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Discussion

CNA not doing job

I'm a new grad (kind of) and have been working at a hospital for 6 months. My CNA who has been working for years at our facility doesn't do her job. I have to tell her every time I want my vitals done or I end up doing them myself. Sometimes even when I ask her, it takes her too long so I end up doing them myself. She's basically MIA during half of the day so I have to answer the call lights, and many times it is in the middle of my med passes.

I feel it is difficult to speak up because she has been working for so long that she is friends with everyone. She is even BFFs with the DON which puts me in an awkward position of complaining.

Who is helping who? If she doesn't get vitals, I get in trouble. If someone doesn't get a bath, it's ultimately my responsibility. What are CNAs responsibilities and how do you hold them accountable?

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    If management thinks she is a ok, not much you can do. I have found this type of attitude to be common in LTC, that is one of the problems with working in such places. Poor management and supervision at higher levels eventually affects the first line supervisor. Do your verbal warnings, written warnings, and take the information to your supervisor. That is all you can do. Keep copies of everything. Some day you may have to prove that you attempted to supervise this individual. Best wishes.

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    I have a hard time delegating, especially when I assume the support staff is already aware of what their responsibilities are and some tasks should just be done, no matter what (like vitals!). It sounds like you have a much bigger problem with that particular CNA. Besides calling her out, not sure how you are going to get around her laziness?

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    I deal with CNA's like this daily!! I've learned that all you can do is DOCUMENT and take care of your residents/patients. I take care of about 50 residents on some nights and about 30 on others (depending on what halls I'm assigned to) and my cnas (all of which have been there longer than ten years) don't ever do there job. But it doesn't come out in the wash until DAYS later.

    For example: i had a pt tell me he had a doctor's appt. in the morning and he hasn't had a bath in a week! and he is totally lucid and AAO at all times so i believe him. Another example: I was taking a pt's VS because she wasn't acting just right, she told me that this is the first time someone has taken her VS since she got here (SIX WEEKS EARLIER) again pt is totally with it and it's the CNA's job to obtain those. so basically all of the VS turned over to me are made up by the cnas. Another example: I had a pt fall and break her nose while a cna was in the room. come to find out before i started working there, this same cna has had several incidents where her pts fall while shes in the room and did nothing to protect them.

    I DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and quote why the cna duties aren't completed. I'd understand if they were busy like nurses are but at night they have a total of 10 baths (between 3 cnas) and brief changes. that's it. And at night for the most part, I answer call lights! then when i tell the cna that a resident needs changing or to get to a BSC or bedpan, they don't move. It takes them at least 15 minutes to get up from their nap and get to the resident. But I document every incident and every time it takes longer than necessary to answer call lights! And I'm sure to verbalize my concerns with the DON almost daily. These are my residents and it's my responsibility as their nurse to ensure their safety and to speak up for them.

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