Am I right or wrong?

agldragonRN · Sep 20, 2011

sometimes when you make waves, you get in to more trouble. ask the other cnas and nurses when ever you need help.

sorry to hear about your predicament.

bellabellissima2 · Sep 20, 2011

wow you sound really frustrated, im so sorry to hear about all this what you goingt through. Maybe you should speak to your supervisor in confidence and just tell her how you feel? just ventilate, sometimes it helps, also i know from my experience and training that many things that we perceive for something are not necessary what we think. Maybe it will be worth to trying to get to know her and maybe she is not that bad? anyways, i hope things will get better for you

feisty · Sep 20, 2011

i understand your frustration with the whole situation. patient care is difficult and a hard assignment makes it seem overwhelming at times. remember there is always more than one side to a story or more than one perspective on a situation.

having said all of that i would advise you seperate yourself as an individual employee from the whole "we" mentality. i do not mean as in teamwork. what i am trying to say is that you were hired as an individual employee to perform in a specific role. as long as your supervisor is acting within the guidelines of the facilities policies in making the assignments then she has the authority to do as she deems best regardless of whether it is "fair".

"i'm over here busting my *** while this woman wants everyone to feel sorry for her because her husband is in the service and she has 3 teens at home. um hello you're not the only who has it tough other people have it worse. she is such a brown noser which is probably why the supervisor gives her better treatment ugh! :mad:"

anger, name calling, and assumptions will only cause you trouble. i would suggest that you not use these tactics with your supervisor if you choose to address any issues. attempts at conflict resolution will be more effective if handled properly.

if you are given a physically challenging assignment that requires 2 people to perform the care then do not hesitate to ask for assistance. if noone is available to help then i would suggest speaking to your supervisor. inform her that you are concern that patient and employee safety would be compromised if you attempted to perform a specific task alone. it is her responsibility to see that there is adequate staff to ensure safety. likewise, it is your responsibility to see that you do not endanger a patient by attempting a task without proper assistance.

personally, if the other employee came to me asking for help and i was struggling with my patient load i would probably bargain with her. i would say something like, "i would be happy to help you bath her if you will first help me complete this task of bathing mr. so and so." :rolleyes: teamwork can provide safe care and enable you to finish in a timely manner.

remember, there will be days when you do not feel good and your co-workers will probably extend you the same courtesy you have extended to them. i do not know the dynamics of your unit so i say that on the premise of one built on teamwork and a patient focused environment of care.

one last thing.....your passion for the care you give others is obvious. i am so glad you have chosen a career in healthcare. please don't let people rob you of the joy you find in helping others. thank you for the hard work and care you provide for our elderly population!!!!

yousoldtheworld · Sep 20, 2011

Feisty summed up most of what I was going to say much more eloquently than I would have. :)

BUT, I just wanted to comment on the permanent group thing. You seem to assume that you weren't given the "easy" group because your supervisor likes you less. Have you considered that maybe they put this other aide on that group because they aren't as confident in her ability to handle a more difficult group? My current supervisor has two aides that she keeps on two specific groups simply because they're the only groups they can handle (and yes, she has said this herself).

Basically, assignments are made to assure the best resident care, not for our convenience. My facility has started attempting to have mostly permanent groups, or at least keep each aide in between a couple of groups and not moving around the whole facility. This isn't anything personal about us, it is to ensure continuity of care for the residents.

My group is the respiratory/trach group, and since they are mostly a little smaller than a couple of the other groups, I've heard plenty of griping that I have "an easy group". It may look that way on the surface, but the reason I was put on that group was by the request of three different nurses - when they had other aides on that group, they weren't being positioned or taken care of. Yes, some of them may be smaller, but they also require more specific care. So sometimes things aren't what they seem.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that I get your frustration, but it's important not to make assumptions on why things are they way they are. Don't let this frustration get to you at work, and definitely talk to your supervisor if you feel it necessary. And, make sure you are asking for help. We have an aide who has gone to the DON stating that no one will help her, when she has never even asked anyone for help. Remember that no one can read your mind, and if you don't tell them that you need help or that you're unhappy with your assignment, they won't know. And if you ask for help and your coworkers refuse, report it. Most places will not stand for that. Good luck. :)

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 20, 2011

I was also going to say that they may have put You with a harder group because they are more confident with your abilities. Honestly, that's what it sounds like to me. They see what you're doing, even if you don't think they're looking. Since I've switched from working as a CNA to a CMA, I can see more of what's going on than I used to. I can tell which ones are lazy when I didn't see before because I was doing my own thing. If the higher-ups didn't think you could handle it, they wouldn't leave you there. Somehow, you are managing to get the job done and they are satisfied with your performance.

