Cna's view of nursing

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

So i was buying a pair of scrubs today and the clerk says "hey are you an rn" i said yes i am. and he said that he is trying to get his partner to become an rn because he needs a low stress job because he has a brain condition....i kind of say uh huh, well i wish him the best...... the the guy goes on to tell me his partner is a cna right now and its incrediably stressful and very hard work. i agree and he reiterates that is why he wants him to become a RN. I say "well that's a very hard job, i wouldn't recommend rn, lpn , or cna positions for anyone needing 'low stress' . he says "oh i know you guys have sooo much paperwork you have to do":rolleyes: lol, i said good luck to your bf. and changed teh subject to the scrubs i was buying.

then the other day i took care of a young lady who died and i gave my condolences to the family. the boyfriend of the mother says 'oh my gf is a cna this is nothing new to her" and i said 'well , when its your own child i think its a very different, you never can really get used to that' the mom, given me a huge hug. and later she was telling me some stories about her daughter who had also been a cna and basically the gist of it was that the doctors at their facility don't want to talk to the nurses when they do the rounds they take the cnas with them because they are the ones who really know the patients. i said what an important job cnas do ect.......

now why is it im noticing a trend that cnas don't think we do anything????? I have not seen very many nurses where i work ask a cna to help them with something that they themself wouldn't and don't do. we clean poop , turn and reposition....just like they do. Granted the few times i have picked up long term care i have not done cares there and i think both of these people come from that arena but it really irritates me that people think i sit around . I would never disparage the role of a cna....i don't like them doing it to me.

[All4NursingRN]

Yeah I'm noticing this trend too. I work with techs and they too think we do nothing but bang the keyboard on the computer all shift. I even work with one that thinks he's just as good as some of the nurses because he's overheard some pieces of knowledge or two. Listen at the end of the day we're in charge of them, they can't make any decisions, and if they really think what we do is so easy maybe they should try it out and see how that goes. Like my co-worker used to say, that's why we make the big bucks and they don't. Don't get me wrong cnas are so important, but alot of them just don't know their place.

[mamaxmaria]

I don't think most of the general public really separates a CNA/PCT/MA/RN... more often then not if I'm the one taking care of the pt or I'm the one the pt sees more often (because usually the CNA or PCT is spending more time with the pt then the RN) they automatically assume they are a nurse.... EVERYONES A NURSE!(in the eyes of the pt not familiar with health care) unless they have a white lab coat.. then EVERYONES A DOCTOR! lol

And I don't think CNA's think nurses don't do anything....and if they do it's because they are jealous. I personally get a little jealous when an RN gets to actually SIT DOWN and do her charting... I would love to be able to sit down sometimes without being accused of being lazy! lol (and yes i know sometimes who don't get to sit down I'm just saying....)

But that's not saying your not doing anything. Some CNA's and PCT's don't really think about how hard it is to be an RN cause all they know is that they are running around breaking their backs... and when they turn around the RN is sitting at the desk doing paperwork.. so they take that as you not doing anything because they dont see the big picture...

Also most CNA's have had to deal with "that nurse" sometime in the job.... the nurse that is too good to wipe butt or turn a pt or put a pt on the bed pan because it's the CNA's job.... not hers!

and at the same time there are CNA's who like to think they are as good (educational wise) as a nurse....they want the respect that comes from being a nurse without putting the work in for it....

JMO

just wanted to add... i am a PCT, i work in 2 different hospitals...I've delt with every type of Tech and Nurse possible.... but I know what my job is. It requires minimal training but can be really back breaking and stressful having 50 million things to do on 50 millions different pt's..... but while I care for my pt's I don't technically have THEIR LIVES IN MY HANDS! I'm not the one injecting a pt with meds that could come with serious side effects.... I would have to be really really really negligent to make a mistake that really harms the pt.... with a nurse one little mistake can prove fatal... if thats not STRESS I dont know what is!!!!

