Do you leave work for the next shift?

[knowledge_seekerLI]

I have only been a CNA since 2013 I have had two CNA jobs both at LTC facilities

While the work is the same the way the facilities are run are totally different (in regards to my nursing supervisors) I work 3-11shift

At my first place of employment while the work was rough on the sub-acute rehad floor with 3cnas in total most nights

About 13-15 residents each

95% of patients were total care

4trachs

About 80%were two assist transfers (hoyer or manual)

MOST nights we worked through our breaks 30mins automatically deducted from our checks per shift (2.5hrs per week)

Even after that I sometimes wouldn't leave until 11:30-11:45 on an average night and 12:00-12:30 on a bad night at 11 there would sometimes be a few people up the night shift had no issue putting them in bed however most nights myself and my other 3-11 coworker would just do it to finish our work sometimes we didn't and to my knowledge there wasn't a problem with this as it is a 24hr facility and the floor was the hardest in the building 7-3 if not complete would hand work to us (a few changes that hadn't been done a weight that hadn't been taken a bed that hadn't been made a resident that hadn't been walked etc.)

At my new facility however I'm on the MS unit with the same issue no break same patient ratio 3cnas still not leaving until 11:30-12:00 most nights (and that's before my charting) however for some reason 11-7 has an issue with "leaving work" which I'm just fed up with this place I love my job I'm tired of being unappreciated I come in around 2:30-2:45 every day and I am lucky if I get to the bathroom once

Is it wrong of me to leave work for the 11-7 shift Could I get in trouble for doing so?

because tonight I was very upset with the 11-7 nurse as it was after 11 her aide was there a resident who always refuses to go to bed because her roommate keeps the room too hot she's on oxygen so she needs the cold air she is alert she made myself and another coworker put her to bed and change a two assist in bed resident because when offered she refused then we have several other people to change from 9:30 on who most have treatments for the nurse to do

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

It depends on what work you are leaving and why. If it is always the same resident that just doesn't want to go to bed before the NOC shift that can and should be care planned for that person. If however you are consistently leaving several people without cares completed then this is a problem.

Keep in mind that the night shift is always staffed with way fewer people. We go from 3 CNA's on a wing in the PM shift to 1 at night. That CNA coming on shouldn't have to do all of his or her work plus a bunch that you didn't finish. You complain about the amount of charting needed, now imagine at night you are not just doing that charting for your part of the wing, but for the whole wing! Talk about time consuming. That and your comment about all the people that need to changed before you leave with 2 people, well to get 2 people at night means either taking care of them when the nurse is free to help or pulling another CNA from a different wing to help, thus leaving the other wing with no CNA during that time. The NOC staff has a routine that works for them with getting all the 2 person assists done but you leaving them with several more to fit into their schedule is not good.

Since it is ultimately the nurse that has to cover the wing because the CNA is busy completing tasks that should have already been done while also doing the work that only the nurse can do, no wonder the night nurse wasn't happy.

[hookyarnandblanket]

It might also be a matter of finding a routine that is efficient. When I worked 2p-10p, I went to the rooms of each resident assigned to me and put a pair of night clothes, a pull up or brief, lotion, their dental hygiene products, and whatever else I needed at their bedtime in a drawer, out of sight, so when they were ready for bed, all I had to do was open the drawer and everything was there. When they were ready for bed, I would have them do their oral care (if they could do it by themselves) while I turned down their bed. I would help them to the toilet and help them change into their night clothes and then into bed once peri care was done. It sped up my time efficiency dramatically.