Absolutely ridiculous

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

I am so tired of the place I work.

i was all excited to be a cna and help people. well im not even there while they are awake! when i started i had so much heart and now i have very little, and i find myself turning into somoene i dont want to be. i am already burnt out. This is my first cna job and ive been there for about 3 months. I work overnights.

Im tired of evening shift not having all alarms on and beds lowered when they've signed off that they have been. one night i trusted all alarms were on and a couple werent but they never go off because they dont try to get out of bed so i didnt know they werent on. in the morning the day shift told me about it. well whatever i let it go i shouldnt have trusted evening shift to do their job.

there are 2 sides in the facility- dementia and ltc, with 16-19 people on each side. 1 aide for each side. 1 nurse to drift between the 2 sides.

i am tired of one of the night shift people griping that they didnt get the side they were 'hired for'. noone is specifically hired for just one side. she actually yelled at me for going to 'her side' and getting report. i told my favorite night nurse about this and she mentioned it to the DON. i got asked about it and i told them the whole story. they told me to stand my ground and tell her im just working the side the master schedual says im on. anyways, i didnt have to because they told her she was to work on the other side until further notice because i reported her for abuse. she loves her side because its dementia, behind a locked door, where she can skip people on rounds, play on the computer, watch tv, read books, and not do sh*t. one night i went over there for something and she must not have heard me put the code in the door. when i walked around the corner she was YELLING at a resident who always gets up out of bed because she doesnt know any better. she is yelling GO TO BED , GO TO BED, GO TO BED!!!!! i asked her what was going on and she was pi$$ed that i saw her yelling and said dont even come over here! i wouldnt come over here if i were you! then she starts yelling about how the resident wont stay in bed and now she has to go deal with X, a combative resident. i offered to help her with X, and as i was helping her turn and change X, she was cursing about how shes tired of this sh!t and she shouldnt have to put up with this sh!t, and shes just going to quit, RIGHT IN FRONT OF X.

a few weeks pass, i have to have a medical procedure done. i need the weekend off and thats it because im already off the other days i would need off. i tell the supervisor, whatever she is, this. either shes extremely stupid, or just a b!tch. she would not accept this. or didnt understand. saying originally i only needed the 2 days off. yeah i still only need to days because the other days im not even on the schedule. basically saying at least its a good thing i dont need to miss any more than 2 days. she leaves me a message saying she switched me with someone to cover for me and she DID EXPECT for me to me there monday night.

UMMM...NO? i left her 6-7 messages having to repeatedly tell her i need about a week off but am only missing the 2 days because i already have the rest off. when she left me the message about monday i blew my top. id already left her multiple messages explaining the situation, each time explaining it more simply than before. a ****!ng 3 year old could have grasped what i was saying by the way i was explaining it. i was so angry i left her a message telling her i cant accept that schedule change and its not going to happen.

then i call the facility and talk to a nurse about who i could call to cover me for the other day i needed off. he starts asking me if im going to replace myself for monday night since i cant make it.

woah woah woah. hold up. im not on there for monday. i told him this. i told him the situation. basically the b!tch had lied to him telling me i agreed to the switch but could no longer make it so they had to find someone else. so hes getting angry and frustrated about it until i tell him whats going on. he was surprised to find out that i never even talked to the person about switching. i told him she did that on her own after i already told her no.

after this i am fuming. i leave another message asking why the nurse is under the impression that ive talked to someone and agreed to switching, etc, after i already told her no. at the end i said ive left multiple messages explaining everything and i cant physically medically be there and it just WASNT GOING TO HAPPEN.

couple days later i go in to give her my drs excuse. she says we need to talk. basically to make the long story short she didnt like the way i talked to her. i told her the same. she told me i needed to grow up. that i was

p!$$ing her off. that she was thinking about firing me. still doesnt understand the days i needed off (apparently cant count to 2....sat and sun. 1, 2.)

