Do you feel that patients look down on you because youre a CNA/HHA?

funtimes · Jul 14, 2012

I find most patients dont really know what a CNA is, or what level of training we have, which is generally a good thing. Most seem to have a vague understanding that the RNs are above us though, especially once they discover all their requests to us for pain meds just wind up getting relayed to the RN. I find a lot of them think Im sort of an RN apprentice, as Ive had more than a few ask me how long until im a "full fledged nurse". This is in a hospital though. When I worked in LTC it was a little different attitude, and CNAs were generally looked down on by family members. Not so much the residents though, most of whom were too out of it to really be arrogant.

I had an elderly patient last night who kept addressing me as Nurse aide followed by my name. She would ask me things like "Nurse aide ____, could you get me a heat pack". She would address the Nurses as RN followed by their name, it was pretty funny.

proud nurse, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2012

Even though an earlier poster said they were being facetious, there are some people who only an RN will do. And that's sad because I think they're missing out on some caring/competent CNA's, LPN's and nursing students.

shakerattleandroll · Jul 14, 2012

I've worked in both in an assisted living facility as well as a hospital. In my experience, the best way to deal with difficult patients/residents is to try and put yourself in their position. Many elderly people have lived so long that they've lost not only thier spouses, but children as well. Add in chronic pain, depression, and frustration, and you get a hellbroth of emotion that I can only imagine would be very hard to handle. It's hard to do the work that we do and not take things personally, but you have to do the best that you can to realize that sometimes, it's not about you. You just take care of them with respect and kindness, and hope that you're bringing some light into their lives. The patients that are the most difficult, in my experience, are the ones who are in the most pain. And chances are, it's not because you're a CNA, they probably give nurses and doctors a hard time too.

tomc5555 · Jul 14, 2012

Does anyone feel like there is a lot of classism and prejudice when you do CNA/HHA type work? When I worked as a home health aide, I've had a couple of patients who treated me as if I was an uneducated person of inferior status. Some were verbally abusive and called me "stupid" quite a bit. (this was in homecare) There's no way I can work for a patient who regularly puts me down. Others were just grumpy, mean and chronic complainers which made it impossible for me to help them. I couldn't keep a case. So I left.
Currently I am working in retail as a customer service rep, & enjoy my job much better. Sure you have difficult customers, but the dynamics are different. I plan on going to nursing school to be a nurse, but I really have no interest in working with elderly/disabled people. I don't work well with this group at all

You may be happier staying out of health care altogether.

Good luck.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2012

Yeah there are jobs where you don't have to work with the disabled. Like maybe in a clinic giving vaccines

Elderly and disabled people need vaccines too. And since they have comorbidities, they're the priority groups for annual vaccines.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2012

I suggest you forget about nursing then! Nurses are not immune to the barbs and complaints of patients. There are plenty of angry and critical patients and/or families you will deal with in nursing! So thinking if you become a nurse everyone will treat you well that is not the case. Rudeness and disrespect can arise from patients, families, doctors, supervisors and coworkers including subordinates who resent that you are the nurse!

Since you don't like elderly or disabled and have such a thin skin I would suggest a different career field!

tigerlogic · Jul 14, 2012

LTC: you know that Mr. X will call you an idiot if you don't mix the 7 Splenda and 2 creamer into his coffee *exactly* the right way with a PLASTIC spoon. Of course. You idiot. Hospital: you have no idea which patient (the elderly, the withdrawing from drugs, the spoiled one ) will throw a fit and call you an idiot. Personally, I prefer the surprise . Keeps it exciting not knowing who's gonna take a swing at me. If you have no tolerance --or no joy for that matter-- in dealing with gross stuff and unreasonable people, maybe health care isn't for you. Sometimes the unreasonable/violent ones end up being totally awesome when their pain/condition finally gets managed and/or they get used to what your boundaries are.

Kadambari · Jul 14, 2012

I've never been treated so badly by the elderly as a group. Maybe it's the way you approach them. Why would they call you an idiot for no reason? Are you working with those with Alzheimer's? Have you had training in dealing with Alzheimer's patients or the elderly. I'm not talking about experience, I'm talking about actual CNA training where you are instructed on how to deal with people in many different situations. There are some CNA programs that are better than others and it might be good to take a refresher course. I personally can't think of a field where you will not be dealing with difficult people and you might get yelled at and berated.
That you seem to have an issue with ALL elderly shows that there's an issue with the way that you deal with them, not who they personally are and you really can't blame all elderly if you don't know how to properly interact with them.

Yes, I've had competent CNA training. It has absolutely nothing to do with how I am dealing with them and everything to do with their lack of respect for me. There is no way you can justify any person looking down on me and calling me stupid. I will certainly not take the blame for someone else's lack of integrity. The fact that they insulted me shows that they have a poor character.

Not ALL of my elderly patients have been troublesome, just some. But those few bad apples are the reason why I would rather not work with this particular demographic.

I've worked with disabled patients who literally yelled at me before I was even able to do my job. One guy in particular made my job so difficult that I left the case. Even the RN agreed that he was treating me unfairly. I'd also like to add that I am a minority which could be the reason why my experiences have not been so pleasant

Kadambari · Jul 14, 2012

Elderly and disabled people need vaccines too. And since they have comorbidities, they're the priority groups for annual vaccines.

