Any other intelligent NA's out there?

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 3, 2004

A great reminder we need NOT generalize by role any person's intelligence or education-level. Each is a valuable member of the team, from housekeeping to NA, nurse, ancillary personel, to doctors. We are ALL needed to make it work.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2004

Can you please point out these several threads? I haven't seen many threads at all speaking of the intelligence of CNAs. There are probably 100s however speaking of bad attitudes, poor work ethics, bossiness, etc. of the CNAs some of us work with. But remember also there are literally 100s of such threads speaking of coworkers in the same fashion and 100s more about management and doctors in the same fashion.

We come here to talk about what's going on in our lives, so sometimes it seems a bit slanted towards the negative side of nursing and our coworkers. I'm sorry you feel a bit demoralized by that.

My patient ratio is 8:1 and I absolutely cannot provide proper and safe care without good a CNA as part of my team. The CNA can make or break how my night goes and has a tremendous impact on patient outcomes. It takes intelligence, hard work and collaboration.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 3, 2004

Arg, fuel to a burning fire.

I don't recall any threads questioning any CNAs' intelligence.

mariedoreen · Sep 3, 2004

Nah, everyone says good CNAs are worth their weight in gold. What you're probably reading about are people expressing their frustration with inept co-workers who just happen to be CNAs.. look a little further and you'll see the same discussions about LPNs, RNs, and Docs.. doesn't matter the position, there are always competent and questionably competent (at least for the moment) employees.. and people of a similar field will always discuss such happenings, it's a coping mechanism.

SoldierMedic · Sep 4, 2004

My pet peeves are CNA's who don't turn their patients enough. When I was a CNA in acute and long term, I never had one patient come down with a pressure ulcer. Never! but the CNA's I work with today aren't as dedicated as I was back in the day. Don't get me wrong, I've work with super CNA's too that would put RN's and LVN's too shame.

I don't question CNA's intelligence, just their work habits. Heck, half of them graduated from the RN program but are just procrastinating for a better opportunity.

Brickman · Sep 4, 2004

I guess I am lucky. Every CNA on my floor is EXCELENT!!!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 4, 2004

My pet peeves were the CNAs who wouldn't clean their pts. that well, and who would still have scrambled eggs on their face around dinnertime.

I always thought of cleaning my pts. this way. How do i clean myself? When i take a shower, what do i wash? Common sense is evidently not so common, and i would probably make quite a few angry if i were a charge nurse. I understand understaffing, i've been there for a decade, but still, two seconds to wipe off dried oats on someone's chin, jeez.

boulergirl, CNA · Sep 4, 2004

Note to self:

1. Open mouth

2. Insert foot

3. Hide under the nearest chair! :chair:

Okay, I was venting. I had just read the whole thread about "Nurses who let NA's boss them around" and hopped over to a couple of other threads. I wish I had written down the comments that made me feel the way I did. One particular comment, though, stuck in my mind. One person had complained about bad CNA's, then said that bad CNA's wouldn't know how to handle a BB, surf the 'Net, heck they're probably out picking wings off of flies somewhere. Of course I didn't notice they were referring to BAD CNA's, not ALL CNA's, and promptly got my bile churning. I had also finished reading the Medscape article and that got me upset (especially when one of the ladies in the article--I think it was the author's friend with her in the ER--said she couldn't understand why any smart people would want to be in a profession like nursing--ouch!).

So I shall have to revisit the threads that irked me, and write down what bothered me. Perhaps I read too much into all the complaints about some CNA's work ethics, attitudes, and such, and got the wrong idea about nurses' views of CNA's. There were many positive comments about the GOOD CNA's and of course, I overlooked those. The CNA's who posted on the thread sound smart, caring and hard-working.

I apologize for sticking my head in my nether end and will try not to make generalizations based on people's vents. :imbar

merricat · Sep 4, 2004

just saying hello here. i am a smart CNA. i think it is better for everybody to talk about how they really feel including "just venting" then keep it bottled up. i have worked with good and bad CNAs-- and good and bad LPNs. CNAs get criticized sometimes, but so do LPNs and so does anyone who works in a long term care facility. oh well! i think there should be a special section for NAs on this site-- i typed it in one day for a search and did not get very many entries (and the entries i got were for LPNs). (weird). the nurses i work with are mostly super nice--last night my nurse said "thanks for all your hard work" when i left. it was nice. my other nurse the night before did inventory for a new pt for me without me asking (i had like fourteen pts and three showers--swamped). i totally appreciated it and do not remember if i said thank you.