how to avoid " throwing in the towel"?at work ....

Fiona59 · Feb 5, 2005

You are at the burn out stage. In all honesty, start looking for another job. LTC burns out its best workers for all the reasons you outlined. When you give 150% to a job, there is 0 left for you or your loved ones.

Be honest what other skills do you have? Can you type, use a computer, (well, you're posting here). Try an employment agency, what does it take to work in the staffing office at a local hospital, good phone skills and computer skills.

Be good to urself and get out while the going is good.

LEL · Feb 5, 2005

yes, I am a cna and for the most part i do enjoy caring for the residents esp the ones that you know could not care for themselves at all. What I hate is the way we get treated by management, seldom get raises, frequent call offs which make it hard on the rest of us, while 17 a piece is typical from what i hear, even people that have been doing this work for 12 years even 20 years have still found it difficult plus we've even had cases where we had all 34 to take care of. Will the nurses help, no way! Alot of nurses esp. lpn's act like they know it all and are above helping a resident they will track us down when we are feeding someone or answering 2 other call lights during tray pass at supper. this really rubs me the wrong way cause for the most part i have the same education level as these nurses yet they act like we're all just dumb aides that only know how to change diapers, get hit, yelled at, and work 16-20 hour shifts! I've put in alot of overtime, hurt my back, residents have fallen do to impatience of waiting for their one aide who is busy with 33 other residents! And for what? Many nurses won't even talk to us like we're even half way smart and won't pay attention when we say somethings not right with a resident. This happened to me one night. I came in the room and found a very frightened resident, almost 105 temp, tongue looked swollen, confused, spitting dentures out, shaking, face looked discolored, eyes pucky and red, told nurse he didn't believe me, i said no you really need to have a look at her and so he did and that poor lady was sent to the hospital within 30 minutes!!!! she had sepsis probably rt the dialysis treatment poss? some days i like work other times like yesterday, i forced myself to go kicking and screaming, well not really but boy was i upset. i tried to call off the don gets on the phone and basically cut the crap that i needed to be there. so i went. it's so hard to be good myself when i see other ones missing practically every other day, coming late, leaving early, wanting you to fill in for them cause they had plans or have kids! I had one aide following me around for about a month prior to christmas wanting me to take her place that day, well she called off anyhow! so how can i keep my cool even when it's a sh^**y situation at work? i suppose it could be worse too.

:balloons:

I am an LPN and answer call lights, feed, turn residents, respond to alarms etc...........

While I don't mind assisting the aide, I do have a problem when it becomes my job to do all of this while he/she is sitting down in a room with the door closed or just plain lazy. I will first care for the resident then set the aide straight. I don't mind assisting but no one does my charting, admissions, treatments, med passes, taking phone orders then noting those orders, calling families and etc for me. Attitudes also play a major part in how much help I am willing to give. We are all hired to do a job and it should be done to the best of our ability.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Feb 5, 2005

If you need to call out sick just do it. Don't let the DON or anyone else give you flack over it, it is her responsibility to have a backup, or to go in herself. And everytime she is successful in intimidating someone into coming in she will be more likely to do it again. Stand up for yourself.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Feb 5, 2005

so how can i keep my cool even when it's a sh^**y situation at work? i suppose it could be worse too.

Seriously, go part time or quit and do something else for awhile. Something with very little responsibility and no lifting. Seriously. It could save your emotional life.

Purple Princess · Feb 5, 2005

as a cna this is my third job this year related to nursing. The first job i got mad with the uncooperation, mandation, obsurd float schedule, never knew where i was suppose to be and i just called one day and said i quit. not a very nice thing to do. the second was home care, by far the best place i worked for but only was getting 16 hours a week, unpaid travel, too much paperwork, and if a client bailed then you were out those hours. My coordinator was good to me though always trying to get me assignments. but the hours were very irregular, it just wasn't a very steady job. Now this place and i don't know. I was in an rn program at college and made it through my base courses and about half way through medical surgical nursing. I do have an associates degree in general studies. I thought about bridging over into the medical assisting program cause the material i've had is very similar but i would have absolutely no time for work cause i'm also starting an lpn program next month. I would like to go to medical school but i just don't feel that i'm smart enough. i'm frustrated cause if all had gone as planned i'd be an rn and have my own place right now. but i'm still in school, living the saga as a cna, and at home with my parents! if there's no daylight available soon i will be quitting but i want to leave on good terms cause in healthcare you never know who these dons will squawk to.

BAtoLPN · Feb 5, 2005

i'm frustrated cause if all had gone as planned i'd be an rn and have my own place right now. but i'm still in school, living the saga as a cna, and at home with my parents!