Yes, I know this. Administering a vaccine doesn't take long, so they will be in and out the door. I do not like performing CNA duties for elderly/disabled people--bathing, dressing, laundry, cooking etc. They are incredibly difficult to please. I've suffered so much abuse and discrimination from working with those type of people.

Kadambari · Jul 14, 2012

I suggest you forget about nursing then! Nurses are not immune to the barbs and complaints of patients. There are plenty of angry and critical patients and/or families you will deal with in nursing! So thinking if you become a nurse everyone will treat you well that is not the case. Rudeness and disrespect can arise from patients, families, doctors, supervisors and coworkers including subordinates who resent that you are the nurse!
Since you don't like elderly or disabled and have such a thin skin I would suggest a different career field!

There are many different fields in the RN profession therefore I will just pursue a different avenue.

I've worked in both in an assisted living facility as well as a hospital. In my experience, the best way to deal with difficult patients/residents is to try and put yourself in their position. Many elderly people have lived so long that they've lost not only thier spouses, but children as well. Add in chronic pain, depression, and frustration, and you get a hellbroth of emotion that I can only imagine would be very hard to handle. It's hard to do the work that we do and not take things personally, but you have to do the best that you can to realize that sometimes, it's not about you. You just take care of them with respect and kindness, and hope that you're bringing some light into their lives. The patients that are the most difficult, in my experience, are the ones who are in the most pain. And chances are, it's not because you're a CNA, they probably give nurses and doctors a hard time too.

None of that helps at all. I've remained calm while a disabled patient shouted and yelled that i was doing something wrong before I even got a chance to touch him. This was in homecare. I alerted the agency and they didn't understand why he was reacting like that. Clearly, he was being prejudiced and did not want me working for him. Therefore i left the case.

I understand they are frustrated with the direction life has taken however I will not tolerate any abuse or bullying from their behalf. There have been some elderly/disabled patients who bully certain employees by exaggerating complaints in an attempt to get some of caregivers fired. It can be for any reason jealousy, insecurity, agism, racism, bigotry etc The one guy I worked with always voiced complaints about the caregivers who were young, even though we did nothing wrong. Many of them quit or fired while the older ones stayed around

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2012

Are you trying to say that it's clearly everybody else's fault and there's absolutely nothing wrong with your approach at all? I'd reexamine the way you dealt with these patients. Yes, there are some racist patients. There are many racist people in the world regardless of age or level of ability. They're not confined to one age group.

I'm not trying to be mean, but I would really advise that you try out a different field. I hear that RN's are treated poorly and verbally abused by more than just their own patients. There are nasty doctors, CNA's with bad attitudes and other RN's ready to eat you alive. At least as a home care CNA you're only dealing with one patient who doesn't like you. You'll be hard pressed to find a job where you're not working with the elderly or disabled in some capacity. So many people want to work Peds or OB or NICU. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

cally527, RN · Jul 14, 2012

Yes, I've had competent CNA training. It has absolutely nothing to do with how I am dealing with them and everything to do with their lack of respect for me. There is no way you can justify any person looking down on me and calling me stupid. I will certainly not take the blame for someone else's lack of integrity. The fact that they insulted me shows that they have a poor character.
Not ALL of my elderly patients have been troublesome, just some. But those few bad apples are the reason why I would rather not work with this particular demographic.
I've worked with disabled patients who literally yelled at me before I was even able to do my job. One guy in particular made my job so difficult that I left the case. Even the RN agreed that he was treating me unfairly. I'd also like to add that I am a minority which could be the reason why my experiences have not been so pleasant

I am sorry that you feel this way. There is nothing worse than feeling disrespected.

With that said, if this is truly how you feel, I think that you should stay away from Health Care. Do not bother becoming a nurse.

In order to be a nurse you need to be able to look at yourself objectively and learn from your mistakes. You need to have compassion for the patients that you are treating, and their families. The 1st paragraph of your post (that I have quoted above) tells me that you are not able to do that at all! You are perfect and everyone else is not. You can be selfish and self absorbed but no one else can. You are supremely intelligent and they are not.

Newsflash, you are not as smart as you think (ex. the definition of integrity does not fit your usage). Neither am I. Nobody knows everything. The patient that called you stupid may not be someone with poor character, they may be scared out of their wits about a new diagnosis from their doctor, or a new symptom they have. Heck, they could have just had a bad day. We ALL act poorly once in a while. Calling you stupid is not appropriate, but it is not the end of the world. The patient got to express their frustration/anger/fear/bitterness/etc. If you had responded with a pleasant smile and attitude, I am sure the patient would have been in a much better mood by the time the visit ended (although they may not want you to know, lol). Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it!

The elderly are the largest demographic of patients and will be until all of the baby boomers have passed. You will have to deal with them during nursing school, at vaccine clinics, at doctors offices, at hospitals etc, etc, etc. There is no way to avoid them entirely between now and when you get a job in the NICU, peds or L&D.

My suggestion to you is to seriously think on becoming a nurse. It is not the career choice for everyone. It is a stressful job. You need to be able to handle the stress without giving up. You will have patients, families, doctors and others that will treat you poorly at times. So think about it long and hard. If you still feel that nursing is for you, then you need to try to learn from your previous interactions and if you have to, fake it, until you can handle dealing with challenging patients.