CNAS, what's it like at your nursing home/long term care facility?

[blue cna]

I'm getting really burned out with a lot of things going on in the facility I work in. Way too many things to name. What's it like where you work in terms of call-ins, scheduling, lazy cnas, mean residents, cold DONs, favoritism, work load, etc. ?

[JimJones]

Hi all. I work at a hospital right now, but I just applied to work at an LTC. I was aware before reading all the posts about

how bad/difficult/stressful it can be to work at an LTC for various reasons.

Right now, I can say that RNs, as well as other CNAs at the hospital are tremendously helpful. Management is adamant about lifts and transfers only occurring with a two or more person assist. Although, I often find that with little tricks of the trade like Trend-ing the bed, it is possible to safely pull people up in bed by myself.

I think after reading all these posts that it is going to be extremely important to be mostly self-sufficient at the LTC. I'm trying to have a positive attitude about my future co-workers, but I can already imagine that they probably will not be as readily available or willing to assist if necessary.

I got to hear firsthand about the problems associated with LTCs. My fiancee worked at one for six months. As someone else pointed out, her complaints fell upon deaf ears and then several coworkers conspired to get her fired.

I am not as fiery as she can be, and I tend to fly under the radar. That is how I have survived in this often emotionally charged atmosphere we call healthcare, where people are hung up on titles and holding on to power. I find that if you shut up, do your job, and try to remain as neutral as possible, neither taking advantage of or allowing yourself to be taken advantage of, you will come out ahead.

Wish me luck all.

[b0rea1is]

After working in a LTC facility and volunteering in a hospital, I must say that work in an acute setting is way more desirable. I have found that hospitals are way more prepared to deal with problem patients than your typical nursing home. Every night I walk onto my unit, it is absolute chaos: confused elderly patients who don't understand they require hands-on assistance for transfers, dozens of residents who still need to be put to bed, vitals need to be taken, snacks need to be handed out, someone calls off, some morbidly obese guy falls and can't get up (screaming and howling at the top of his lungs), and you still have two showers to give. Oh, and you have anywhere between 16-25 residents to take care of. In the hospital, they have people designated to monitor certain patients, while the rest of the staff go and do their jobs. You may have admissions/discharges, but you'll most likely not have half a dozen patients to undress, change, clean, put in a gown, and make sure they're safe. Also, you may have at maximum 8-12 patients at a given time. Hospitals also have better equipment that is more readily accessible. In the hospital, the nurse actually works instead of filling out paperwork all night. Nursing home nurses make the aide's do everything for them: they won't answer call lights, change diapers, take vitals, or anything else within the scope of practice for the CNA. Good luck trying to find the nurse, because they're probably on another unit talking to a friend or outside smoking a cigarette. Once they pass their meds and chart, they feel free to do nothing for the rest of the night.