CNA Issues

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2017

Without witnessing the situation, and assuming your request was reasonable and asked nicely... honestly I wouldn't worry too much. The things that you asked for help with are her job anyway, so she shouldn't be upset about doing them.

nurse_lizzie · Mar 28, 2017

I should have added that. Yes, I asked her to help with resident care if she was okay with it. I also offered to help her do it. She said it was okay and that she could do it herself. I'm worried because I have to continue to work with her, but, as I mentioned, she's not speaking to me, which is making it a little difficult.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2017

Are you asking the CNA to help you with residents that have not been assigned to her? If so, this may be the problem.

If the residents are already part of the CNAs's assignment, perhaps she has a chip on her shoulder because she secretly detests receiving directives from some student with less experience than her.

Sometimes when people refuse to talk to us, it is not about you. It is often about them and their personal hangups.

AJJKRN · Mar 28, 2017

I think that this may be more of a hierarchy issue with the CNA feeling as though you (the nursing student) had no business nor authority to ask/tell them what to do or interrupt their workflow to help you when you are responsible for the patient's care.

Honestly I think your instructor overstepped that boundary when they advised you to ask the CNA, you probably should have been asking another nursing student to be honest. If you're in a group clinical then always keep in mind and respect that you guys are guests in their house...just think of it that way. It may be a bit different of a situation if you were the only student on the floor following a nurse without your clinical instructor present.

I am sure that you asked in a nice respectful way but you crossed an invisible/unspoken boundary. I have walked a mile in many shoes while being a CNA, nursing student, and a new grad. Take this experience as your first lesson and introduction to these unfamiliar boundaries because you may run into many of them during the course of your life and career.

You live and you learn :inlove:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2017

I am sure that you asked in a nice respectful way but you crossed an invisible/unspoken boundary.

Bingo...if I had been working as a CNA, I would not want a student eliciting my assistance due to his/her inability to keep up with the workflow.

In the nursing home setting, routine is king. Outsiders such as clinical instructors and students often break the routine and slow workflow down considerably without realizing it. This slowdown can create secretive resentment among the CNAs and staff nurses: they do not directly say your presence irks them, but their actions communicate their annoyance.

As far as the hierarchical structure is concerned, nursing home CNAs have mounds of responsibilities and zero authority. It is a situation that no one would envy. Therefore, it can come as a low blow when non-employees and outsiders such as vendors, students and clinical instructors start asking CNAs to help or complete tasks.

You will come to realize that floor nursing is brutally political. You must learn to walk the political tightrope in a sensitive manner or run the risk of falling off.

amoLucia · Mar 28, 2017

Commuter's second post should be bronzed!!! I particularly like "In the nursing home setting, routine is king". :yes:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2017

Moved to the CNA forum for more replies.

nurse_lizzie · Mar 28, 2017

I just realized that I forgot to mention that I was only asking the CNA for help on days that I was passing meds, which was two days. I've passed meds a total of four days, but the first two days, I did everything myself and was about an hour behind. I'm slow, I'm not going to deny that, but I'd managed to stay on schedule by doing things a little early (for days that I don't pass meds and just provide resident care). Those first days I passed meds threw my schedule off because I had to stand around in the med room doing nothing for about hour while my instructor stepped out to observe another student. That happened again this last time. Now that I'm thinking about it more, the CNA could have thought I was being lazy and just left her to do the work during that time I was gone since I didn't communicate with her.

But I feel that you all bring up valid points. I need to apologize to her again and focus on what she could be feeling instead of whatever my problems are. I'm plan on making it up to her by spending the next clinical days working along side her and helping her out.

Thank you all. I wanted some better insight since my instructor's advice didn't seem to really help. I have to continue working with this CNA so I want to have a good relationship with her.

Gotti_girl · Mar 29, 2017

Im a CNA of 15 years! It's a lack of communication if you're her partner and had to do meds maybe she needed help but she cant ask because her partner is a student in two places? I understand being an only aid is hard on ur body!! However i've worked with a lot of ******* also who are miserable and in the wrong profession! Ill say that I've been called the elite of care aides by most staff i work with fast,effient, and im happy to take suggestions from new staff, and never stuck in my routine! so my point comes down to who's the alpha haha you just need to tell her to ask when she needs help, stop pouting and get over it!

Comera · Apr 7, 2017

I challenged the test passed got job $15hr

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Apr 9, 2017

Sometimes CNAs do not fully understand the student nurses role.

I have experience as a CNA, LV/PN, and now RN. Some of the CNAs I had worked with previously confided in me that some of the RN students didn't do basic pt care and delegated a lot to the CNA. These CNAs were under the impression that RN students were supposed to provide basic pt care to their assigned pts.

I tried to explain to my CNA friends that, because we were in the 3rd semester, we were expected to do RN stuff like pass meds, give and receive report, talk to MDs for orders, etc. I tried to explain that we were required to delegate some tasks.

In the 1st/2nd terms of nursing school, in my program, at least, as students, we mostly only did pt care. We only passed meds once every several days/weeks.

The CNA told me that I was one of the few who did basic pt care for my assigned pts...

It's definitely possible that my classmates were "over-delegating" or trying to pass the buck....I don't know.