CNA termination

Students CNA/MA

Published

Hi everyone so I need tons of advice because I just had the worst day of my life.

I'm a brand new CNA with little to no experience and just started working at a new facility. A lot of the other aides as well as nurses are rude and incompetent. I watch them break rules everyday, and violate many foundations pertaining to residents rights. I've been trying so hard for about 2 weeks now, but I'm still learning and need much more paractice. They decided this week to put me on the floor by myself so I have been behind on all my work and unable to take care of some residents because none of the CNA's would spot me while using a hoyer. Today, the LPN was very rude and condescending to me; and unfortunately I retaliated with a slick comment back. Although the nurse was wrong and shouldn't have spoken to me the way she did, I understand that I shouldn't have reacted either. I was terminated for insubordination and wasn't even given a chance to tell my side of the story. They had no cares in the world about the fact that they have employees mistreating and exploitating residents; but walked me out of the building as if I was some kind of animal. I wasn't loud, nor rude. I just said to the nurse in a calm tone that she was incompetent. O guess my question is, will this affect my license? I feel like such a failure for trying and still not getting it right. All I wanted was help, instead of attitudes for always asking for help. Will I be able to even get a job after this?

Aunt Slappy

271 Posts

Specializes in hospice, LTC, public health, occupational health.

Oh honey, if you had the audacity to tell me I'm incompetent as a LPN with all of two weeks' CNA experience under your belt, I'd have your ass walked outta the building too.

I was a CNA for nearly 5 years before I became a LPN. You have no idea how many volumes there are in the library of stuff you don't know.

Mcpheeh

9 Posts

Just as there are many volumes I don't know, there also many that I do. It doesn't take much brain power to see when someone is violating policies and procedures. Therefore, making them incompetent. If you can't preform your job correctly or follow rules, then yes that makes you incompetent. Now, I'm sure your situation may be different. You may be a great LPN, who knows. But as for the one I worked for, was an entirely different situation. If I get walked out for sticking up for myself and other residents, then so be it. But something they should have taught every LPN in school, is also something I learned in school as well when I was training to be a CNA; it is that you take pride and dignity in what you do and simply FOLLOW PROCEDURE.

mtmkjr, BSN

453 Posts

40 years ago, when I had my first job as a nursing assistant I worked in a LTC facility where there were some good nurses/aids, but a lot who were either lazy or intentionally incompetent. It didn't take years of education or experience or to recognize that. I have never forgotten that place, but always learning, I left there with a clear idea of the kind of nurse I would not be.

You know you shouldn't have said what you did. No need to hammer you over the head with it. Learn what insubordination is and self reflect if your actions came across that way.

Sometimes we learn lessons the hard way. Hopefully you can get a do-over and be a great CNA in the future.

Wishing you the best.

Mcpheeh

9 Posts

Thank you so much. I've been beating myself about this pretty bad, but it really was coming from the heart. These nursing homes are so disheartening to see, but I know I have to watch what I say. I know in my heart this is what I was meant to do, and hopefully I'll get it right next time around.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

I think you need to feel the pain of this experience and let it teach you the lessons you need to learn. Take your time, lick your wounds and self reflect. You should not have called the LPN incompetent. Not only because it was insubordination, but also because you don't know enough to know whether or not she is competent. So there is no way you could be correct in that situation. You don't know what you don't know.

You noticed that there was a lot of rule breaking going on. Lots of people not doing stuff the way you were taught in school, and I believe that you are probably right about that. When you saw that you mistakenly thought that this was happening because of massive incompetence.

You probably weren't there long enough to figure out that it wasn't mass incompetence but something else. What could have been the reasons why the LPN wasn't totally willing to spot you? Do you think it's possible that she didn't have the time? Put yourself in her shoes. Why would you get mad at someone who was asking for your help? What would have to be going on for that to happen? Or try this: Imagine you had 16 hours worth of work to do in 12 hours. You have one person who can help you get it done, but can only do half the stuff you can do. Now imagine that this one person needs you to be there for most of her work, because she's new and has a very idealized version in her mind of the way stuff is supposed to happen. Let's say you are trying to be nice but also need to let her know that she can't keep asking you for help because you are too busy. Then imagine she tells you you are incompetent. Patience be gone, I'll bet you'd get rid of her very quickly.

Know that your job as the CNA is to support the nurse. That is pretty much the whole job. Get it out of your head that you need to do anything else, including judging other employees or making decisions about who is competent. That's the job of management.

If you decide that for your next job you will focus on supporting the nurse, asking how you can help her and then doing it, then you will be a great CNA who is valued and nurtured by the nurses in return.

Mcpheeh

9 Posts

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but something that I needed to hear. I understand what I said wasn't polite and is not justifiable. There's a lot of things I've yet to learn, and I'm still young at that. I think my biggest issue is working for places like nursing homes and seeing so many things done differently from what I was taught. It doesn't take much to know when someone is violating patient rights though, which was what I saw the majority of the time I was there. Perhaps the word incompetent was a far stretch, but none the less some things were just not right. I appreciate the constructive criticism as I really do need it. I want to excel in this field so bad, and I was not aware of how much impact your words have. I have to work on how I address my concerns, and I do think I need to grow some thicker skin as well. Thank you for the advice.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but something that I needed to hear. I understand what I said wasn't polite and is not justifiable. There's a lot of things I've yet to learn, and I'm still young at that. I think my biggest issue is working for places like nursing homes and seeing so many things done differently from what I was taught. It doesn't take much to know when someone is violating patient rights though, which was what I saw the majority of the time I was there. Perhaps the word incompetent was a far stretch, but none the less some things were just not right. I appreciate the constructive criticism as I really do need it. I want to excel in this field so bad, and I was not aware of how much impact your words have. I have to work on how I address my concerns, and I do think I need to grow some thicker skin as well. Thank you for the advice.

Yes, learning how to address your concerns is a really important skill. You will get there, because you know you need to work on it. You feel that patient rights were violated and that some things were just not right. What exactly happened?

Mcpheeh

9 Posts

Yes, I'm finally starting to realize at 22 that in order to succeed I have to learn how to pick and choose my battles. Well for starters, there was a few CNA's that would post patients up on their social media, but I didn't say anything I just tried to mind my business. But there was a particular incident that prompted me to act the way that I did, even though I shouldn't have. On one of my training days there was a CNA and an LPN in the room helping me transfer someone that was listed as a sit to stand or Hoyer in the Kardex. But the CNA was impatient and had work to do, so he hid the hoyer pad in the patient's roommates drawer and proceeded to lift him with a two person assist. What makes it worse was the patient has a weak left side and was almost dropped. At that point I was scared and mad and should have went straight to management. Luckily, the patient wasn't injured.

egglady, LPN

361 Posts

Specializes in Geriatrics.

In my state, A CNA doesn't have a license. They have a certificate. Probably can't lose your license if you don't have a license. 2 weeks of experience and you already know everything. I'm surprised you got that long of an orientation in LTC if you all ready know it all.

Mcpheeh

9 Posts

In my state, it is deemed as a license. So they do have the right to revoke it if necessary. Two weeks is enough to retain the knowledge, but I feel it takes longer to get it down pat and actually feel comfortable in what you're doing. It's not necessarily I "know it all," but more so know the difference between right and wrong. Especially when things in the real world are done nothing like how they are in school.

Aunt Slappy

271 Posts

Specializes in hospice, LTC, public health, occupational health.
Especially when things in the real world are done nothing like how they are in school.

I learned very quickly that actually working as a CNA, and then as a LPN, looks almost nothing like the idealized world of school.

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