LTC newbie.. CNA's hate me! help!

I would say when they do go reward them and let the Cnas know you appreciate all the work they do. I think that would help when I was a Cena it was a nurse that did this every know and then and it means alot. I bet they will start coming around.For example, you can buy them some cookies and juice or something else like every other week or something.

Sounds like a good idea If you need someone to talk to feel free to contact me.

hmm...well..i work in ltc also...and to be honest ...i started out as a bit of a pushover b/c i worked the floors with the cnas that i was now having to monitor. to my advantage...i knew which ones needed more supervision and which ones didnt b/c i had worked with them for so many years. However....it didnt stop some of them from testing me...when i was training on a med cart ..my 1st day...one of them kept telling me over and over every few mins..while she was behind the desk mind you.."go put her in the br.....go get those call lights...see what she wants...turn her over for me..."....and ok....one night of that was all it took for me. I was newly pregnant so my hormones were out of control and I was an A**hole for the whole 9 mos....it didnt take but a hot minute for them to find out that I wasnt going to do their job for them in order to get them to listen to me. I explained to the ones that I had to...that i was trying to learn a new job and I couldnt do their work for them...they are getting paid to do their job...so do it.....and if i said something to them then i expected it to be taken care of without an argument or attitude. I also told them "i can do your job with my eyes closed...can you do mine???"...and of course they said no. I had a bad bad run in with a cna that i really liked one time over the assignment sheet. I had to change their assignment b/c another aide had been put on one that he was not allowed to work on for very specific reasons....the only ones who knew why he couldnt work it was me, the don and the administrator...so they wanted him to work under me for close supervision..that was the only way he could keep his job.so ..i changed it and she got ****** and started cussing at me and said she was gonna quit....i told her that i had reasons to change it that didnt concern her or anybody else and that if she wanted to quit...go for it...go clock out..go home and you can take it up with the don on whether or not you still have a job. well....she ended up huffing and puffing but she stayed and after another aide talked to her later on...apparently she knew why he couldnt work that hall b/c he had told her....she came up and apologized to me. I told her i appreciated it but that she would never ever talk to me that way again for any reason and that when i do something it is for reasons...not for spite or for fun and games. she told me that she wouldnt have went off like that if she'd have known why....i replied back that why wasnt the issue....b/c it wasnt her concern or her problem...after that i havent had any more lip from her.. this was after she went to the administrator on me about changing the assignment....who just so happened to back me up 100%....the point is....right now...they might not "like" you or your style of doing things...but you will only get respect if you demand it....dont ask for it. You arent there to be their friend....you are there to work and so are they. think about it....you can do cna work all day long no problem..but can you do that plus any meds, tx's, orders, assessments, admissions, labs???? nope. I even had 2 new cnas tell me that the others had told them that i was a tough nurse and so forth...which made them scared to work under me on my hall. The aide that told me this also told me that i was the best nurse she'd ever worked with ...which was a huge compliment for me and totally unexpected. I just have high expectations of my aides...and they learned what I would and wouldnt put up with like...face hair on women, food on their clothes or face, messy rooms, smells, etc....those are all no nos that i wont have on my hall. we joke about it now..but at the time it was so not funny. and if all else fails...write them up!

There is no reason why a CNA should be behind closed doors if they're done with all their work. What if they're needed to assist with a tx, or a new admit comes in. When I worked LTC, I wasn't done even if all my patients were done. I would clean up the clutter because there was always clutter, and then I would also go stock the rooms with linens because each resident had their own linen closet in their room where we could put briefs, wash cloths, their oral stuff etc. Those areas were always empty so there was always something for me to do. I wouldn't just do my patients linen closets, I'd do the whole floors linen closets. When the other CNA's would see me doing it, then some of them would come and help too.

Thats why I think it helps to be a CNA before becoming a nurse because you know the workload and duties. It gives you an advantage for when they try to tell you they dont have time to do something and you will also be able to tell when they are behind and may need an extra hand. It sucks that you have to do things like buy donuts and do part of their jobs to get them to "like" you but I guess if all else fails then play the game so you can get through the day and that the residents receive the care they deserve. At the facility I would like to work, the RN's are charge during the day and LPN's are charge only at night and in the evenings which I think makes it a little easier because day shift is very chaotic when you have over 30 pts to pass meds to. Take it from a CNA, dont be a pushover because they will walk all over you if you let them.

Call the CNAs together and talk to them. Explain to them that you are sorry they lost their previous charge nurse and that you understand their loss. Let them know that you are aware that you do things differently but that all nurses have different ways of doing things. That it doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, just differently. Let them know that you are open to ideas of how to do a particular task in a way that makes your patient more comfortable or cooperative, and that you would appreciate their input but that doing so in front of the patient is inappropriate. And let them know that you understand that respect is earned and not an automatic right, but ask they give you the opportunity to earn that respect, and that you will also for them likewise. And as has been said, helping them whenever possible goes a long way toward gaining respect.

Above all be confident in your self and your nursing abilities. Good Luck

I see things a bit different, I believe that respect should be given from day 1 period plain and simple. I don't think on the first day that a nurse should have to earn a CNA's respect, and a CNA shouldn't have to earn the respect of the Charge Nurse. I believe respect should be given whether the person deserves it or not. It's the workforce and the bottom line is the patient comes first. I've worked with plenty of people who I gave them the benefit of the doubt from day one, and if they lost my respect then they lost it. But I would never show them disrespect on the floor. I never deny a person a greeting even if I don't like them. I will always offer them my help because in the end, it's the patient who we're there to care for. If we were outside the workforce then the story changes. But as long as it comes to work, respect should be given. You don't have to be fake, just be professional about it.

When I first started out as an LVN (in the same place where I had worked as a CNA the 6 years before) There was a lot of resentment toward me, and no respect at all. I hated comming to work. It was heading to the point where some would deliberatly not do what I asked. I did have to put my foot down in a professional way, in a moment of time where I could speak to the unruly CNA's all at once. All I said was, "I have worked hard to get where I am, I deserve to be where I am. I'm not going anywhere but up. While you are trying to make my job harder, remember that I am your supervisor when you are working on my hall, and I can make those tables turn."

They started listening after that. Now I do feel like I no longer lack the respect. They have already learned with me, they get what they give. Do your job, and show me decent respect, and I will happily give that respect to you.

Tattooed it's because they were jealous of you, now you're the one in charge. They can only wish they could be where you were. That's why there was lack of respect. Keep going up!