FED UP CNAS!!!!

DreamyEyes · Oct 19, 2011

Why is that the majority of family members (I'd say about 90%) are absolutely loony? I swear, I'd rather deal with the most difficult resident all day then deal with their family for five minutes. And it's especially amusing when a lot of these family members never even visit, and show up once in a blue moon to act like they care.

mantczak · Oct 19, 2011

As I sit here reading the 27 pages of replies I have to wonder about something. I've been an NA for over 30yrs mostly in ER and ICU, I've many people come and go and heard every complaint there is. So I'm wondering how many of you instead of complaining do anything to fix the problems? Have you joined any CNA organizations? There is a national one if there's not one in your state. Have you found out what board governs the CNAs in your state and talked to them about staffing and working conditions? I was on the CNA Council with our state Board of Nursing for 7 yrs. Nothing will change until we change it!

**mya612, BSN, RN** · Oct 21, 2011

I am fortunate that where I work, the RNs appreciate and respect what we do. We have a few nurses in our department that are kind of lazy and will ask you to do everything short of passing meds, charting, and assessing a patient (one nurse even asked me to get her some water) but with that being said, they are willing to wait until we have the opportunity to complete the task and are not quick to get an attitude if we tell them they are third in line for something that is not medically essential.

The only issues I have with some of the nurses are with a few of the licensed posters on this forum. I get sick and tired of reading threads where they think we are stupid and incompetent and don't understand our jobs or the therapeautic basis for the care being given to a patient. Boy, that really chaps me!

interceptinglight, CNA · Oct 21, 2011

As I sit here reading the 27 pages of replies I have to wonder about something. I've been an NA for over 30yrs mostly in ER and ICU, I've many people come and go and heard every complaint there is. So I'm wondering how many of you instead of complaining do anything to fix the problems? Have you joined any CNA organizations? There is a national one if there's not one in your state. Have you found out what board governs the CNAs in your state and talked to them about staffing and working conditions? I was on the CNA Council with our state Board of Nursing for 7 yrs. Nothing will change until we change it!

That sounds great.......except for the part where there probably isn't much of anything we can do about the situation. :crying2: I've never worked in any capacity in my life in which there is more dissatisfaction and griping and ******** and despairing over our occupation than being a CNA. The job was designed to be cheap labor, and that's pretty much what it turns out to be and most likely will remain. It takes enormous GUTS to continue trudging on in the trenches of healthcare to keep on working as a CNA, but sometimes I think it takes even more GUTS to get fed up enough to get out of that occupation altogether and either commit to continuing education to become a nurse, or quit the field of direct care for good, which is what I did. I believe that most CNA's who dislike their jobs, despite the many emotional rewards of it, don't quit because they fear having to beat the pavement looking for another job in this dismal 10% unemployment economy. It took utter humiliation in front of all my co-workers for me to quit and realize I was tired of being chewed up and spit out every day. I continue to admire all the CNA's out there who can spend 8 hours of every day dodging bullets and still smile at the end of the day realizing that there is a reason to still go back and do it all over again the next day. :yeah:

parumph · Oct 21, 2011

short staffed, no supplies, same old complaints as always. But I have the kicker of all kickers.

The call lights at my LTCF sound just like the phones at my local walmart!!!!!!!

It's horrible. Finish a 24H weekend and stop by to get some dinner (cause i dont eat after work or take lunch breaks) and its like PTSD. All i hear is call lights! I thought i was going crazy till i realized what it was.

AJ_427 · Jan 22, 2012

I'm tired of:

- always being short staffed and having to be put on a different assignment at least 2-3 times before I can start my shift.

- always having 20+ total care residents to take care of.

- aides who don't do stock.

- aides and nurses who talk about others.

- morning shift always being late. My shift ends at 6:00 am, not 6:30 am.

- aides who tell me what to do when they are the ones who sit around throughout the entire shift.

- the 10-6am shift aides.

- the 2-10pm shift aides.

- the 6-2pm shift aides.

- new aides who don't ask any questions or help.

- 2-10pm lazy aides who don't bother to do their last rounds and change residents' diapers.

- aides who don't position residents correctly, feeding tube residents in particular.

- having to get up 11 residents on weekends when the morning shift only has 2-5.

- sitting for other aides because they are never finished on time.

- getting the hardest assignments.

- aides who always get the easy assignments.

- going to the laundry room to look through huge piles of clothing because laundry people are late with laundry.

- aides not putting pads under residents. It's not fun to change the entire bed and pajamas of heavy residents.

- lifts not working.

- finding messy rooms.

- nurses who lift the covers of residents to check if I changed their diapers, but don't bother to cover them up.

- not knowing where my nurse and partner are. Tell me! I shouldn't have to ask.

- those meetings where they point out all the accidents and wrong things that we do. It makes me feel like an idiot. I stopped going.

- there not being call lights in residents' rooms. Some know how to use them and I can always hear them screaming when they need something.

- only being able to change diapers.

- not having time to go on breaks.

- having no supervising CNA.

- getting called in to come to work when I'm in school.

- not being able to hear pages because half of them don't work.

- having so many bosses.

- management for being greedy, selfish, ignorant, etc.

- management for not hiring more people for the night shift.

- management for treating aides worse than teenage McDonald workers.

- management for keeping lazy/bad aides and firing the hard working/good aides.

- management for not caring for aides.

- not being able to quit.

- feeling all these things when I start my shift.

- working as a CNA at that particular facility.

I'm just so tired of being treated like ****.

That felt so GOOD.

interceptinglight, CNA · Jan 22, 2012

Not having call lights in residents rooms? I thought that was absolutely a serious violation that could be tagged during an inspection -- how do facilities get away with something like that? Otherwise, I 'thumbs up' everything you've said.

allnurses Guide · Jan 22, 2012

If the general public only knew how vile some of these facilities were, there would be an almighty uproar.

Sadly, too many hard-working, ethical and dedicated aides and nurses get tossed into the mud because of s***-hole administration that pinches every penny (no supplies, unsafe conditions, poor pay, poor staffing, s****y food, etc.) and the fact that any butt-head can pass a CNA class and get hired at these places.

Everyone would pitch the biggest fit in the world and howl in outrage if these were children being cared for like this.*

Why do most people turn a blind eye when it comes to the elderly?

*Are there facilities, that are run just as badly, for kids? I don't really know but I suspect there may be... enlighten me.

allnurses Guide · Jan 22, 2012

my job started a policy if you do not clock out for your lunches & breaks then you owe them $25 dollars(*****) And we have to be clocked out exactly on time or we get docked(Double ***)....nuff said.

So... let me get this straight...

You can't get to break because you: a) are probably short-staffed, b) probably have co-workers who don't give a crap about team-work and c) you care enough about your pts and job that you choose to work through lunch to meet pt needs... and you have to pay them...

I see...

How much do you have to pay them for quitting?

I know I would willingly pay money to watch them shove that job right up their ***.

Ytellu · Jan 22, 2012

Sounds like the admins at that facility are on a major power trip. I wonder if anyone ever challenged that policy with the Dept of Labor! I know I would.