Thank goodness for CNA's!!!

SarahB84 · Aug 21, 2012

yep CNA's are great! I hope they understand sometimes we are at work 14 hours instead of 12 because we can not leave our documentation un-done, while they usually leave when their shift is over. that is why we ask them to go do the little stuff, not because we don't want to. at least that is how it is where I work.

chriskelly · Aug 21, 2012

CNA heroes, you give selflessly everyday for very little in return.

It seems that healthcare industry strategy is to substitute non-monetary compensation like appreciation in place of sufficient wages.

http://www.clintmaun.com/index.php5?cID=265

“Turnover Rates and Statistics In Long Term Care & Hospitals

low wages - according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, almost a fifth of direct-care workers—far more than the national average of 12 to 13 percent—earn incomes below the poverty level.

lack of benefits - one-third of home care aides (32.1 percent) and a quarter (25.2 percent) of CNAs in nursing homes have no health insurance, compared to one-sixth (16 percent) of all U.S. workers.”

It’s not an accident nor a coincidence that CNAs earn very little in return for their work. Here’s how healthcare companies learn how not to pay CNAs AND nurses monetary compensation (text in bold type present on the website):

http://www.characterbasedleadership.com/Training1.html

Intended Audience

All healthcare managers, executives, administrators, DONs, and team leaders

“An innovative (and simple) recruitment strategy that cuts CNA turnover in half and causes audiences to sigh in relief when they hear it!”

“Reinforce behavior they want repeated through a non-monetary method of employee recognition.”

http://www.integrity-tr.com/index-Nursing-Home-Employee-Turnover-HC.htm

“This training workshop saved healthcare organizations thousands of dollars within the first year. If your organization doesn't double it's ROI within one year of applying character-based leadership skills, we’ll make up the difference.”

mindlor · Aug 21, 2012

I hear you Chris. The CNAs where I work earn about nine dollars per hour. RNs make nearly 23......in both cases, way way under paid. The only salvation is unionization.

SF_RescueNinja · Aug 21, 2012

I haven't logged in a while. I only checked it because I got a private message. I just started nursing school yesterday and I've been a CNA for over a year and will continue to work while in school.

Then, I saw this post on the top of "Daily Liked Topics" and it totally made my day. At work, management only comes around to talk to us when they feel we are doing something wrong. That's it. A nurse even pointed that out to me at work and I realize how far management is from their employees.

So THANK YOU! Totally smiling ear-to-ear

shaylynclark719 · Aug 22, 2012

I agree 12838347447%

mentalicu · Aug 22, 2012

Seriously love my team, especially all my CNAs/PCAs.

halfpast · Aug 22, 2012

Thank you so much for all you do!! I love my team!!!

JtrayLPN · Aug 22, 2012

As a former CNA, I as well as the rest of the CNA world thank you for thanking and appreciating us too...LOL...But on to bigger tasks, current nursing student now :nurse:

MedChica · Aug 22, 2012

Well, Ijust stopped my CNA work. It was a good run, but -- boy, it's rough work.

I became a CNA because I thought that it'd make a better nurse of me. That remains to be seen but I did learn the ropes, got to work on my bedside care (because I came from an area of the hospital that was very 'task-oriented'. I needed that softness and personable way of being that nursing does requires)...and I'm a helluva lot less squeamish than I used to be.

I won't miss being a CNA, but I respect it.

I hated orking understaffed. Work was just backbreaking at times, but for some reason...my crazy residents kind of made it worthwhile. I know that's corny. I'd be in a mood, but the minute I hit the hallway and see them smiling and waving?

I put on my 'work face' and went to work.

I can't say much about my nurses. Most that I've worked with have been great. There are lazy folks in every bunch. I guess I've been fortunate to have only encountered it... seldomly. I used to work in a place where the charge nurse was on the bullhorn everytime a call-light went off. Everyone was working a busy. Why couldn't she get up and answer the light?

Had another time, where some guy in management (forget his title) was walking around calling himself supervising. I'm running around with towels and soap trying to get my people in the shower...because I had to fight for space. I couldn't stop because some other aide would muscle my resident out of the shower room. Yes, it was that serious. We had to fight to share on time.

This guy walked right past the calllight...to the nurses station...saw me and proceeded to ask me to answer a call-light.

What IS that?

I turned around real slow-like and just looked at him.

He said, "Oh, it's ok..."

He didn't even answer the call-light, either. Just sat his do-nothing butt behind the nurse's station. I wanted to drop-kick him right out of that chair. Chuck Norris Style.

But - damned right it was 'ok'. I was showering. What the ---- was he doing?

Delgating? Get outta here. Y'know -- when you're in a subordinate role, some tend to act as if you've never held title or position or done anything remotely important in life. I have and I know a crappy a-s manager when I see one!

Working for nothing?

My aide coworkers and I were discussing working understaffed and the rate of pay. Because I made $9.50 as an aide, I was surprised that I would be making above the avg for my GVN spot. $20/hr...and I'm not even a real nurse, yet!

Actually, I'd somehow rec'vd a dang raise. Initially, I was told that it was 19.50 an hour and was led to believe that this was a new nurse starting salary.

My coworkers weren't shocked though.

"Oh, they're going to pay the nurses. They take care of ya'll and want to keep you. With us, they think 'Oh, they're replaceable."

But...that's the thing. Aides aren't hard to find. Good aides... are. People who do their jobs, don't whine and complain about silly crap, don't polarize the work environment, go the extra mile and will pick up shifts when short because they care about their coworkers and the residents?

Are NOT easy to find.

We all agreed that something should be done. We finally have a good crop of aides. The problem? The long shifts, low pay and working understaffed is literally burning them out. I was the PRN. If it weren't for me coming they'd be down to 3 aides. Sometimes, 2...and on DAYSHIFT! Now that I'm gone, I'm not sure how things are going to end up now, but I'm hoping that they don't leave.

I guess it's not realistic, though. 3 aides canNOT hold a 90-100 bed facility down by themselves. Can't do it. Hell, if I didn't want to be a nurse and only wanted to do aide work? I sure as hell wouldn't do it. I'd put my 2 weeks in and go to homehealth.