CNAs and the dining room in ALF

Derek1975 · Jan 3, 2009

Basically this dietary manager is trying to save money on their budget at the EXPENSE OF the CNAs, the patients, and somebody ELSE'S budget. This manager wants to eliminate employees or shifts in his own department at another departments expense. This is exactly the approach the nurses and CNAs should use when discussing the issue with their manager.

Imagine the budget money they could save by firing the dietary manager.

DusktilDawn · Jan 3, 2009

Imagine the budget money they could save by firing the dietary manager.

Wow, good point. I would estimate that they could hire 3-4 more people to work in dietary doing the jobs he wants to pawn off for what he gets paid.

1stloveistobeanurse · Jan 3, 2009

I am a nursing student and I also worked in ALF as a assistance Exective Director. I can't tell you how many times I have seen this happen. It depends on if you are working in a right to work state that has union power or not for one. Some states don't have the power to negotiate these type of terms on there job. Often times we forget ALF are not very structure to begin with, so what they can't get away with in a hospital setting or even in a nursing home/rehab setting they can get away with in a ALF. For these reasons I refuse to even work ALF anymore. I once worked a ALF where they had me passing med's, doing patient care, serving meals, and cleaning the rooms, and bathrooms. I had a patient care load of well over 30 patients by the end of the day I was exhausted, not only this I put in my resignation and I reminded the Dir of Nursing and the Admn that when they hired me I explained I was a nursing student looking to futher my career and gain clinical experience. This did not include cleaning rooms serving plates ect........

I also find this is the case in several ALF in my area (florida and now GA.)

newLPN04 · Jan 3, 2009

they need to talk to state...see what they think about it...dietary can't do cna work...they aren't certified for it..or are they and vice versa. when i worked in ltc, trays were pushed out to the dining room on carts by dietary staff...cna's and nurses served the trays, helped patient's who needed help, picked up the trays and put them back on the carts, and took our patients back to the floor and did our jobs.

newLPN04 · Jan 3, 2009

maybe i'm wrong...i worked in ltc...are alf rules different?

withasmilelpn · Jan 4, 2009

ALFs are different, not as regulated. I think they are for the most part, bad places to work and put your license at risk by working there. The ones in my area have HORRIBLE reputations. They keep patients there that need higher levels of care than they can truly provide for $$ sake. Their staffing levels are atrocious. They originaly catered to people who required minimal to no assist and now are taking the place of LTC because they are cheaper and not as regulated and they can get away with it.

kessadawn, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2009

help!!! our dietary manager is wanting our cnas to take on more responsibility in the kitchen in addition to their care duties. for example, he wants them to plate up meals in the kitchen (ummm...isn't that dietary's job?), after meals are completed he wants them to bring all the dishes back into the kitchen and place all of them in the dishwashing racks so that all the dishwasher has to do is rinse them and put them through the washer and then set up the dr for the next meal. this takes the cna at least an hour to do and takes her away from her responsibilities in care. we are asking the cnas to perform a higher level of resident engagement to include assisting with the activities. how can they do that and dietary's job? it's not fair! what goes on in your facility?

when i worked as an aide, we were not allowed to step one toe into the kitchen, and that was enforced because of what the state says is allowed and safe for your residents. nursing needs to band together and tell your dietary manager to read up on state mandated policies, your aides have better things to do, as if they not overworked already at mealtimes! if he won't hire more dietary staff, perhaps he should do all this work himself! :twocents:

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2009

I agree with the above 100%.

Just keep in mind, this is a labor dispute of sorts. Dont let it get personal. Stay professional and state your position firmly, without wavering. If they choose to press the matter and decide the policy change is more important than you and those that stand with you, they will have to make that decision.

achot chavi · Jan 4, 2009

WHERE IS YOUR DON???? Its her/his job to prevent this kind of abuse which is probably against state rules in your state- (her job to find out).!!!

We had this once during a snow storm and half the staff (on all levels ) couldn't make it to work so dietary asked the CNA's to pitch in. The CNA;s were short staffed too so I objected. In the end the secretary, PR guy, and bookkeeping went to help in the kitchen. The head of dietary was angry at me but I stood my ground, It is UNSAFE to leave the units short because they are tied up in the kitchen I need all the hands on my deck!!!

retread71 · Jan 4, 2009

I am in care staff and we do plate our soups and desserts, bus tables, stack dishes, take orders (restaurant style)

Don't know if its against regs or not. It works for now but its not a forever thing....Census is low.

clh62590 · Nov 30, 2011

In my facility we are responsible for bringing residents down, plating, serving, cleaning up, doing dishes, passing meds, and answering bells.

Vinniesguy · Dec 1, 2011

Care staff shouldn't be expected to do the work of others. I used to workin a nursing home where they had so few diversional therapists due to their manager being a total monster that the care staff were expected to run activities -with no training and no support. What crap!