CNA's,Housekeeping and Dietary Aides make the same salary in LTC?

[PoppyLizz]

I have been a can for few years and working into getting into dietary aide since they make the same salary in LTC's even Hospitals where I live. With that being said, I'm perplexed why dietary aides and housekeeping get paid the same as Cna's when they don't have as much responsibilities in opposed to CNA's

Furthermore,CNA's are possibly the most important and yet least respected, lowest paid job in the healthcare field. We have a back breaking job where we have to lift our patients endlessly.It is a thankless, underpaid (for what we go through!), over-stressed, early killer of a job...This type of work is becoming even harder with even more responsibility and no pay increase where I work..

Everyone wanting everything at the same time. Stepping out of a room to retrieve something only for 15 call lights to be going off and you can't walk past them. Answering them all and then going back to your original room only to have a patient now file a complain basically a lot of things that can put your license on the line.

Not to mention that it can be extremely mentally and physically exhausting with having to possibly work with patients ('residents' if in a nursing home) that are confused and agitated while trying to help them get bathed, clothed, transfer the person from his or her bed to a wheelchair and such.

I believe we should make more foe how hard we work.Just looking for opinions

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Unfortunately, lots of hard, back breaking jobs pay low. That's because they require a low level of education and therefore there is a wide applicant base for them. High supply, low demand. As far as not being respected, I find it unacceptable for any member of the healthcare team to be disrespectful to anyone else.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I believe we should make more foe how hard we work.Just looking for opinions

Unfortunately, society devalues certain people and services. People such as the frail elderly are devalued because society places a premium value on youth. Hard labor is devalued because society places a premium value on knowledge work. CNAs in LTC bust their butts (read: hard labor) to provide services to a devalued population.

Salary is not based on how hard you work or the amount of labor involved. People are not paid for what they do; they are paid for what they know. Therefore, a municipal court judge earns a six-figure salary due to his knowledge base, education, expertise, and professional judgment even though he sits on his ass 8+ hours a day. The judge is hard to replace. He is paid for what he knows, not for how hard he works.

Likewise, the direct care worker in a personal care group home is involved in backbreaking labor and surely works hard. However, his job requires a high school diploma or GED, rendering him easily replaceable. The role of a direct care worker is tremendously important, but nobody is seeking this person's special expertise, professional opinions, or abstract knowledge base.

Society is unfair...do not shoot the messenger.

[Sour Lemon]

There are people who spend sun-up to sun-down working in the fields. It's hard work, and most of us would go hungry if we suddenly had to produce our own food, but they get paid very little for their valuable service.

The simple fact is that almost anyone can pick a tomato. For that reason, you'll never get rich doing it.

[Libby1987]

I have less of an issue with the wages as I would with the patient ratio.

If I needed to earn a living (versus working short term for job experience) I would build a clientele and work privately.

[mrsboots87]

Firstly, CNAs are by far not the most important healthcare workers. Anybody can do their job. The tasks assigned do not take too much of a special knowledge and don't require a license. Only a certificate stating the CNA has the basic knowledge not to harm a person while caring for them. A resident will likely not die from a soiled brief or dirty teeth. They can however die without the needed surgery, or their medications and medical treatments.

Now trust me, I value my CNAs that I work with. I was a CNA before a nurse so I completely understand the feeling of being undervalued and overworked. I really do feel that CNAs hold an important job in completing the tasks that don't require a deep knowledge base to free up the time of the nurses who can then provide necessary patient care. CNAs keep patients happy the best they can and help to keep them clean and fed and meet their basic needs. Certainly a very important job. However, this skill set is basic and requires minimal education. Therefore it will never pay well.

People will not usually get paid well for how "hard" they work, but for (as another poster pointed out) the knowledge and experience they have. Low education requirement jobs that pay more than minimum wage become competitive to those who do not possess higher education. When there is a wide pool of eligible employees, the employer doesn't have to pay well. It's u fortunate, but it is how it is.

Vent nt away and get this off your chest. But if you intend to stay a CNA, you will have to get over this. If you move into dietary, you will have to be more understanding of the low pay there as well for similar reasons as the low pay for a CNA. If you are looking for better pay, increase you education and experience.

[PoppyLizz]

Thank you guys for your response... very informative.That said,I do not plan to stay as CNA long-term because I hate it.I dread going to work.For that reason I have no interest in pursing Nursing ,which is why I went for dietary aide instead.

however,I was merely wondering why dieatry aides and housekeepers are paid the same as CNA's when they don't work as hard as us and don't have much responsibility.This is the main reason why I'm going into deatry aide because they get paid the same but don't go through what CNA's do.Working with food is so much easier than working with humans in my opinion.I know that everyone pretty much covered why we get paid based on what we know not what we do

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

This is now the second thread you've made along the theme of not wanting to be a nurse, working too hard as a CNA, and becoming a dietary aid because they make the same as CNAs. That's great. Live your life. Recognize that there's next to no room for advancement as a dietary aid, while nursing is a vast field where you can work in nearly any setting and advance right up to the post doctoral level making a six digit salary.

[Libby1987]

I couldn't answer why the pay is the same, perhaps people who work in dietary and housekeeping would enlighten us to why the jobs are considered equitable.

I was just thinking however, to piggyback onto why they're all paid low, would you (general you) say that the majority of people in any of those jobs are under educated often single women?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

To the hospital, dietary aides, housekeepers and CNA's all perform the same function. A lower level position that requires little training. If CNA's are willing to work for the same salary as a dietary aid, that is what the hospital will pay.

By the way, you DON'T have a license, you have a certification... learn the difference.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moved to the CNA forum for more replies.

[OliveOyl91, BSN, RN]

CNAs at my facility do make more than housekeepers and dietary aides, not by much, but it's something. I believe dietary starts at minimum wage (~$9.75 in WA), housekeepers start at around $10, and CNAs start at $11.39. I've been at my facility for 2 years now and make more.

It's all about education. In a pinch, a nurse can always provide basic nursing care (my facility has had nurses come in and work the floor as aides), but we as aides do not have the education, training, or license to provide more advanced care. It's outside of our scope of practice. The pay sucks, but it'll work for now until I can finish my schooling so I can become licensed as a RN and get a better paying job with more responsibilities.