However, your satisfaction with the job is a whole different story. If it's stressing you out, you WILL get to be burnt out and your residents will suffer because of it. I would suggest talking with your direct supervisor, and then going up the chain of command. If nothing gets done, put in your notice so they can see how serious you are. If all else fails, look for another job. No place is worth ruining your health over.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Sep 20, 2011

I think 6 weeks is way too early to start a conflict. Supervisors never want to deal with that kind of stuff anyway, and if you start complaining this early in the game, you're going to come off as a troublemaker before your first performance review. Honestly, some of your complaints against this woman sound childish. I know you came here to vent and probably wouldn't actually say those things to your supervisor, but be mindful of your attitude if you do end up talking to her so none of that comes across. I know that at my workplace, if you want a good review, and the pay raise that comes with it, you can't be caught complaining about stuff like that (even unofficially, like to another CNA in the break room) because then they say you have a negative attitude, you don't work well with others, aren't flexible, etc.

That said, I get it. I used to float all around, and now they have me on the hardest unit every freaking day! Meanwhile, other people get easy assignments all the time. I really don't know the reason, aside from the fact that I'm very good on that hall and don't neglect the residents like some of the other aides do. It's hard not to feel resentful when you see the lazy people getting "rewarded" with easier halls. Maybe it IS because they're suck-ups, or they just can't handle the harder assignments, but you never know. It could just be that the person who makes the schedule hasn't gotten around to rearranging it yet (that seems like a nightmare to me- figuring out assignments every week with constant staff turnover, people who only work certain halls, people on vacation, etc). So it might not be personal at all. As for her asking you for help because she doesn't feel good... annoying! I don't think I've ever asked anyone to do something like that. But like someone else said, if you offer to do it WITH her after she's helped you with one of your tasks, she'll learn that she's not about to get away with anything and she'll probably stop asking.

Vblub01 · Sep 21, 2011

Thank you all for the advice! :) I really appreciate it. With that said let me just say that yes at the moment I was very frustrated and I did not mean to sound like I have a grudge against the other CNA because she really is a nice person and I do get along with her. I know we all have our good days and our bad. I know which groups I can handle and I know which groups I can not. Obviously I cant handle the group that has mostly big men who are EZ Lifts and EZ stands for the fact that I do not have the strength to push the lifts towards the bed or the wheelchair chair. I do not mind asking for help but whenever I do ask for help I get this "Ugh! Is he ready then?!" And I'm just like no I need your help to get him ready because some of these guys are also stiff. Even the nurse I had today and yesterday was on my side when I said that group was hard for me and she agreed. She said "I know Honey, and you need muscles to work with that group and I understand" And she was upset that the supervisor wouldn't let me and another guy switch groups. Other women who had this tough group have either hurt their back or their hands and they asked the supervisor to not put them on that group anymore. I don't think I should be put in a situation where I am more likely to hurt myself or even worse something bad happen to a resident. Is it wrong that I am looking out for myself and the residents? I know that it is to early to complain but and I am not trying to make it seem like I demand the supervisor to give me what I want or anything. I am just trying to speak up for myself and stand up for myself. If something was to happen to me or a resident It wouldn't be like I didn't talk to her and tell her. If any of this starts trouble with the supervisor or anybody then oh well I can always look for another job. I know that I am a good CNA and I do care a lot for my residents and I am ALWAYS more than willing to help anyone who needs help. I never give anyone attitude. I am very patient with people and I have had people say "you are a good worker and you have a lot of patience! That's a very good thing". I love it when residents give me hugs and say "Thank you so much! I really appreciate you helping me" It really puts a smile on my face. Nothing makes me happier than helping people and that's just the kind of person I am.

interceptinglight, CNA · Sep 23, 2011

They probably gave you the harder assignment because you are more capable and competent than that other CNA you trained with. She sounds like more of a whiner, you sound like more of a worker. As far as being afraid of getting hurt, sorry, but that's one of the hazards of CNA work -- all you can do is use proper body mechanics and get assistance when you need it.

lookitsnicolas · Sep 23, 2011

Sorry to hear some annoying stuff is just unavoidable.. they probably just thought you were better than her so instead of her in your spot they put her in a place she could handle.. if i were you i'd just make buddies with a male cna and let him know your situation and ask him if it's ok to get help when needed.. once friendly with someone it won't seem so awkward to ask for favors.. just make sure to let him know you can help him when needed too.. good luck!