Advice appreciated- I am burning out on the job!

TiggerBelly · Feb 8, 2008

I feel your pain. I worked in Assisted Living for 6 months and having been working at a hospital for about 8 months now. I have to say that even tho the hospital gets stressful, Assisted Living was worse. Between getting the residents up in time for breakfast, serving the meals, doing your chores after the meals while trying to answer call bells is maddening.

The main problem with where I used to work was the fact that they did not have enough staff for the amount of care we had to give the residents. Too many total care (and I mean TOTAL care) residents for the number of staff employed. That is enough to lead to serious burn out not to mention the fact that the resident's care suffered because of it.

You may be having a bad day (week?) but also it may be the situation. I don't really know what to tell you besides the fact that I can relate and if it continues to wear down on you, you may want to consider re-locating. You really do have to try to keep yourself from wearing out and burning out. Burn out and you may leave a field where you really can make a positive influence in someone's life. Good Luck.

terrjade04 · Feb 8, 2008

Thanks for the sympathy. I am kind of attached to some of the residents, so I am reluctant to leave, plus I recently negotiated a decent raise when I mentioned to the DON that I was trying to get in at the hospital. I would still probably earn more and have better benefits at the hospital, though. I guess I am a little loyal to the facility. But it has been driving me a little crazy lately. I guess I will try to ride it out for a little while longer. I am going to be needing 2 letters of recommendation soon, too, so I will have to try to stay as sweet and patient as possible. It's been really hard, tho.

moomoo111 · Feb 9, 2008

Hello, I can certainly relate to your experience. I worked in LTC as a new CNA for four months and had to give it up. It caused me to quit the health field alltogether. I took another job at an Alarm Security Company answering alarms and phones and did that for 3 months and decided that I belonged in the medical field. I even dropped out of school and was taking Pre-Reqs for nursing. I got so burned out, depressed and actually went through a 3 month period of depression and not leaving my room at home. It was that bad. I suffer from hormonal problems and season affective disorder also and this happened in November, December and January where I just did not leave my house, did nothing but stay depressed. I worked at the alarm company for 3 months, gave it up, got a job as a CNA in a hospital, started nursing school and I will graduate with LPN in August. I still have periods where it gets crazy and we don't have much help because the company I work for is Cheap! But I can certainly relate to what you are going through. Take it one day at a time. Take a few days off, get your thoughts together and then decide what you need to do. Just wanted to let you know I"m with you on this one and I can certainly understand. Good luck to you. Beth

DreamyEyes · Feb 9, 2008

Just wanted to say that I know how you feel! I'm also at the 4 month mark at my job at an assisted living facility. I love my co-workers (most of them anyway) and the nurses that I work with. Some days are okay, but most of the time I feel like ripping my hair out. Like TiggerBelly said, we are too short staffed for all of the COMPLETE care residents (I thought it was supposed to be *assisted* living?) And it's getting old very quickly. I wish I had some advice for you, but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone! Well I'm off to work now.

arelle68 · Feb 10, 2008

I'm sorry you feel badly right now. It really could be the season, and the move. I think things can turn around for you if you just wait a little while. It would be a bad idea to make a change right now. You would just take your problem somewhere else. It doesn't sound like a bad place to work, and they must really value you to give you a raise. You are probably doing a much better job than you feel like you are. I think you should hang in, and wait, and keep plugging. You'll feel better when the Spring comes.

I moved from Texas to Northern Idaho in November of 2004. It does affect your mood to have less warmth, and less light. Close your eyes and put your face close to a light source. If that improves your mood, get you one of these "happy lights."

/www.verilux.com/light-therapy-lamps/seasonal-affective-disorder?gclid=CNzdsob2uZECFQ2Qggod5gp4Rw

Here is a Mayo Clinic article on light therapy for SAD.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder/MH00023

chadash · Feb 14, 2008

I understand that nursing home CNA jobs have one of the highest turnover rates of any employment. It is understandable and normal you are feeling a level of burnout at about 4 months. When you are learning your new job, you have adrenaline fueling you, but that can only take you so far.

If you can step back and evaluate your circumstances: are you understaffed chronically at this facility? Do you have meetings where you can express concerns and ideas?

If you can take a break, it may help.

I know all about the attachment to disabled and geriatric patients. That says you care.

APC53 · Feb 15, 2008

I know exactly how you feel. I have been working at an LTC/MR facility for almost 3 years...and I have been burned out more than once. For me, I have to put up it with because I have a family to take care of. But there are ways to make working as a CNA more enjoyable. Actually try to enjoy the residents. A lot of CNA's a I know are just there to get the over with and go home. Well, I want to go home too...but I still have to be there for my whole shift. You might as well find something to enjoy about working. A lot of the residents I work with can easily grow on you. It's little things like that that keep me going.

