Can I refuse to have a certain CNA work on my shift?

I guess I'm lucky. 99% of my CNAs are wonderful. I fired the one who hollered at a resident...reported it as abuse and now her union wants her to get her job back. This is why some things won't change.

OMG I'm so sorry that this happened to you and that people like her somehow squeeze their crazy selves through into working with the frail and helpless.

Sigh. All too typical in LTC. At the end of the day, I'm glad people like you have the guts to speak up.

Hmm...well....I would suggest to keep writing her up and keeping your own private documentation...make copies of these write ups for yourself should it ever come in question later on and it very well might. The next write up you do and each one thereafter...place a copy of it under your administrators door. Thats what I did with one aide that we had . She was a no call no show and so I wrote her up....which was like the 4th one all together by myself and other nurses....she finally was let go in a sense..but in actuality she just never showed back up. I got tired of going to the DON about it and took it a step up. And also talk to your DON and see about getting this aide on another shift or on different days as you ...anything. That is ultimately the DON's call I think. We currently have an aide who shouldve been let go over a yr ago and they keep letting her get by with her BS also for some reason...she whines alot and complains NONSTOP about everything. Shes hateful to the residents and new aides. She doesnt participate in any teamwork whatsoever and offeres bad care to her residents. Ive told her I dont know how many times she needed to get a job stocking shelves or pumping gas so she wouldnt have to deal with the things that come with being an aide. No such luck with that yet.

In order to please the union, I have to give a verbal warning, 1st written, 2nd written, suspension and THEN termination.

Here too with the union, but no matter how horrible they are and how I justify the termination, the union grieves and we end up in arbitration.

Sooooo glad I don't work in a union facility........like all LTCs, ours has its share of lazy, incompetent, insubordinate, uncaring, and outright inept employees, and it's hard enough to get rid of them without a union on board.

Yes, no good deed goes unpunished. Hope you find a better place to work.