Do your RN's appreciate you as a PCT/CNA?

JDZ344 · May 20, 2011

90% of the time, yes. There are always a couple of the eye-rolling types.

mamaxmaria · May 20, 2011

Yeah I get that alot.., yes the nurses know much more then we do ofcourse butafter working with patients a few years you can easily pick out the signs as a tech that a patient is taking a turn for the worse.....

lol one to time we had to take a patient with a trach to the OR... Non vented.... She put a facemask on to transport!! Lol I tried tell her that it was wrong and get the right mask but she said it was fine... Needless to say when we got to the OT they had a good laugh...

lrlat · May 20, 2011

I would say "most " nurses appreciate our skills. Though I can tell you within 10 minutes if a nurse was a previous CNA or not. The ones that have worked their way up...are ALOT better nurses! :yeah:

blackandyellow · May 21, 2011

You sound like me when a nurse says a patient is a difficult stick or anything and says I can not do it I am determined to prove them wrong. I feel appreciated by the majority of the nurses I work with. Sometimes I dont feel appreciated during the shift by some but at the end I get a big thank you from them and that makes me feel appreciated. I think some people just get overwhelmed and sometimes as an aide you get the brunt of it. It's not fair but for me it seems to come with the job.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · May 24, 2011

I know the eye-rolling thing all too well. I think sometimes the nurses forget that we are not given the pt's entire health hx/comorbidities like they are, or we're not the ones who will be there for 3 days in a row taking care of the same patients...just simply tell me that the pt's BP has been running low or temp has been running high, etc.

and I also hear you on the "difficult stick" pts! Thankfully, most of the nurses still gave me the opportunity. But I remember one day we had one patient and her BP was in the 60's systolic...pt was very lethargic. We put the pt in trendelenburg and called rapid response and then one of the RN's delegated the blood draws to me. An LPN told me that I probably wouldn't get it because she has tried to draw blood on the pt before and she is a very difficult stick. Yes, her veins were crappy and very deep, because guess who got all of her labs drawn? *toots horn* :) never underestimate the UAP's because they are "unlicensed!"

When I worked as a tech, I was appreciated. Most of the time. But also easily taken advantage of, especially when I was on the only tech on the floor. I did have those occasional eye-rolling, "you're stupid because you're only a tech" types. Until I taught one of those types how to use a ballard suctioning system on an ICU transfer to that nurse who was clueless, in front of the patient's family

NENE RN · Jun 2, 2011

I would have to say 90% of the time. I had a nurse tell me about a week ago,"How come we can't hire more people like you, one of the best that the floor has ever had." But then she goes,"Oh man, your finishing school here shortly, right?" There are days that I love my patients and my nurses but then there are days when you have a nurse tell you to go get blood and when you ask them about a type and cross they roll their eyes like ...no... but still get it. LOL

SC APRN, DNP, APRN, NP · Jun 3, 2011

I am changing jobs in two weeks, going from dealing with surgeons and nurses all day to just nurses. I'm a little nervous being the new person. I had a tour today the same RN that gave me funny looks during my interview was giving me that "I don't need to be introduced to her, she's just a tech" look, everyone else wanted to meet me and was very nice. I hope she is the only difficult one on my shift? I have worked on this floor in the past, and I know all the doctor's, but I am still terrified to start a new position, and getting past all the personality issues with the nursing staff.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 7, 2011

Ill tell you right now I appreciate everything you guys do for me. You really have no idea how much of a burden you lift from our shoulders when you are there to help us out

jelly221,RN, MSN · Jun 16, 2011

You sound like me when a nurse says a patient is a difficult stick or anything and says I can not do it I am determined to prove them wrong. I feel appreciated by the majority of the nurses I work with. Sometimes I dont feel appreciated during the shift by some but at the end I get a big thank you from them and that makes me feel appreciated. I think some people just get overwhelmed and sometimes as an aide you get the brunt of it. It's not fair but for me it seems to come with the job.

This is my experience as well when I have nights like that, which are few and far between. RNs are usually nice to me and excited to talk about school, NCLEX, jobs, etc.

BlazerGuy · Jun 21, 2011

Nursing environments are just hard on anyone who's new regardless of license status. New techs and new nurses get flak from the veteran techs and the veteran nurses. At least that's how it is at my hospital.

HeatherEMT · Aug 5, 2011

I like this post. I am an ER tech at a busy trauma center and I can literally run circles around the nurses I work with. I start IVs, draw blood, do EKGs, get urine samples and analyze them, check blood sugars, do vital signs, put on splints, and revitalize almost EVERY patient in the entire ER. EVen though we have 20 beds and usually 10-12 nurses, I generaly take on the brunt of the work independently because as the nurses suggest "Its my job". I love most of the people I work with but, it is still disheartening to see them sitting around looking at their Facebook page on their phone and reading a book while YOU ARE WORKING YOUR ASS OFF TO SAVE THEIR PATIENTS!!! I do not ALWAYS have days like this, there are some really amazing nurses but, sadly most of them are lazy and take WAY too much advantage of the help offered. I do like 60% more than I actually have to do... and it has come to be expected of me so, if I have an "off-day" where I am tired or not feeling mad, people get upset with me for not doing everything so efficiently. It would be nice for some of the nurses I work with to appreciate the staff that is helping them. Patient care techs are completly looked over and looked down on because of their status. I am an EMT-Intermediate and I have skills and experience in coding patients ON MY OWN in the back of an ambulance. I have delivered babies and saved gun shot wound victims and helped people out of cars that have flipped on the freeway. I have amazing talent and skill and I truly LOVE my job but, I would have to agree that I am very underappreciated and underpaid also. LOL.

There have been several times that I go to report a critical value to the nurse and instead of just saying "Okay thanks" they go into some big lecture and try to explain the disease process to me... I KNOW JACKASS.. IM REQUIRED BY LAW TO REPORT TO YOU THAT YOUR DKA PATIENT HAS A SUGAR OF 1430 STILL!!!! Why do nurses think that you don't understand anything if you tell them a critical value??? We are not stupid. Most of us are worknig toward a degree in Nursing and, if nothing else... you are showing me the type of nurse I NEVER WANT TO BECOME. To those nurses out there that appreciate the ****-ons that are working their tail off to make your job easier.... thank you for being easy to work with.. to the others.. thank you also for showing me a good example of a bad nurse.