CNA input please

NurseBranch · Jul 23, 2007

What qualities do you admire in your charge nurse?
What improvements (besides staffing) can be made?
What solutions do you have for competition (sniping) between shifts?
How do you like to be told when something you are doing (or not doing) is upsetting other CNA's?
Thanks for your input.

1. I really admire someone who doesn't talk down to me and that teaches me things. As a nursing student, I appreciate that. Also, someone who can tell the supervisor or whoever needs to be told no. When you have 2 nurses 18pts and one aide, we really cannot take any more admits. When there is a pt coding, it amazes me how our charge nurses can get right in and help out, no matter what. I admire strong nurses who stand up for themselves in a dignified manner.

2.I think the bottom line at my hospital is staffing and not having equipment. We had one thermometer for 2 aide's and 3 nurses, management said if that one breaks, we get no more.

3. I have learned that complaining about other shifts doesn't do anything...nothing changes. My management has their favorites (and Night shift is the stepchildren there). I have asked politely, gotten louder than I needed to, gone to the person and to managemant and it has gotten me nowhere. So, I just do my 8 hours to the best of my ability and not worry about what others are doing. I do however wish they could clean up after themseleves and restock.

4. I personally just want to be told by one of my coworkers. I trust and respect them wholeheartedly and value any input they can give me. That being said, there are definetly some people in our field that do not take any critism no matter what the delivery method is. You can never please everybody.

I hope I have helped you and good luck with whatever you are doing. Feel free to contact me further if you need to.

bklynborn · Jul 23, 2007

Thanks for your answers.

I have noticed that there seems to be a lack of teamwork at times between nurses and cna's. I am truing to find out how and what I can do to eliminate the things I am observing in order to establish a positive work environment.

I think that the lack of leadership is the main causes for rumbling among cna's, as well as inaction on the part of the managers or staff developement people. I hear you when you say nothing changes and that is one of my pet peeves. there must be some way to eliminate the problem.

buildingmyfaith57 · Jul 23, 2007

when i first got to wisconsin i started working as a n.a. going for my wisconsin c.n.a.

ive already had some training and been c.n.a in state of california. there this charge nurse was trying very hard to fine something wrong with my patients and yes she would down size me so bad,there was times i have gone into tears, that i would do my darnest to correct them. the other staff member knew what she was doing, knew that she was bulling me she would tell the other charge nurses how bad my work was,told them that i took to long of breaks which i didn't. so i had to prove myself to the other staff that i wasn't what that nurse said about me. will one night i had another charge nurse that saw how i really was,and how my patients looked, well tuck in and clean. do you know how hard it is to have someone to say i beleive in you, someone to say you been telling the truth the whole time. but the thing is she never gone to the manager and told her what was really going on or how this lady was going about lying about me and some of the other aides as well.

the improvement i would like to see if certain people would leave their personal feeling at home. this may not be what you looking for, but i thought i would share what i have experience as a c.n.a. i really enjoy working with people its in my heart.

dorselm · Jul 23, 2007

A good charge nurse values the whole team and shows it. I am a CNA who does double shifts on the weekends and attend nursing school full-time during the weekday. The charge nurse on my floor where I wrok which is in an LTC facility on the skilled floor, does not mind that I place a chair and a desk in the hallway so that I can study but also see any lights that may be going off. They don't bother me. My charge nurse will just buy food for any celebration or sometimes we'll all pitch in and buy food. She will allow me to ask any question about nursing even though she thinks I'm nuts for wanting to be one and she will show me any procedure that I want to see. If I want to see a catheter insertion, tracheotomy care, anything on J tubes, wound care (Especially Wound Care) I can see it all and ask questions and the charge nurse will not treat me as if I'm in the way.

Another thing I think is admirable is that no matter if you are the DON, charge nurse or whatever higher up, it doesn't hurt to say hello to people. Don't think you are so above others that you can't say hi. Respect should be shown to all people on all levels.

If a charge nurse sees that lights are going off and they are not busy and the aides and other nurses are up to their ears in work, they should be able to pitch in instead of sitting at the desk playing or shopping on the internet!!!!! That burns my butt! I love the nurses I work with but you do not see the nurses jumping up to pitch in when we are short staffed so a little more team work would be nice.

Lastly, I'm the type of person who maintains professionalism. It shows a sheer lack of integrity when a nurse can scream on another person in front of anyone else, be it patients and families or other co-workers. That is petty and it should not be happening. If people would learn to treat others as they would want to be treated, there wouldn't be as much anomosity as there is in the nursing field.

Hope this helps!