she told me ever since id been there id been nothing but a problem (no idea what that ment, never called in, was never late, always stayed late, and have covered shifts)

she told me that nobody liked me and everybody there hates me

she called me a little girl

she told me that i had a tattle-tale mentality (ok so ill just go ahead and let residents get treated like that? who knows what else she does behind those locked doors?!?!)

she asked me if id learned anything from this experience ( i said dont talk to me like that) and shes like excuse me? i said i dont think thats a very professional way to talk to your employees. and she says AND HOW MANY PLACES HAVE YOU WORKED AT THAT ARE PROFESSIONAL? i said i hope all work places are considered to be professional. she asked who i thought i was that i thought i could talk to her like that. who am i to talk to someone in her position.

she then told me that she thought i was a liar, and that i was making everything up about the abuse, etc.

ummm why would i make up something as serious as that...and lie about someone i dont even know?

i could not believe the things this lady was saying to me. it took all i had not to just lay her out right then and there and just walk out. :mad: :devil:

i told her so many things were wrong with that place that needed to be reported. she told me to tell that to the person above her, who was on her way. so the other woman comes in , with a 3rd lady, the one who hired me who is HR. i tell them everything. the way i was spoken to, the things she said. they werent too concerned even when she admitted to saying those things. the only thing they were concerned about was me reporting them for everything. assuring me that everything has been taken care of. (the lady who was yelling and cussing still works there.....so ummm..how?) i asked how and they said they couldnt tell me. ok whatever. i said forget about it, dont worry about it. but i said it in a voice that ment they needed to worry about it.

i went into the other room with the HR lady that hired me. she said all those things were probably just said in anger. ( well i dont care, you cant talk to your employees like that) and that next time we would be able to talk more calmly about it.

i said i dont think theres going to be a next time. because i know damn well my husband wont let me be treated like this. he makes good enough money to where i dont have to be.

she said she would call me the day of the night i was scheduled to be back. ok whatever. at that point im thinking i wont even BE back.

the day rolls around, the lady that told me all those horrible things calls me and apologizes for acting so unprofessional and that she wanted to start fresh. and i said ok. and that if i want to pick up any hours she had some spots open. (OK THATS WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT. THEY TOLD HER TO CALL AND APOLOGIZE FOR 1. FOR 2 THEY JUST NEEDED SOMEONE TO PICK UP SHIFTS!!!!)

dont think ill be doing that for her :D

later on HR lady calls me telling me she hopes she called and apologized. i said she did. then the other lady who was there asks me if she aplogized. which tells me they told her to and the apology wasnt authentic. i knew it wasnt anyways just by the things that were said and the type of person that i can see that she is.

im tired of this place. always short on linens, cnas who leave people soaked for night shift, getting spit in the face by a 101 yr old lady with a black rotten ass mouth, and the spit goes in my eye! she kicked me in the head, tries to kick people in the stomach or wherever she can and hits. im tired of getting the **** beat out of me for trying to help someone not sit in their own sh!t and p!ss!!! im tired of mean cnas, nurses who treat you like crap who chart for 7 hrs straight then use the last hr to pass meds. whoopty sh!t 1 hr of work...i know damn well that you cant sit and chart for 7 hrs youd be writing a damned book. they just do it slow so they dont have to help with rounds if needed or do anything!!!!!

i run my ass off with alarms and rounds, sweating BULLETS, then the worst part of the shift comes, go and get 3 people up at 6am!!!!!!!!! i dont think i should have to do that! im wore out by 6 am and done!!!!

there is only 1 person i like in that whole damned place and shes a night nurse i work with often and she agrees with me on everything!!!!!

