Don't get along with a particular CNA

[empatheticRN]

I am relatively new to this job (3months exactly). There is this one CNA that I am not particularly fond of. I feel that she is passive aggressive and has a lying tongue. I do have a somewhat thin skin and maybe I am over reacting. Just this week we worked together. There was a particular guy that was being discharged to rehab. He is somewhat of a 2 assistance. I gave report to the receiving facility and then called my CNA to ask if she needed help. She told me no. The wife was coming in at noon and I gave this aide 1.5hr notice. Close the time, I went in to find the guy only with one sleeve of his shirt on the pants at his ankles. I rang her and of course she didn't answer. Another aid told me she was at lunch. I got him dressed with the help of the wife who came while I was doing it. I later asked her why she said no when I offered help and she said she actually said yes. English is not her primary and I'll take the blame that I probably misunderstood. Another patient of mine was going to be transferred and I mentioned to her. I told her that It was not going to be soon but wanted her to know. The receiving unit didn't call to get report and I figured i'd get caught up with charting. I had discharged two people from my assignment and it was only fair to chart on them before I get more admissions. The patient was being transferred to a regular med-surg floor and her condition wasn't critical for her to be transferred at the moment. This aide went to the charge nurse to tell her the patient was still on the unit and even told her she would help me with the patient. Help me? Really! The help I needed was to get caught up with charting before I got slammed with more patients. The charge arranged for transport and in seconds they were there. The aide looked to me for help as she stopped talking to her fellow aides in her native tongue. I frankly told her I could not help her. I didn't even give report. How am I going to send off a patient to another unit without report? I told her to ask the 3 other aides that she was congregating with. Before the day was over , I had another admission who got transferred from another unit. I went in to see him and he said he was being discharged based on the results of a test. He just came and in less than 10minutes he was going home. The patient came up to me while I was talking to another family member outside the door and I told him there were no discharge orders for him to go yet. While I was talking to other patient's family, I heard her egging the guy to go to me and kept saying something along the lines of "she is the best nurse". She even remarked throughout the day, "you hate this day right? You didn't even get to sit". I try to ignore some things but I heard her say before the "older nurses don't sit as much as younger nurses". I didn't know that I needed permission to sit or I had limited number of times I could sit throughout my shift. I realize too that the nurses from this aides country doesn't get these remarks. These nurses sit on there phones all day, browse the internet and ask them to do every single thing. I put my patients on the commode , bed pan, wheel them out on discharge, refill there water among other things and don't bother my aides unless it is necessary or i'm super busy. Please someone help me. Am I being sensitive? What should I do?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

While your post was difficult to read in that giant paragraph, I think I understood it somewhat.

Did you really try to get retribution on the aide by sending a patient off without report?

[angieperry]

Am now in nursing school, but I've been an aide, working with people. I can see how you feel. I used work at SNF, we had a lot of one particular group of people who were always speaking in their language. I was never comfortable around them. Bring this to the attention of management. Some CNAs are really rude and insubordinate. Some are really nice and polite.

[Farawyn]

OP's issue is not the language, it's the lack of help.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to Colleague/Patient Relations

[heron, ASN, RN]

OP's issue is not the language, it's the lack of help.

True, but the OP mentions language three times, including two incidents that have nothing to do with asking for or receiving help. Lack of context makes it difficult to sort out contributing factors, but culture clash certainly seems to be one of them.

[empatheticRN]

Report was being given while she assisted with transferring and gathering of patients belongings. I would never let the receiving nursing suffer because of a misunderstanding with some else. I guess my 'giant paragraph' conveyed my actions incorrectly. :)

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Stop doing the aides' work.

They are supposed to do the lion's share of VS, feeding, giving water, dressing, bathing, etc. You are the nurse and they cannot do your meds, admissions, transfers, charting, contacting doctors, etc.

You have spoiled them by allowing them to be on the internet and on their phones.

Do you really think it's "bothering " them to expect that they not be on phones and internet (or smoke breaks, or in the lounge, or hiding out somewhere, or rudely excluding you and anyone else who doesn't speak their language while you can't have time to do the tasks only you can do, like giving report and doing admissions?

There are likely other nurses bothered by their behavior. If so, go as a group to the boss and get the boss to address your concerns. It would be nice if you could speak individually to the sassy, rude, disrespectful aide who's giving you the most trouble, but I don't know how you feel about that.

Immediately stop assuming they don't understand you. They do. Or have them repeat back to you what you have said.

Plan a "Spring Is Here" potluck and compliment them generously on their food. Ask to see pictures of their kids after you show them your kids or pets or favorite travel photos.

Boss, Buddy, and Brook no laziness. Just stop doing anything they're supposed to do. And if pts suffer, you need to counsel and do write-up's. Get the other nurses to back you also allowing no personal calls (I'll bet the facility has a policy against this) and no internet.

Seriously. I have had to deal with this stuff. None of the other nurses ever said anything to aides who took a million breaks or otherwise goofed off. I was accused of favoritism, racism, and laziness because I expected people to do their jobs. They disliked me but you can bet they did their work. While I wanted to be popular, I wanted the work done more. It became a real battle going in every day. I transferred. So did a couple of them, LOL.

Bottom Line: You are in charge. they are your subordinates. Do not do any work for aides that they can do for themselves. No helping them. They have time to play, they have time to do their work. You set the tone. Get your fellow nurses to go with you.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Not only did you use a giant paragraph, you tend to use a lot of qualifiers, eg "I feel like..." "somewhat" "maybe". Your speech habits may have you looking less than assertive. Practice being clear with your aides: "Please do..." "I need you to..." When something does not get done, provide correction "You were told to..." "I expected..." When you see the coffee klatch behaviours happening during work time, find her something to do. Shirking and leaving assigned tasks undone will eventually lead to write-ups.

It was also good advice to try to make friends with them, but work comes first. Model a work ethic for them and assertive behaviours for the other nurses.

If anyone gives you flak then ask for the aides' job description and ask to be shown which tasks you assigned inappropriately.