Discouraged is an understatement! (CNA)

[Nicole_22]

Sorry it's long but please read and forgive me for any errors!

First of all let me say I hope everybody's day has been better than mine. I'm in desperate need of advice! I recently started my first nursing home job as a CNA (about a month ago), and it's been horrible. I'm full-time, and I'm taking one of my nursing courses to lighten my Fall semester load...so it's been overwhelming. When I first started working at the nursing home, I got really sick with a 103 temp so I had to call off for 2 days (I had a doc note). THEN I strained my back assisted a patient in standing (she was limited 1 person assist but pretty overweight). It was my first time working with her, and since that's what her care card said I went with it. I filled an incident report and of course the nurse gave me the worse attitude ever during the process. Today was my first day back at work since my back injury. My job sent me to a doctor that put me on "light duty," and switch my shift to 6am-2pm until my doc can clear me. When I got to work I was told to clip/clean the finger nails of residents, clean and organize their closets, and assist in breakfast and lunch. As far as my direct assignment goes I had cleaned 8 closets and done manicures for 8 residents by the end of my shift. Around 12 I asked the LPN if I could go to lunch and she said no because they were about to pass trays (This was my first 6-2 shift and I didn't know lunch was at 12)... So I said that I would go afterwards and help with lunch, and she said, "If you even have time to take one." Anyway, trays didn't arrive until 12:45 ( which I could've been back from lunch by then), and we didn't finish until about 1:30. When 1:30 came, I said that I was about to go on lunch. She said, "well are you working OT?" I said, "No, I'm on light duty." She said, "Well you're about to be done with your shift so it's no point of you leaving." I said, "Well HR told me to try to always get my lunch in since it AUTOMATICALLY comes out of our check." So she proceeded to ask me to take vitals for her, and inferred that she wanted me to take a 15 minute break instead of lunch. I told her no I would't do vitals at that moment, and that I didn't mind staying after 2 to do them AFTER I take my lunch because I was starving. She told me to go tell the DON that I was taking my lunch, and the rude DON cut me off when I was explaining to her that I wanted to go to lunch and told me that they schedule lunches because workers try to "do what I just did" by waiting until the end of my shift so I can leave early. She repeatedly cut me off, and said that she wanted to do rounds with me before I left for lunch. I did rounds and told her everything I did and she said that she didn't think that was 7.5 hours worth of pay, and that it doesn't take that long to clean closets, feed residents, and do nail care. I told her that breakfast and lunch is very time consuming, and it does take a while ESPECIALLY when the kitchen sends trays up late. She then proceeded to tell me not to try to take lunch that late again, and when I tried to explain to her once again that it wasn't intentional she cut me off and told me to take my lunch "before I not receive one." I walked out of her office livid at the disrespect and unprofessionalism of that place. They are obviously trying to make me quit, should I resign? The way they treating me about taking a lunch, is it legally okay? I was saving up for a new reliable car for clinicals and I can't do that if I quit this job. I honestly feel like I'm beginning to not like CNA work because of this job. I feel like I'm damned if I do what they ask, and I'm damned if I don't. If the DON didn't think that was enough work for 8 hours she should have told my supervisor to schedule me more things to do. I feel like I'm in a place full of old wolves who want to demolish an little timid kitten like me. Also, the other CNA's were making comments about race today and who would be "house slaves" and who would be in the field (ALL of my immediate coworkers are black, and I'm like the only mixed one there. They made comments like, "She would be the person that the master sleeps with!" and blah blah blah. I'm fed up, but I want to push through. I don't want to be ran away...but how do I know if it's time to walk away?

[Dewman]

Nicole, only you can decide. But what you have described is INCREDIBLY unprofessional behavior on the part of your co-workers and the DON. It's often true that nurses eat their young, but what you described is ridiculous.

Is that place the only game in town, job-wise? The way you describe it, working at the local McDonalds might be a step UP.

[Hygiene Queen]

Do not stay there. The culture of the workplace will not change.

Your facility sounds a lot like the first nursing home I worked in. I left within a few weeks.

I never forgot what I experienced there and it reinforced how nursing homes should not to be and how this type culture negatively impacts staff morale, work ethic and attitudes... and, certainly, how these things impact resident care.

Those poor residents.

Move on and continue to improve yourself.

I know you want to purchase a more reliable car, but that place is probably not where you want to make the money for it.

Good luck to you.

P.S.

You'll know when it's time for you to walk away.

It took me:

1) getting my purse stolen

2) having straw wrappers blown in my face

3) having fingers pointed at me and being maliciously laughed at because a resident gave me a compliment ("Oooooh... ain't she so nicey nice!")

4) watching a resident who fell out out bed simply tossed back into bed with absolutely no assessment nor care of any possible injury

5) having staff insist I eat a chocolate cake that was suspiciously brought from the soiled utility room

6) racial slurs for everyone!

7) seeing two aides making out on a bed

8) watching a little frail lady, in a wheelchair, urinate through a brief so soaked, the urine spilled out of the brief and flooded the floor. The aide's solution to that was to lift the poor lady up with one arm like a sack of potatoes, toss the soaked chair cushion into the trash and roughly dump the lady back down in her still wet chair and the same drenched brief.

The last scenario was my final straw... I must be stubborn

No one with any self-respect belongs in a place like that.