No matter how long you have been a CNA/MA or if you're aspiring to become one, this list contains some wonderful advice that anyone can learn from! From call light responsibility to professional respect it's important to remember many of these tips to make your experience easier.
I'm very proud of my life in nursing. I cared for family at a very young age and when I was able to get certified I jumped at the opportunity. Many say they played house when they were children, I was able to play nurse and it was fantastic. There are things that I think ALL CNA/MA's need to know that they either forget or just blow off.
1) Not answering a call light that is on a different hall then yours is neglect.
There is nothing stopping you from stopping in there to say, "What can I help you with" or what not.
2) If a patient tells you they are wet and you don't change them ...that's neglect.
It takes a maximum of 5-6 minutes to change an adult depending on how bad the situation is. If you need to go get help just explain that to the patient and do it promptly. Not 5, 10, 15 minutes later.
3) If you're in this job for the "banging paycheck" you're in the wrong job.
Healthcare, like teaching, will never get you a vacation house in Spain. Its a job about being compassionate and caring about the people you work for. Remember your patients are paying YOU to take care of them. Not the other way around.
4) Your Professionals (LPNS, RNS etc) are not idiots.
Do not treat them as such. Instead consider being able to work beside them free education. If you choose to goto nursing school, skills that you've learned from helping your professionals will assist you. Plus in the long run it helps having those professionals as refrences on your resume for other jobs.
5) Nicknames (Sweetie, honey, sweetheart, grandma, grandpa etc etc) are not appropriate at anytime.
They are considered demeaning and abusive. You may mean well but it just takes ONE complaint.
6) Do not do unprescribed drugs or anything illegal when you are at or not at work.
If one med goes missing from the medication cart ALL staff members present are required to take a urine test. I have seen MANY CNA's think that just because they aren't passing meds they wont be subjected to this and get fired for THC and various other things in their system. Its NOT worth it.
7) CNA/MA work is difficult but it is an incredible experience if you work as a team.
I work with 1 professional, myself and 2 CNA's. We are able to do our job 150% every day because we dont think, "Oh I do more than you or you do more than me" we help eachother out and let each other have a bad day everyonce in a while. Your job is only as hard as YOU MAKE IT.
? Care for everyone the same as you would want yourself to be cared for.
Talk to them while your doing peri cares to make them comfortable. Learn about them, respect privacy and modesty and give the best cares possible.
9) No one cares if you're having a crappy day.
Now I know in 7 I said we allowed eachother to have a bad day BUT do not take it out on each other or your patients. Its not their fault. Vent if you need to and get it out of your system but do not treat others poorly because you're in a bad mood.
10) Be active in your education.
Don't just limit yourself to being a CNA/MA. Take it as a learning experience and go professional. If you're an excellent CNA/MA then I have no doubt that you'd be an incredible professional. Remember your professionals are your best source to free education in the work place. They've gone to college longer than you have and they do know a few things.
I have definitely been guilty of violating #1 and #5. However, I have gotten much better at answering call lights. I do think, however, that just because you don't answer a certain call light in a timely manner that it is often not done intentionally. There have been many occasions where I have set off to answer a fellow CNA's call light and gotten summoned to do other things either on my hall or by a nurse. Also, are you from the south? Because down here, even though I know that we are taught not to call people nicknames like "sweetheart", "honey", or "darlin'", I have found that people respond more openly to uncomfortable procedures/situations when these terms are used--especially my dementia patients. It's a sort of second language down here. I love your list though!! So very true!!
I have actually worked as a CNA/MA in Nebraska, New York, Alabama and Georgia and they all do it everywhere you are. It's meant as a term of endearment but unfortunately it's still not appropriate. :)
This article was full of good common sense that applies to everyone, not just CNAs/CMAs. Good job!
I'm glad you mentioned the "darlin, honey" issue. Two weeks ago my husband was ill and I took him to our doctor. The CMA called him "sweetheart". She's about 25 and we are in our 50s. I found it disrespectful, unprofessional and completely inappropriate.
Today I went to the same office for my school physical, had the same CMA, who called me sweetheart as well. I didn't say anything, but I did bristle for just a moment. (We're not from the south and neither was the CMA. People in my area just don't call anyone except their real sweetheart that term of endearment.)
I do want to say one thing about the article that I disagree with though. While it's great to encourage CNAs and CMAs to go further with their education, not all WANT to. Being a CNA or a CMA are honorable endeavors. I know CMAs that continue their education and also became certified as phlebotomists, cardiac monitor techs, ECG techs, lab techs, etc. Even though going into nursing has been my choice, not all CMAs want to be a nurse. We need good CMAs just as we need good CNAs. God bless those CNAs who give such excellent and personal care! To be a CNA, happy and fulfilled with helping people on a daily basis is a great thing. CNAs who excel at what they do should be considered a valuable member of the nursing team, and those who chose CNA as a career should be respected (and thanked) for their service.
I can't resist pet names. Everyone says its in professional but that's just ME. I'm up close and personal with these people for 12 hours, most of the time I feel like a buddy to them by the end of one shift so you'll hear me calling people "sunshine" and "grams" or gramps. Maybe even a sweetie or a honey. I just can't help myself. The other thing is half the time I couldn't even tell you their name. That's awful I know, but I mostly know them by room number. Probably because I say sunshine too much lol. To be fair though almost all of them call me sweetie or doll baby or something of that nature. Anyways just thought id throw in my 2 cents. Great advice though!!
Oh Ya! One. Or for me it is sir or ma'am. Which have actually really made some residents mad. ( Which I find kind of funny, because my own father. Literally hates being called sir.) But for me it's actually two reasons I use sir or ma'am. And 1. Is cause it's a respect thing for me to them. And 2. Unfortunately I when working with new residents. I have a bad habit of remembering names. That is until I get nervous. Then it always seems to never fail, but I can't remember their names to save my life. Lol.
Well, then I guess a " thank you!" Is in order. Cause I truly do love being a CNA. Even if I have/had seriously considered quitting. But it. In the end I would always look at a few things. Before seeming to make an "overly emotional" reaction. To a situation. That I always seemed to change every day/maybe every few hours. But most of all it was the one? I always asked myself. " can I truly deal with rude/unhelpful/ or just there for paycheck" type people. To actually enjoy my job that actually let me be around the residents who needed/wanted my company?" Which was always a yes. I could.
Which I delt with a lot of the co-workers who as stated above. The fact that we had the dot system. Which instead of working the normal 8 hrs. Of your shift. You ended up working 16 hour shifts. All because either people called in. Or just didn't plain show up.
I work with a team of amazing professionals that I am honored to get to learn from daily. The patients that I see every day are trusting me with their care and I don't take that lightly. I think this list is so fantastic and well-written. Thank you for sharing your insight and congratulations on the acceptance to the BSN program. I'm hoping to start school in the fall in a LPN program!
GypsyJen
4 Posts
I have definitely been guilty of violating #1 and #5. However, I have gotten much better at answering call lights. I do think, however, that just because you don't answer a certain call light in a timely manner that it is often not done intentionally. There have been many occasions where I have set off to answer a fellow CNA's call light and gotten summoned to do other things either on my hall or by a nurse. Also, are you from the south? Because down here, even though I know that we are taught not to call people nicknames like "sweetheart", "honey", or "darlin'", I have found that people respond more openly to uncomfortable procedures/situations when these terms are used--especially my dementia patients. It's a sort of second language down here. I love your list though!! So very true!!