I'm starting nursing school in a couple of months, but currently work as a CNA. My dream job - a hospital. Found one. Ecstatic :) After a few weeks - not so ecstatic. I love my job, I love my patients, I love most of my co-workers. Alas, not all of them. This thread is for CNAs who feel frustrated and need a place to vent
Nurses, please read this even if it makes you angry. Maybe I'm exaggerating and need a slap? Anyway, everything written below is for you...
1. I'm a CNA, not a doctor, not a nurse. I KNOW my job is not as important as yours, you have a better education and earn more money, however, we share a workplace and I'm a person just like you. How do you think it makes me feel when I greet you with a "Good morning" and get treated as if I'm invisible? Ditto for turning your back at me when I'm in the middle of asking you a question about a patient. Yes, I see you're turning away from me because another nurse wants to talk to you. But she wants to know when you're going for lunch. I on the other hand, want to know if the patient is still NPO.
2. I'm a Nursing AIDE, I know what it means, I know I'm here to help you, but I'm not your slave. If I tell you I can't come immediately to your patient, it's because I'm in the middle of dealing with another patient who needs to be washed from head to toe. Yes, I'm here to help you, but it's the patient who is my priority, not you.
3. The patient has dry, flaky skin and needs lotion applied? Guess what, the pyxis is out of lotion. My name isn't Harry Houdini, so I can't make it appear out of thin air. Also, I'm not allowed to take anything from another room. ASK my why something hasn't been done before you get a fit and shout at me. I'll get the lotion and apply it as soon as I'm able to do it.
4. I care and I'm not lazy. I'm fresh out of school and still can't work as fast as the speed of light, I need time to learn a few tricks and organize my work properly. Don't make stupid comments and suggest I should think about another career. HELP ME. Spare 60 seconds, explain/show what I can improve to make my work more efficient. In return, I'll gain time and the knowledge to HELP YOU.
5. I'm human and make mistakes. So do you. OK, I blew it and left a complete patient to be done last instead of first. He is dirty and spent a considerable time in his bed in soiled diapers. My bad, I feel terrible about it. I learn from my mistakes, it WILL NOT happen again. Once more - I know I blew it. But... we start our shift at 6 AM. It's almost noon now. Were the hell were you for 6 hours?
6. PLEASE do not make sarcastic comments about me in front of the patient. If you want to make me look like an idiot, this sometimes works. More often, the patients comment your behavior as soon as you leave the room. What am I supposed to do, join a patient in the rant on Nurse B***???
Mind you, most of the nurses I work with are terrific. Helpful, nice and don't treat me like dirt. A few bad apples however make my life a bit miserable. I hope when I become I nurse I'll remember what it's like to be a beginning CNA
Or, if you are a kind of non confrontational person (like i am) maybe you could print out the post you wrote and give it to her. Or everyone. We all need reminders to treat each other with respect.
I know exactly how you feel! I started as a brand new CNA about a month ago in a hospital, and while I was orientating I saw a majority of the nurses scrambling around trying to pass meds and do their paperwork. I would say hi and they wouldn't even acknowledge! It made me think... do I really want to work as a nurse in this enviroment? So when it was my first day by myself I was so nervous, but what I did is I smiled the whole time and was perky to all of my patients and that was important to them, and it seemed to rub off on the nurses too! Everyone was like wow you are so perky, why? And I replied I have to have smile therapy in this place or I will not survive. We see to much as nurses and for nurses to bring negative attitude in hospital is shocking. We are there to make the patients feel safe,happy and nurtured during their stay. It is about the patients not the dr.'s or the nurses! :redbeathe
I've been a nurse for only four years, and never worked in healthcare before that. That being said, I've also never been in a situation where a CNA or a MST has been anything other than helpful. As a brand new nurse, I had the privledge to work with a MST who had 20 years experience and he taught me more about patient care (and even recognizing when a patient was "going bad") more than any clinical instructor. The first time I gave a bed bath to a vented patient, he was there to help me with the turns and sheet change - and kept me from completely freaking out when the vent tubing popped off the ET Tube. (Then we both caught a horrific virus from that patient - but that's another story).
Address this rudeness as it happens as best as you can. You deserve to be treated with respect. Your job is just as vital to the smooth running of the floor as the nurse's job and the doctor's job and the case manager's job...etc. Hang in there. Remember - the nurse has some of the patients, you have *all* of the patients.
I feel you, I was a CNA for several years prior to becoming an RN. I try to treat my coworkers with respect.
Remember though, the RN is probably just as busy as you are (even if it looks like they are just sitting there, they may very well be doing something or thinking about something). It's all about communication. Don't get frustrated, keep at it and work hard and you will shine above all the rest. It might take a while, but if you work hard you'll be the aide that everyone wants to work with. Seriously, communicate. That's probably the number one thing. If you need help, ask for it.
It will probably take a lot of time before you really get to know your coworkers.
