CNA/Nursing student needing advice in the jobplace.

[Fiona59]

Sorry but that's LTC. Leave and let them know why. If unionized talk to them also. Ran into similar problems with NA's communicating in their own language and not English. Apparently that's against facility and union policy.

Sometimes Care Managers just don't want to know. X has been with us for years and the families love her is a common reply. Care Managers don't have to do the grunt work.

[Fiona59]

Sorry but that's LTC. Leave and let them know why. If unionized talk to them also. Ran into similar problems with NA's communicating in their own language and not English. Apparently that's against facility and union policy.

Sometimes Care Managers just don't want to know. X has been with us for years and the families love her is a common reply. Care Managers don't have to do the grunt work.

[agent0068]

I am also a CNA. I totally agree with the previous responses. I would also report the facility. Contact the Better Business Beaureu, Department of Labor, any news channel, and anyone else you can think of. The elderly in the nursing home deserve to be treated better and with much more respect. I went through some of the same things but it wasn't nearly as bad. I did all of the following and now things at the nursing home have gotten much better. Even though I no longer work in nursing homes, I understand what you are talking about. I wish you luck.

[agent0068]

I am also a CNA. I totally agree with the previous responses. I would also report the facility. Contact the Better Business Beaureu, Department of Labor, any news channel, and anyone else you can think of. The elderly in the nursing home deserve to be treated better and with much more respect. I went through some of the same things but it wasn't nearly as bad. I did all of the following and now things at the nursing home have gotten much better. Even though I no longer work in nursing homes, I understand what you are talking about. I wish you luck.

[Jo Dirt]

It is terribly rude to speak amongst ones selve's in a language that others cannot understand. This place needs to raise their standards. Report them and quick. How do some of those poor American residents feel to have strange caregivers standing over them chattering away and not be able to understand what they are saying?

Administration woul probably rather bury their heads in the sand because it is hard enough to staff nursing homes with aides in the first place.

[kathy_79]

i also agrre, leave the place ASAP. report to department of public health. it is not safe place neither for you nor for residents there. poor managment and responsibilities skills, lots of other important things is disobe, do not hesitate to run out. the best wishes for you, :)

[SoulShine75]

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time with your new job. I'm not trying to be negative BUT...I was in the same situation a long time ago. I was thrown on the floor with maybe 1 week orientation...of videos!!!! No hands on care, nor did I get to shadow a na to see first hand how things were to be done. I guess I was jus expected to "know". Unforunately, nothing got better, only worse.

I don't want to influence you to leave or to stay but if you're unhappy there then you need to follow your heart. Heck you'd probably make more money and have less stress doing office work. It's a shame that in the nursing homes pt care isn't on the priority list, but that's what i've found out from my own personal experiences. If you want to stay doing cna work maybe you should try at a hospital. I think you'd get more out of your job there and you'd probably find a lot more people who want to help you. Whatever you decide, good luck, and don't let anyone treat you badly.

[jpoetic3]

Sorry but that's LTC. Leave and let them know why. If unionized talk to them also. Ran into similar problems with NA's communicating in their own language and not English. Apparently that's against facility and union policy.

Sometimes Care Managers just don't want to know. X has been with us for years and the families love her is a common reply. Care Managers don't have to do the grunt work.

What does LTC mean?

[Maggie in NC]

What does LTC mean?

Long Term Care-as in long term care facility

[tommycher]

I agree with the others! However, you may want to apply for a CNA job in a hospital. They also need good aides, and a nursing student as CNA is a whole different animal from a dead-end burnt out CNA. I worked in LTC and encountered aides who I would not want to meet in a dark alley, then while in nursing school worked as aide in the hospital, and then after graduation, got nursing position there. Still there, and no regrets!

[rn-jane]

i agree with above posters, there are better facilities for you to work, i'd report them to the state board of nursing. I feel bad for the residents, they deserve better care.

