15 or 16 patients apiece. And they have cut the guidelines down to make nurses work without even one NA at a higher census. Meanwhile they are having to pay the nurses overshift two or three hours each every shift to get the work finished that we used to do a lot more efficiently and speedily with adequate NA coverage. This is not saving any money. The NAs are looking for other jobs and so are some of the nurses. What kind of warped thinking is this? It's not like we're hurting for money; still building big additions, advertising and hiring consultants, etc. Why try to save money with the cheapest workers there, and the ones whose actions the patients often notice the most?

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Because, as the people with the "license" we are constantly defaulted to, abused and overlooked.

Last night I had a tech who was talking about people "pulling their load". She stated that she wasn't going to do "that persons job too". I told her it was wonderful for her to have that option, because as an RN we don't. If it doesn't get done, or that patient fails, we are the ones that lose our license, job, home, life in the end.

I will formulate a plan some day to protect our lively hood, and give us the option to NOT be the scapegoat for everyone else.

Tait

I certainly understand your point. Being the scapegoat for many things that are not in your personal vision is not fun. I have had situations where nothing was done for the patient, and I had to drop what I was doing to make sure ALL of it was done, or it would have been my orifice. My clinic does, actually have enough PCAs to assist us, but the floors do not. In fact, they will split one PCA between two units; two hours for each. If you want to get help in changing a patient, you had better look at your watch, because it may be time for that PCA to go across the hall. And, I know that it is not easy for the aides, either. They are unappreciated as well, and the same as nurses, the good ones are always called, and because their hearts won't stand for them to see a patient in a mess, they will assist. I can only imagine the toll this is taking on their backs and spirits.

[zofran]

It's so interesting that you guys are posting about this..........Tomorrow, our new staffing grid goes into effect. The CNAs will have 10 pt each.

I work in a hospital on a busy med surge/ONCOLOGY floor----it has been one RN with our cna partner with 5-6 pts. This ratio has been hard enough. We have really sick cancer pts......many are complete care, some are dying, most are very anxious, and ALL of them deserve more time and attention we can give.

Now due to "BUDGET" problems, the RNs will have 5 pts and the poor CNA's will have 10 pts. I just don't see how this is going to work. Our pt satisfaction scores are dropping already. We are told "NO OVERTIME." Management is making us do hourly rounding. RNs have massive amts of new documentation to complete.

I feel like the pts are going to reallly suffer. As it is now, I have trouble completing my own work safely. Now, I am going to have to do much of the CNA work as they will be stretched so thin. I am so discouraged and worried.

Management wants us to do extra things for the pts and families......now they will be lucky to even stay alive.

Like today, when I was getting report, my cna partner was taking vitals on our 5 pts. When she got to the last pt she called me into the room STAT. This pt had Cerebral palsy and had fractured his c spine and was in a large chest/neck brace. She found him on the floor, call light no where in sight, can't move, SpO2 80%. Apparently he was trying to get up to void in urinal and fell. I can't imagine if he was her 10th pt....this poor guy could have been stuck there for god knows how much longer.

Sorry for the vent but damn.....it just makes no sense to take away the CNAs. I am going to start looking for another job. (sorry about any spelling errors, its been a long day)

[Riseupandnurse]

We used to have a department director of nursing who was studying to get her MBA. She explained to me that the staffing is done with FTEs, Full Time Equivalents. When reductions are called for, the FTEs are what is reduced. It doesn't matter if the person filling a FTE hole is a CNA, an LPN, an RN, or a Doctor of Nursing Practice. I asked her, as someone who was learning how to mind the bottom line, if that made any sense. She said that no, it really didn't, that she agreed with me that the point was really how much money was spent, but nobody cared to look at it that way, it was all FTEs because that is what they were used to. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[greeniebean]

I usually have 12-15 patients as a CNA. I try not to complain though because the nurse has all 40+ on the hall! If everyone works together things go smoother but at $7.00 pay for the CNA's and $14.00 for the LPNs it's really hard to keep good workers at my faciltiy. if I wasn't going to nursing school I wouldn't work there. (I work baylor shifts so I only have to work 2 days a week, and I think that will be good when I start nursing school. It's the only facility near me that does it.)

Let me give Kuddos to all you nurses who not only appreciate your CNAs but also to all of you who have outrageous patient loads. I know nursing is a thankless job but I think you guys are awesome!!