Thank you all for your support and tips :) I really needed to vent, my woes might have sounded a bit worse than reality. My job is great and I'm slowly learning to deal with all the co-workers. Believe it or not, the 'bully' nurse has been helpful in many situations, I guess it's just her attitude towards the CNAs and other nurses that makes me want to scream. She is actually making an idiot of herself in front of the patients. This is what bugs me most - the patients are very uncomfortable when forced to listen to her constant, sarcastic remarks about me.
On the other hand, one nurse praised me today :) I was so filled up with pride I must have looked like a balloon Also, most of my patients like me, I'm a good listener and they sense that I really give a damn about them.
OK, going to sleep, another day of work tomorrow :) Thanks again, some tips will be put into work as fast as possible.
I know exactly how you feel. I am a patient care technician at a hospital. It seems most of the nurses that I worked with only care about getting doctors orders read or giving out medication. I understand thats vital in their job, but at the same time the patients see how some nurses could care less about their care. If person asks to go to the bathroom while you as a nurse is in there, don't go get a tech. Take the time and help and pretend that you care if you don't.
Ok, had to reply to this one. A very important part of my job is making sure the doctors orders are done on time. When they aren't is DOES affect the patients in a negative way. For example, one time I was having a very bad night and didn't get to look at the orders written at 3:30 until 10pm. Guess what? Patient was going for open heart at 7am the next day. I had to call the doctor and tell him that nothing had been done yet, including the breathing studies. I had to do teaching on the surgery at 11pm at night. Patient had to get his shower at night. It was bad for the patient and really inexcusable. I do care deeply about my patients and the care they receive. Maybe I can't do the hands on care for them like you do, but its only because I need to do the behind the scenes stuff. I will almost always take the time to walk someone to the bathroom. But then will put the light on for the aide to take them back to bed if I am too busy to do that. I have gotten a lot of comments about that too. But guess what? My STNA's are almost always out on time, I am still doing my charting 1 to 2 hours after the shift is over. I am not bashing the aides, but I am saying there is more to a nurse's job than you think.
Yep, chart checks are an incredibly important component of patient care. This affects patient safety on a fundamental level. At my facility, we have computer charting. Dr.'s orders are written by the docs in the paper chart, then entered into the computer system. We must check the computer orders against the paper chart to ensure safe delivery of patient care. What if the wrong medication was accidentally put into the computer, or the wrong dose, or for the wrong patient, and the nurse didn't catch it and administered that med and caused harm to that patient? Just last night, someone entered medications for the wrong patient into the computer. I caught it. The paper charts are also where the doctors write their progress notes so that we can see where they're going and what they're thinking about this patient's medical status. This information does not go into the computer, so it's vital that we have time to read the paper chart.
The computer is one of the most important of the nurse's tools. Managing information is a huge part of nursing care, and the computer is how we do that. This is where we read dictated H&Ps, current labs and lab trends, imaging results, previous nursing notes, and where we enter our patient care information such as our head to toe assessments, vitals, and observations.
If I'm sitting in front of a computer, it might look like I'm not busy, but I could very well be saving a life. Saving lives is not always about CPR, paddles, medications, and ambu bags. There could very well be a change in patient condition that I have noticed, I have just paged the doc, and I am sitting in front of the computer because I have it open to that patient's info so that when the doc calls me back, I have quick access to all of that patient's data and can readily answer the doc's questions that will assist her or him in making decisions.
Medication administration is a fundamental part of nursing care as well. In order to do so safely, nurses must have time to know the purpose of every medication, the correct dosage, the intended effects, common side effects, adverse reactions, the patient's lab values that impact the administration of this med, parameters for holding the med, and also to follow the five rights of medication administration. Passing meds is incredibly important, it is time consuming, and there are a lot of observations involved, and often patient education when it is the first dose or even if they've been getting it but don't seem to understand why. Patients are started on new medications in the hospital, or they are in the hospital specifically to receive medications, such as Vancomycin or for Sotalol loading, for instance.
I resent being accused of not caring about my patients' care simply because I place a high value on chart checks and safe medication administration. In fact, if I didn't care about my patients, I would not take these things seriously at all. If I ever get a CNA to help someone to the bathroom, perhaps it's because I have fifty billion other things on my plate that I cannot delegate to anyone, and even the five minutes it takes to help someone to the bathroom is five minutes I don't have.
I planned a bit yesterday and here's what I came up with - it really helped a lot! :) Feel free to read and comment
1. I arrived on my unit a few minutes earlier than usual, at 5.45 AM, stacked my cart with linens, towels, washcloths and gowns, then rushed to the pyxis to get a bottle of lotion, a container of no-rinse soap and a bag of diapers (all these disappear from the pyxis about 9 AM). I hid them in my cart. They came in handy. If there was no lotion in the room, I popped out to the cart with a drinking cup, got some lotion and returned to the patient. Ditto for soap and diapers. Good idea!
2. Before the blood sugars, I made a round to check if any of my diapered patients needed a change. Two of them did. I changed the diapers, but did not wash the patients. I usually have a lot of completes, somebody has to be last on the list, but at least this last person will not wait in a soiled diaper. Another good idea, it really worked!
