PROBLEMS KEEPING CNA'S/CNT'S!!!!!!!!

bunky, BSN, RN · Jun 15, 2000

Look at it this way. For that kind of money they could go to Burger King to work and get free meals too. Short of a big pay raise, the only thing that may entice them to come to work is to have enough of them on a shift as many times they are understaffed as much as we are and they make a lot less for it too. Put an extra one on each shift to lighten their loads and everyone benefits and it costs less to do it with them then it does an extra nurse.

lids · Jun 16, 2000

[hi, let me tell you i'm anurse student and recently got a job as apca patient care assistant cna same thing. in mi and they pay me 9.76 without any experience iwould have not taken this job for any less. that is the answer to your question. it's alot of (nasty work) bathing , feeding wipping butts, and collecting urine and even drawing blood. for gods sake nurses are underpid, like someone else said at burger kink they pay$8 and it sure is not life theatening . sorry but i understand why you have such a hard time , way underpaid in your area love lids

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Nancy1 · Jun 16, 2000

I like the idea of the scratch tickets. I use the freebies I get when I go to a conference. I have a "Goody bag" in my cabinet, when a CNA does something I perceive as special, she/he gets to pick something out. I also write up a Performance recognition form, it is a carbonless copy form where I write what the person did to get recognition, the person gets one and one goes into the person's record. This way, I have a way of tracking the good things they do when I do an eval. NA

tweetieRN · Jun 16, 2000

I think its mostly the pay they get for what they do, plus the lack of respect in many places. I think they should be paid a lot more, then maybe you could attract the kind of people who you could depend on.

To be honest, there are many times I'd rather have a good CNA than an extra nurse.

I wouldn't put up with some of the crap they do for minimum wage. They work HARD!

madonna · Jun 16, 2000

Motivating CNAs was the most difficult task I encountered as a DON. Since an overall pay increase was out of the question, we tried ways to reward hard work & dedication. I would purchase scratch off lottery cards & as I made rounds would hand them out to the CNAs "caught doing things right". When patients and/or family members would comment on the good job a CNA was doing, I'd present the employee with a lottery ticket. Even though a ticket wasn't always a winner, the CNAs loved the idea & would work hard for the chance to win extra $.

JillR · Jun 16, 2000

Think about it this way..... Would you do what they do for minimum wage???/ I'll bet the answer is a big NO WAY!!!!!! When I was a CNA and we were short, sometimes the DON and yes even the Administrator (who was also an RN) would come to the floor and pitch in. The administrator even came in on night shift a couple of times and worked with the cna's doing the same job. Now that was impressive. I have two suggestions. 1. give them the pay they deserve. 2. get out there and help out if staffing is short. There is no better way to show someone that you think their job is important than to be willing to do that job yourself if it is needed. Thanks. Jill

Other things they did was to through Pizza parties for the entire staff, fresh Pizza fore ach shift. They held pancake breakfast, and sandwich bars once in a while. Good luck.

KSEFLINK · Jun 16, 2000

You could try placing these CNA's/techs with the same RN's or LPN's on a team, so they develop a relationship with their co-workers which borders on trust and reliance. Even if the pay is not where it needs to be, they will not let each other down, if they rely on each other to get their jobs done.You would need to schedule them on the same days on and off, so they could work together as often as possible. Any extra "reward" you can find would be great too.People want respect, so find ways to reward positive behaviors and work habits. Maybe an extra day off with pay or a large gift certificate to a department store.Don't forget the daily thank yous!! We are working our staff so hard these days and I hear over and over again that our nursing personnel just want to be recognized for pulling it off day after day!!! Sometimes the small stuff is just as important as the big stuff.

YADA-YADA · Jun 16, 2000

Pay is nice,,(and they do deserve more money,,,,dont we all) but getting recognition for doing a good job goes along way. At the end of my day I always thank the girls that i work with...without fail. During the shift I help them out whenever I can. When moral was low I had a little Pizza party just for our group. (im not management but one of the staff nurses , and the money came out of my pocket, so no I wasnt going to do the whole unit)

I do like the idea of scratch tickets, I may get a few for our aids.

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10% of life is the action, and 90% is my reaction. Hence all things are relative to my mood at the moment of impact.

MaineNurse67 · Jun 17, 2000

I think you might like to read the message I left concerning "Recruitment and Retainment". Check it out, it might help. Just a thought. Best wishes...TK

PPL, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2000

Hey Lids; what is Burger Kink? A hamburger joint for perverts??? LOL!

hollykate · Jul 9, 2000

HI, I just had to add my two cents. I am a student CNA II at a big level one trauma center. I am the only aide on my shift and I often walk 4-6 miles a night transporting patients as well as other CNA duties and doing EKG's, foleys, chaperoning pelvic exams, etc...

I am entirely devoted to my manager because she paid for me to take an ekg interpretation class and ACLS. In addition, she took an interest in my education and shared her research with me, allowing me to complete several papers for school with a little more ease (and it cost her nothing but time). Because of this, I have come in early, late, on weekends, worked Christmas, Easter, you name it. SHe took time, to really develop a relationship with me. Inf act, when my car broke down, her husband helped me find one that wouldn't. She

I must admit, however, I also get paid double what you are paying you CNA's and I always get an "outstanding" on evals, ensuring a raise. I feel pretty lucky, I'll remember your post when I get annoyed by the lack of respect that I still encounter at times. In addition, now that I have graduated school, I will soon leave for an RN position in another hospital, but if I ever get the chance to move back there, I will be beating down the doors to be an RN in that unit (retention retention retention)

Most CNA's don't want ACLS, but maybe an NA II class would be a big incentive, say if you stay 6 months and are recommended by you chrge RN? Good Luck. HollyKate