I respect the nurses I work with... even if sometimes I dont get the same respect because I'm "just a tech"

[Orange Tree]

I thought CNAs did "all" of the work- even as a nursing student. Nurses were always "sitting around" flipping through charts and hitting keys on their computers while the CNAs ran. I guess the harder physical tasks look more like work.

Of course, I know much better now...but I understand how perceptions can be skewed by people who haven't actually worked as nurses.

[kool-aide, RN]

These CNAs wouldn't think that if they worked in a hospital! At my hospital, the nurses are in the rooms with the pts just as much as the CNAs! And especially on nights, there aren't always CNAs on every unit to help the nurses…..and the ICUs never have CNAs at night!

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

My thought, when I was a CNA in LTC, was that RNs/LPN did very, very little T&P, peri care, etc. (at least most of them...some would just jump right in help) There was even one LPN who used to be a CNA at that facility that said "yeah, I don't help CNAs with rounds because I did my time as an aide, now I'm beyond that" (she did made sure she caught up on all the gossips mags while "working" nights).

On the other hand, as an RN I have only worked in the hospital. I do way more turning, peri care, emptying colostomies (I never saw an RN do that at the LTC facility), etc...than I ever saw the LTC nurses do. Now, I am not criticizing LTC nurses (I would probably drown on my first med pass), and there were some (a minority) of LTC nurses who were really good about helping CNAs, especially on nights.

So, if a family member looks at it based on a few random observations a month, yeah, they will think the CNA does way more that a nurse in LTC, which may hold some (some!!) truth.

Oh, and in case the scrub shop clerk is wondering, the RN always has more stress than the CNA, even if it appears the RN is doing less work.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

This is not a new phenomenon, It has always been thought that RN's do nothing! I once got told I can do your job anyday of the week-you just pass a few medicines

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Lord have mercy y'all....

There are CONSCIENTIOUS CNAs that do their job without prompting, do it well, do it efficiently and document what they do. You never have to search for them, they are always spot-on, and they are more than willing to help out their co-workers.

There are also nurses that have the same attributes as listed above.

However, there are a few CNAs and RNs who are not...how shall I say...overachievers. Thankfully in my experience, they are few and far between.

Both CNAs and RNs are instrumental in caring for the patient HOLISTICALLY. I would love to see more harmony, understanding and cohesiveness regarding the relationship between CNAs and RNs.

[roma4204, BSN, RN]

The mental stress of being an RN is something no one will understand until they have had that exact role. Having been a CNA, the job is stressful yes...physically and emotionally but nothing, NOTHING like having 6+ lives in your hands and being responsible for every single thing that happens to them.

There really should be no comparison. I might make someone mad saying this but one is a profession and one is a job. A CNA is not a mini version of a nurse. Plain and simple.

[loveslife]

Speaking from both ends of the spectrum (having been a CNA and currently a student nurse) I think it is easy for people to assume nurses do not do much because they cannot see the nurse think. For example, a nurse goes in to assess an IV. They are looking for signs of infiltration, infection, patency, ect. but the CNA just sees them go in and look at the IV and touch around it. The CNA doesn't realize all that the RN has to think about just for that IV and then the documentation of the assessment afterward.

[penaheather]

I was a CNA when I was younger, then I went into law enforcement. I was a jailer first and then a Dep. its the same in there roles. they think the other does not but sit in a car all day or sit behind a desk all day. I am now a student nurse and I see from both sides as I did in law enforcement. They are all very stressful and physically hard at times. It is all of our jobs to take care of the pt. We should all try to get along and be team players. It just works out better for involved.

Have a good day.!

[TheDreamJourney]

Currently I am taking a class for CNA and have gotten accepted into an accelerated bsn program. To become a Cna takes up to 7 weeks and for a bsn it can take up to 4 years (thank goodness that mine will take only 15 months b/c i have a BA in psychology). However, being an rn takes a lot of mental hard work and knowledge. An rn can lose their license if a cna messes up. The public confuses everyone wearing scrubs and calls them nurses. I have been wanting to be an rn my whole life and I know it takes hard work and dedication to pass the rn license. I know some CNAs who are wonderful but I also have respect for RNs and they should too!