Ultramellotronics · Apr 19, 2008

I realize that this post might be old but I just wanted to put my two cents in.

I AM BEYOND FRUSTRATED...I work at an LTC on the overnight shift and yeah yeah, I hear the same thing all the time about how on the night shift you can catch a break, garbage...its the same as any day shift, I would say having worked days too...Ugh last night was just terrible...my alarm clock didn't go off as planned because my spouse turned it off while she was cleaning, so I'm an hour and a half late to work. On the way I run a red light (stupid, I know) and get stopped, thank god the cop understood that I was just trying to get to work, no ticket, just a warning...I get to work and I have to take on a trainee who is incompetent (not just new to the job, incompetent) so now i've got twice the work...I end up getting up and showering her resident while getting up both mine, shadowing her to make sure her residents are taken care off correctly and then when it comes time for my residents the trainee is nowhere to be found...on top of that its call light city all night, residents need to be pulled up, bedpan, I'm wet, what time is it, where am I, then there's the resident that calls all the time for no reason, then there's the resident that falls ALL THE TIME, then there's the shower lady that likes to take her sweet time saying she'll report us for not wiping the shower chair when It is wiped down every day at the end of the PM shift...on top of all this...we are NEVER adequately supplied, almost all the residents in my wing are TOTAL care save for the handful that are still lucid and are still themselves...So I cannot change them correctly if they have a BM because there is no underwear for them, they end up juggling a diaper in between thier legs, and you know that never stays there...ugh...and then the piece de resistance...on the way out...I let my mouth get ahead of my brain and say something stupid to a resident that catches another CNA's ear...she calls out "elder abuse."

I just had a bad night all around I would say, and the ending was obviously the bite that took the cake...obviously i'm not so much worried about all the other stuff, but bieng accused of elder abuse is a serious thing...does anyone have any advice???

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::bugeyes::bugeyes::bugeyes::bugeyes::madface::madface:

love_being_an_aide · Apr 19, 2008

Burn-out is one of the biggest factors working against aides. I've experienced burn-out a few times. You just get the point where you lose the focus of the job and go through the motions like a robot. Do you work full-time or part-time? I was doing full-time, and I knocked myself down a couple of days, just to give myself some more time to rest and do things I want to do. And I felt alot better. Or if your facility offers PTO or paid-time off, schedule a day or two in on occasion to give yourself a breather.

To the post about elder abuse, that is a serious charge. What did you say that made the other aide claim that? Sometimes we get stressed and say things that we shouldn't say or don't mean to say, and other times they get misconstrued. If your worried, talk to the aide and find out why she thinks that whatever it was you said is elder abuse, because verbal abuse is elder abuse as well, it doesn't just have to be physical. Or go talk to a supervisor and explain yourself.

AprilCNA · Apr 22, 2008

Being a CNA is a hard job, and can be a burn out. Make sure to give yourself time off. It's very needed and we need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. I don't know what you have for time off, but maybe a three day weekend once or twice a month and a regular vacation. Make a plan that works for you, so you can rest and do what you want, and I promise when you go back to work, you'll be more cheerful and happy with your job. Good Luck!

ILClaire · Apr 27, 2008

Thanks for the sympathy. I am kind of attached to some of the residents, so I am reluctant to leave, plus I recently negotiated a decent raise when I mentioned to the DON that I was trying to get in at the hospital. I would still probably earn more and have better benefits at the hospital, though. I guess I am a little loyal to the facility. But it has been driving me a little crazy lately. I guess I will try to ride it out for a little while longer. I am going to be needing 2 letters of recommendation soon, too, so I will have to try to stay as sweet and patient as possible. It's been really hard, tho.

I TOTALLY understand what you are going thru...I know it sounds strange, and maybe I am the only one who thinks this way...but honestly, when I did LTC part time, it was more stressful to me than working Critical Care at the hospital. I think one of the reasons FOR burnout is taht you get so attached to the patients and it's more mental than Critical Care (for me at least). I like that I can care and help someone for a few days or maybe even a couple weeks...and then meet someone new...to me it's more rewarding, and not getting so attached doesn't make it as personal.

I love to spoil my patients and take the VERY best care of them when they are with me...but it's VERY rewarding to send them home, or at least to another floor in preparation to go home. With LTC it seemed rather monotinous to me...and getting attached made the job more stressful.

Not sure if you might feel the same way or not...but you might want to give a hospital a try. I wouldn't have it any other way!