AND IM TIRED OF THEM TRYING TO GET ME TO COVER SO MANY SHIFTS. THEY CALL ME EVERY DAMN DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LITERALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i cant afford to quit we need the money or else my husbands bank account will start sinking again! what am i going to do? its already uncomfortable working somewhere where everyone doesnt like you, and your boss talks to you like that! i dont even know how i show my face in there after all thats happened! because they all know i reported that woman, and told on someone for not wearing gloves while giving showers. helllooooo your hand is digging in someone elses crotch and you dont wear gloves?!?!?! then go on your lunch and smoke?!?! ew!!!!!

and another thing, we dont even get breaks! just a half hr lunch!

and i put in for 5 days off to go to an event i have tickets for that i got before i even applied there. and i asked off for it 2 months in advance and i havent heard anything about it, and i just know she will deny the request because of all thats happened and because shes a b!tch!!!! if she doesnt give it to me i swear i might just walk out even if my husband hates me for it! i cant believe he even let me go back after the way i was talked to and the things that were said to me!!!!!

and if someone i work with reads this you probably know who i am, but screw you!!!!!!!!!!!!! change your ways then if you dont like it!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dont know what i can do until, and if, i can get hired somewhere else! i have no compassion anymore!!!!!!!:mad:

Specializes in LTC.

When I first read this I sympathized with you and thought how awful that place sounds. Upon reading it a second time I just think you need an attitude adjustment. IMO the only legitimate complaint you have is about the aide who was being abusive to residents- you were absolutely right to report her and the facility is wrong for not following up on it. The rest of it is nonsense.

"one night i trusted all alarms were on and a couple werent but they never go off because they dont try to get out of bed so i didnt know they werent on. well whatever i let it go i shouldnt have trusted evening shift to do their job."

And you didn't check the alarms all night? They didn't go off when you were changing/turning people? When you get to work you should be able to do a quick walk-through and make sure the beds are lowered and alarms turned on. If you accept the floor without checking, then that's your responsibility. *Your* job.

"then the worst part of the shift comes, go and get 3 people up at 6am!!!!!!!!! i dont think i should have to do that! im wore out by 6 am and done!!!!"

So you think day shift should have to do everything? You do rounds all night. Day shift has to do rounds all day too, in addition to getting everyone up and dressed, showers, meals, nutrition drinks x2, walks (sometimes multiple walks for certain people), transport to activities, and in and out of bed for naps. Plus admissions and discharges if the facility has rehab. Trust me, they're worn out by the end of their shift too. What if evening shift left you with people who needed to be washed and put to bed because they were "worn out" and didn't feel like doing it? It would set you back on your shift and you wouldn't be happy. 3 people is nothing, especially for a lot of nursing homes that make their 3rd shift get up a lot more people than that.

As for them calling you every day, if you don't want to do it then don't answer the phone. No one is forcing you to work extra. And scheduling issues are annoying, but they happen. Did you give adequate notice for this medical procedure or did you just expect this "stupid b!tch" to change the schedule around for you at the last minute? You are the newest one there so you can't expect to get everything you want. I've worked at my place for 2 years and I still have to defer to the people with seniority all the time. It's part of having a job. The last time I could get days off whenever I wanted and not have to go through a hassle for it was when I was working a cash register at a small store. From your post it does seem like the person you spoke with was extremely unprofessional, but it doesn't sound like you were entirely professional yourself. And saying that you are going to run to your husband about your job- well if I was your boss I wouldn't be calling to apologize and ask you to come back after that.

Mean coworkers are everywhere. No matter where you work, you will encounter them. And this part: "cnas who leave people soaked for night shift, getting spit in the face by a 101 yr old lady with a black rotten ass mouth, and the spit goes in my eye! she kicked me in the head, tries to kick people in the stomach or wherever she can and hits. im tired of getting the **** beat out of me for trying to help someone not sit in their own sh!t and p!ss!!" well that comes with the territory. Again, not something you can escape by working somewhere else. As for people being wet when you come in, it's NOT PERSONAL. People who are incontinent sometimes pee AFTER last rounds. Nothing you can do about it. Looking to get hired somewhere else is not going to help you get your compassion back.

