Hurt On The Job

A fellow CNA at my facility hurt her back on a resident three weeks ago. During a two person transfer with a gate belt the resident dropped her feet and forced this CNA to drop down and immediately pull hard back up to keep the resident off the floor. Then the two CNA's lifted her onto the bed. It resulted in major lower back problems for this CNA that required her to be off work, see Dr's, have a MRI, physical therapy, partial epideral etc.. etc..

During the week she was out, our boss called her Dr three seperate times to see when she could come back to work and finally see if he would atleast release her to light duties. The Dr told my co-worker he felt hassled to get her back on the front lines and did release her.

Still hurting she has decided to seek a second opinion and told this to our boss.

Now our boss has been going around asking all of us other CNA'S what we know about the incident, who was with her, which resident it was... Asking us one at a time at random, some of us repeatedly the same questions rephrased. And now the other CNA that was there when it happened had to write a statement....3 weeks after the incident!

This is upseting the hurt CNA, making her insecure about her position, fearing the behind her back questioning clearly means they don't believe her injuries to be true etc...

It makes the rest of us fear for what would happen if we are in her position. Is it really okay for your employer to call your doctor and hassle for a release? And this behind your back trying to catch a variation from the story three weeks after the fact doesn't seem right either. The CNA said she feels harrassed in a way.

Unfortunately this all lends to our general feeling that we as individuals do not matter. We are there to do the dirty work and if we get hurt and are unable we have to suck it up and do it anyway or fear for our job.

Even with all our safety precautions accidents happen when you are lifting people. These two CNA's kept the resident off the floor and put safely into bed at the expense of one of their backs and yet she is treated like this!

It just doesn't seem right. Any ideas on how to protect ourself?