3. Blood sugars done, I went to get reports from the nurses. If I felt a patient could wait to get a bedbath (as I mentioned, someone has to be last), I informed the nurse about it and waited for her reaction - most of them did not protest, except for the nurses whose patients were going for tests (two of them). I also asked beforehand if someone is about to go home during our shift, so that I would not waste time changing their linens.
4. While I passed water, I checked if any of the patients were missing something in the room. I immediately rushed to the pyxis to get the necessary things. Alas, not everything I needed was in the pyxis Why is it so hard to stack up more than 5 containers of soap? For a 40 bed unit???
5. Two complete patients washed, dressed in a clean gowns and propped up in beds in crisp linens! :)
6. 8 AM and breakfast for the patients - since I could not give baths or change linens at the time, I passed gowns, towels and washcloths to the patients that could wash themselves. I also washed and changed the gown and sheets of another complete patient that was NPO and therefore was not occupied by pancakes
7. Before the vitals, I managed to 'do' two other completes and got help from a nurse to do a third one. No more completes for the day! Yahoo!!!
8. Vitals at 9 AM. OK, I admit I was behind 12 minutes when I started, but nobody is perfect.
9. Making beds of the rest of the patients. Was interrupted 4 times by nurses who needed my help.
10. Blood sugars once more.
11. A really crazy time answering call lights and helping the nurses get patients ready for tests.
12. Two new patients admitted. One of them dirtier than dirt. Luckily, he only needed help getting a shower.
13. Patients got their lunch at noon, I had a feeder, so I chatted happily with the patient while stuffing her with meatloaf and carrots. I can only thank the nurse who fed her at breakfast, so that I could wash one of my completes (mentioned before).
14. At 12.30, for the first time since I've been working as a CNA, I take my entire half hour for lunch! I actually have time to do this!
15. Back from lunch, not so good One of my patients (weak and dehydrated) got out of bed to get some water from the pitcher, because nobody would answer her call light - I forgot to inform my 'cover' that I was going out and the nurse was too busy to check immediately. The patient stumbled and ALMOST fell, grabbing a wall rail in the last second. That made me feel lousy for the rest of the day. The nurse was mad at me like hell, I don't blame her one bit. It was my fault, primarily because after washing the patient I didn't push her table near her bed. Guess where the water pitcher was...
16. Vitals again, interrupted a few times by call lights, mainly the families asking for 'tiny things' that were not tiny, but OK, I had some time (except for a few absurd demands that tickled me pink), because two patients were out for tests and two others had their vitals taken already by nurses. Yes, the nurses on my unit do this when they have time, I'm grateful.
17. Emptying foleys.
18. One last check of all the flowsheets to make sure I wrote down everything. Since flowsheets are often taken out of the rooms, I use a notebook and write down all the vitals, blood sugars and delegated tasks - it's easier to look for the missing sheets once near the end of the shift than run around searching for them during taking care of the patients. Of course, if the flowsheets reappear during the day I write down what I have to at once, I don't wait.
19. Last round among my patients, some of them needed water, others repositioning, one of them a diaper changed. I said goodbye and heard 'thank you' more than once. Great! :)
20. I went home, a lot happier than usual, despite the patient who almost fell. I still feel good :)
I resent being accused of not caring about my patients' care simply because I place a high value on chart checks and safe medication administration. In fact, if I didn't care about my patients, I would not take these things seriously at all. If I ever get a CNA to help someone to the bathroom, perhaps it's because I have fifty billion other things on my plate that I cannot delegate to anyone, and even the five minutes it takes to help someone to the bathroom is five minutes I don't have.
I know this, but believe me, I've heard many PATIENTS say that the nurses 'sit and do nothing'. Because this is how it looks like to many people who are not nurses.
The patients need not know the truth as long as they're taken care of, but have you considered explaining it to the CNAs? Maybe actually show them what you do, how and why?
The patients need not know the truth as long as they're taken care of, but have you considered explaining it to the CNAs? Maybe actually show them what you do, how and why?
we should never, ever feel compelled to explain ourselves, except to our bosses...
and only if confronted/asked.
other than that, anyone else can kiss my behind.
i know what kind of nurse i am, including my values, goals, and responsibilities.
the aides inevitably become familiar who is a team player or who isn't.
i needn't have to prove myself, and i won't.
people need to be concerned about doing their own work, and not worry or react to what they perceive.
Anyway, everything written below is for you...
Ditto for turning your back at me when I'm in the middle of asking you a question about a patient. Yes, I see you're turning away from me because another nurse wants to talk to you. But she wants to know when you're going for lunch. I on the other hand, want to know if the patient is still NPO.
PedsAtHeart, LPN
375 Posts
Or, if you are a kind of non confrontational person (like i am) maybe you could print out the post you wrote and give it to her. Or everyone. We all need reminders to treat each other with respect.