[HAngel]

I am so frustrated right now I'm not sure which end is up. I hope you can offer some advice or shed some light. I am a nursing student right now. While attending school I work as a CNA in a nursing home. I have had this position for a little over a month now and find myself becoming more frustrated every day. There was supposed to be an "orientation" period in which I floated all of the units to become familiar with the residents, what they need, and how this facility works. What I was given was "go tag along with this CNA and watch, and if we are short one day on staffing, we'll throw you right into your own assignments." WHat I have learned is that the CNA's I work with are more concerned with getting to breaks on time with whom they want to be on break with. I work in a community that is composed of Indian, Polish, and Mexican CNA's. I do not speak any of the languages. However, they do, constantly and it makes it very difficult for me to understand just what it is that is expected of me. One of the CNA's admonished me for not picking up two room trays---the residents were still eating! I am not going to tkae food away from an elderly resident who needs all the nourishment they can get. She was upset because this delayed breaktime. I let it go thinking that there's one in every bunch.

Yesterday was the topper for me though. I was on a unit of 34 beds with 4 CNA's, myself included. Not on orientation any longer I received my assignment from the CNA that has been there longer. (This is common practice across all of the units.) The list I received concerned residents I have never dealt with before. The description of the residents were very general, ADL's, WC, Toilet, etc. Nothing in regards to their physical capabilities or mental status, that you have to fish for yourself. I was told that if I needed any help, just to ask....the trick here is actually finding someone and then if they are "not too busy" to help. I was feeling ill when I went yesterday morning to boot. So I'm off. My first resident was a very confused lady. It took me over 30 minutes to convince her to allow me to change her and dress her. She bit me, she cussed at me, etc. I can deal with this, but I couldn't find anyone available to ask questions..such as...can she stand, can she walk with assistance to the commode...

I went through 3 more residents and got them up and dressed. One of them had a prosthetic leg and I have never dealt with this before. Thank goodness the resident was alert enough to instruct me on how to safely place her prosthetic so that she may use it. Again, no one to be found. The next 2 residents were both listed as standing hoyer patients. There is only 1 hoyer available to four connecting units...68 beds. I asked the charge nurse where I may fing it, she said to ask a CNA, I asked the CNA's, and they said to just look for it. 45 minutes later I have located it. The first resident I got up was paralyzed on half of her body adn could not speak. She had to be in mass services per the family request by 1030a, it was already 10am at that point. I asked for assistance as she needed to be showered....sorry, we're going on break. I got her to the toilet and then to the shower. She has prosthetics that I've never seen before nor knew how to put on properly. My resident could not speak and therefore could not assist me. After her shower I was dressing her and pulled the cord to capture the attention of one of the other aides. The aide came in and asked me what I thought I was doing by pulling the cord in the shower. I told her I never applied these kind of prosthetics and would like to be shown how. She said she was busy too, and thta it was no big deal, just strap them on and stand her up. WHAT???!!! This woman's feet were severly contracted and didn't fit these "boots" of hard plastic. WHat if I applied them wrong and stood her up in the shower room and she fell? That would be my fault! The aide left me, laughing at me! By this point I was sweating profusely, dizzy and my body hurt all over. I begged another CNA to help me out and he did, understanding that all I needed was to be shown how to do it correctly, not that I was trying to skirt on any responsibility. We got this woman taken care of and to mass-10 minutes late but we got there. Now That I have all of my residents taken care of I wanted to take my break and get some fluids into me..but the other two aides have gone to lunch already...right on time mind you! I found myself answering the call lights by myself. When they returned I went to my DON and told her I was feeling quite ill, she let me go. I come hone and turns out I have a fever of 101. Within hours of that I am blown over by body aches, chest pain, and a killer headache-Flu. I called this morning at 5am and left word that I would not be in today, thinking that the facility would not want a flu case around elderly residents. I got a call back at 720a saying that I was on the schedule and did not show. I said I had called and left a message, which is unacceptable I came to find out. I needed to speak to a supervisor. I only have the DON's number which dumps me in the v-mail. I was never told about this...some orientation things that were missed maybe? I jsut don't know what to do or how I should approach this. It seems this facilty puts time in front of the residents and breaks are more important. Is this common? Ugh! If so, I think I'd rather go back to office work while I geet my RN.

you will always have SOME problems in the workplace, but this is absolutely unacceptable!!!! I'd get the heck out of there right away!! I promise, MOST (not even 1/2, but MOST) CNA jobs are much, much better than that!!!

hangel :)