Help, am I overreacting or is this normal???

cityknitty_RN · Feb 25, 2012

Yes, it has happened at the hospital I work as well. I have been pulled to be a CNA in a 1:1 for my shift... no big deal, RN pay for NA 1:1 is pretty great. I'd say you're overreacting, IMHO.

nightengalegoddess · Feb 25, 2012

Yes, this has happened at two different hospitals I've worked quite frequently. I never enjoyed having to do that but again, getting paid a lot more than the real PCT's and CNA's (we realize they ought to get paid more when we do their work and see how hard it is). BUT, my beef was always the liability. I was told by one educator that even though we are working in the CNA capacity that shift; if something were to go awry because of an error of the assigned RN to the patient that WE would be JUST as liable because we ARE RNs and WE should have been correcting any problems the assigned RN neglected to respond to. That is MY beef, if it is true. Because than I actually have to do a WHOLE lot more work because I have to still assess the POC and the carry through and appropriatness while I am relentlessly doing the CNA work.....which just doesnt give me time to assess all those 10 patients' nursing POC.

Do-over, ASN, RN · Feb 26, 2012

I've been floated to ER as "help" - take vitals, clean bays, stock, fix IV's, toilet, transport, etc. Not bad work for RN pay, if you ask me, especially since I've also done it for much lower wages before I got my license!

I'd much rather work as an aide, or sitter, instead of being sent home.

enchantmentdis, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2012

I am an Rn on a med-surge floor and was scheduled yesterday to work. When I got there I was told that it was my time to float, so instead of floating to another floor they put me as a CNA for the day. I am frustrated, because I feel that is not what I went to school for. I dont mind to change a diaper or give a bed bath, I do it anyway working as an RN, but not the entire 12 hours. Am I overreacting? Does anyone else have to be a CNA if there short. I havent heard of using nurses to fill the CNA gap? Thanks I needed to vent, it was a long day!

Yes i'd be really upset. This has also happened to me in hospitals. I now do hospice, thank heaven. Being a cna for 12 hours would drive me up the wall. Sounds like a horrible place to work. Try to get out of med surg after awhile. Med-surg sucks for the reason you mentioned and more.

SammiJoRNBSN · Mar 3, 2012

I believe that this is an overraction to the max! Although you are stating that you "appreciate" your NAs...it doesn't seem that you appreciate the underlyings of what it truly means to be a nurse. I hate the idea that a nurse only does "this and that"...and the "messy stuff" is for the NA! On my unit, sometimes we run on nights with 1 NA to 34 patients...guess what we do, nurses pick up patients as an "NA". I was an STNA for 5 years, and it was physically HARD work...I also was treated very poorly by some of the nurses and vowed that I would NEVER treat my staff like that or allow it! I put those skills to use to help out my NAs, I take on total care patients when I already have a 6-7 patient load, just so they're not as physically stressed; I also make sure to ask them if they need any help repositioning/cleaning up patients...patient care comes first. I understand documentation needs to be completed in a timely manner, but allowing someone to sit in a position for hours on end or their own releasings of bowel/bladder are inappropriate and in the long run will only create MORE documentation that needs to be done when they develop a decubitus ulcer! Taking on a more complex total care also frees them up to help some of the other nursing staff on the floor. I agree entirely with what a previous poster stated regarding calling briefs "diapers"; please do yourself and your co-workers a favor and if you are working with the adult population, refer to them as a brief or a liner. The older patients who may require the use of these will appreciate and not feel as if you are calling them a "baby" by using the word diaper. These people still need to keep as much of their dignity as they can, don't take that away from them.

Best wishes!

bostonbakednurse · Mar 3, 2012

I don't believe you are overreacting. Did they ask you? Where I have been before, they give nurses the choice. I always refused when asked. My refusal had nothing to do with patient care. I got hired to be an RN, work as a RN. CNA jobs are different.

MattNurse, MSN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

I would do it but wouldn't like it, I didn't become a nurse to do aid work. If they offered me night off w/ vacation pay I would so take that rather then work as an aid all night. Also, I wouldn't want an RN as my aid, I would feel strange delegating aid work to another RN and it would feel strange having someone else delegate work to me. We always have certain aids calling out sick so I schedule my days opposite them, surprised not many others do this.

gcupid · Mar 4, 2012

As long as you are getting your same wage & not being singled out every time to act as the aide you are over-reacting.

(Are you pregnant? Do you have chronic back/knee problems?)

Be a team player!!!team work