Not sure how old you are, Sweetie, but trust me - very few of us have lives that have gone as we planned. I know mine sure didn't! I'm 33, divorced with a kid, and I am working in the ER as a "glorified secretary" (with a 4-year degree, mind you :rolleyes: ) while I return to school for my LPN and eventually my RN. I'm supposed to be a "stay-at-home-mom" with three beautiful children and a rich husband (instead of a rich ex - :chuckle !).

Anyway, what I am trying to say is HANG IN THERE! You are not alone in all the crap you are going through. Luckily, you are also young and have the support of your parents - that is a real blessing! Do you really need to work full time, especially if you are in school? I know that you probably have some "issues" about your parents supporting you, but if they are willing to do it, I would let them for now. You will be out soon enough and you can "pay them back" then if you wish. If you cut down on your work hours, or even find something you would enjoy more even if it pays less and/or isn't as steady, you would probably be glad you did.

Keep the faith!

:flowersfo

bargainhound, RN · Feb 5, 2005

What state are you in?

Blackcat99 · Feb 5, 2005

That's great that you will be starting the LPN program next month!

Most LTC's would love to have a CNA for week-end shifts. As for you living at home with your parents that's OK too. You can pay them back when they get old. I am living with my 83 year old mother who has mild Alzheimer's and who drives me crazy. But that's OK this wonderful Mother of mine has always been there for me and I am grateful to God that she is still alive. :)

debRN0417 · Feb 5, 2005

I am the DON of a 109 bed facility. I am soon to resign this position. I have been in nursing for 25 years, in many roles, most of them supervisory but I can no longer take the stress of LTC management. I initially started at this facility in another role, but was encouraged to take the position of DON. I did not really want to, but I thought that it was a good career move, and that if I could at least get sone experience like this under my belt, then who knows where it might take me. I understood that it was not a 40 hour per week job, but I never anticipated the exact nature of this statement, nor what challenges would be faced. I am an excellent clinician, a good nurse and a kind person. I feel that I have had to do things that bother me, in the sense of personal relationships and and dealings with others. I have never done anything dishonest, or wrong. I have always tried to put my residents and staff first and meet their needs. I have put the needs of my job before my family and I can no longer do this. In my position, I felt as though it should be at my discretion as to when I would need to be in the building and when I would be able to be with my family, but I was mistaken. I have averaged 57+ hours in my building weekly and this does not include the time I am on call, which is 24-7. Anytime my building has called with a concern or a problem, I have been there. I was told that I could pick my son up from school on Mondays and Thursdays,(before I took the job) and then I was told that I would not be allowed to be out of the building for that time period, that I would have to make other arrangements. I was also taking music lessons with my son one night during the week (after work hours), but I had to stop because I could not get off work on time to practice or take him. I was told the facility needs came before the needs of my family. I cannot agree with this. I afford these courtesys to my staff, I allow them to be flexible with theri schedules to accomodate the needs of their families, and I was verbally repremanded for this. I have been told to write staff up, when I did not feel it was appropriate, when I felt that education was what was needed. When I voiced my opinion, I was told that it was not my decision. I am a responsible person, I take my job very seriously. When I assumed this position, I was given no oirentation, I was shown some log books and told to make sure they were kept up to date. I have done the best I could. Due to the time that I am not able to meet the commitments of the care of my son, my husband has lost work, as he has had to cancel appointments, or rearrange his schedule to accomodate my ever-changing one. I am not paid for the over-time I put in, therefore we have lost money due to the extended child care needs. I am also not saying that it is all about money, but I do have commitments. I do not want to sound like "poor pitiful me", but if I were paid for 1/2 of the overtime, then I would not be as stressed financially as I am. I am not ashamed of the job I have done. I did my best, but I can no longer continue to do this. It is a shame, as I do love my residents, and my staff and I feel I have done some good things. This is one of the reasons why we cannot keep good nurses in LTC, the burden is unbearable. Thanks for letting me vent.

Sweetness · Feb 5, 2005

drink lots of coffee!

Blackcat99 · Feb 5, 2005

I hear ya debRN0417. Yes LTC is a no-win situation for nurses and CNA's. I just gave my 2 week notice at my LTC and after that will just be a "prn" night shift LPN. Everytime I had something planned for after my night shift something else would happen at the LTC which made me have to stay over (usually incident reports) and then I missed out on my personal plans. Now that I am no longer full-time I can sign up to work on the nights where I don't have anything planned for after work. LTC is just non-stop stress and constant frustration. Thank God I was just now hired to work part-time at hospice.