Why would your husband hate you for quitting? You pointed out that he makes enough moola to i said i dont think theres going to be a next time. because i know damn well my husband wont let me be treated like this. he makes good enough money to where i dont have to be.

You sound so angry and while I can understand, if you're that miserable, just leave. Life is all about choices.

most of the -solutions- a couple of you suggested are really not an option. the place is too shady. im talking ridiculous.

Specializes in IMCU.

My mistake. I thought you were looking for possible solutions. If, however, you just want to stew in this I can guarantee it will not work out well -- and the person who will get stuffed is you.

When you approach a problem from the perspective that you are right (or righteous) and everyone else is inept/wrong/stupid/ a *****/ridiculous/shady you close off any possibility for resolution. Also, there is no possibility that you are objectively as great when compared to all the people you work with nor those for whom you work.

I don't think going to another job will make a huge difference to you. You may think that is mean but I don't intend it to be. The truth is that dealing well with these situations can set you apart from people in a good way -- i.e. shows terrific self-management and leadership. Dealing with them by insisting that you are right (obviously meaning someone else is wrong) shows that you have not developed mature workplace skills in dealing with people.

You may in fact be their best CNA. But they will never know because they can't see past this strident stance you seem disposed to taking.

How do I know this. Again, I learned the hard way. I hate others having to learn the hard way.

Oh well. Good luck.

Specializes in pediatrics.

You can look for and find new job while your still in that job or you must saved much money and you can get out from that h*LL....:nuke:

Dolce you have no idea how this place is or how it's ran, your posts are pretty much invalid, lol. im not self righteous whatsoever. this is a dont ask dont tell kind of place, which is NOT how you care for people.

i can admit when im wrong, in this case however, i am not. they ARE inept and stupid. a box of rocks when it comes down to it actually.

anyway, yeah, im looking for something else, not sure where yet, or what.

might commute to a close town if need be....

at least i have this forum to vent where there are A LOT of people who know where im coming from. there are a lot of you who have been there, and those of you who havent or dont understand, i hope you never will.

Specializes in IMCU.

Hmmm don't think my posts are invalid I just think you are not in a place to be receptive to anything other than someone agreeing and commiserating with you. So it would seem my efforts went completely past you.

I am willing to bet that even if you go to another place you will end up working with people you think are idiots again (and considering yourself better than all or most). You have probably has a not dissimilar experience in past jobs too.

If I had realized that this was a vent, I wouldn't have burned daylight responding. You are welcome by the way.

Good luck. I genuinely hope it works out.

and if someone i work with reads this you probably know who i am, but screw you!!!!!!!!!!!!! change your ways then if you dont like it!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dont know what i can do until, and if, i can get hired somewhere else! i have no compassion anymore!!!!!!!:mad:

Welcome to Long Term Care.

First, you need to take responsibility for your own feelings. You say you, "have no compassion anymore!" Understand that you - and no one else - is responsible for how much compassion you have. Yes, coworkers do mind-numbingly stupid things, but you are responsible for how those things affect you.

I had to deal with a lot of the same things when I worked in a nursing home. I dealt with it by being the best CNA I could be under the circumstances. No matter what happened, I knew I had done my best and people knew it. The old guard useless CNAs despised me for this, but why the heck should I care what they think about anything?

After a while, I got enough experience to get a hospital job for a huge increase in pay and infinitely better working conditions.

Find some positive way to channel your frustrations. I can tell you from experience that being a very good CNA really gets under the skin of the bad ones.

yes everyone tells me to go to a hospital instead...im just debating on whether i still want to be a cna or not. i love helping people and i love my residents....i just dont want to get into it again and realize ive made a huge mistake. ive heard everywhere is like this. i just feel like im done with it all.

lol @dolce, how do you not realize this was a rant? :confused::smokin::rolleyes:

u sure you dont work where i do...??? LOL

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