Frustrating

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

Let me first start by saying that I've worked with a lot of good nurses in the past and the majority of the ones I work with now are very helpful and wonderful people to work with. But the other day, I overheard this conversation from the report room and it really upset me. This was while the night charge was giving report to the head nurse (day charge nurse).

Nurse #1: You know what pisses me off? Aides. I told that CNA (me) to change that pt's diaper 30 mins. ago and he said he would get the nurse tech to help him. I can't believe how lazy these aides are.

Night Charge Nurse: I hear ya. But if you're talking about Jared, it wasn't him. That's not like him. It sounds like the tech disappeared and he couldn't find someone to help him. Jared always does what I ask.

Head Nurse: Well, you know. They're just ****ing aides. What the hell are they good for anyway? I mean, you ask them to do something, and it's not like they have anything to do, and then it doesn't get done.

That was the most awful thing to hear, let me tell you. Aides have just as much to do as nurses at any given moment, we just don't have the knowledge and training to perform the nursing tasks that an RN or LVN does. I mean, as a nurse if you have 5 pt's and each one has 5 orders that need to be carried out before the end of the shift, just keep in mind that I will always have 15-30 pt's, each with just as many things...q2h turn, q4h vitals, mouth care, pericare, ambulation, etc. etc.

I know there are a lot of lazy CNA's out there, but I take pride in my work ethic. I asked the tech to help me clean the patient and she disappeared. I then informed the oncoming shift that the patient needed to be changed. I just can't believe what I heard...

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hmmm....i bet she would change her tune if there were no cnas, don't you think? then see how she feels about them. we always tend to take things for granted when its available.

don't you wish you could just have her enter the twilight zone and have it be just the rns and lpns that are there and no aides? she would be begging for the cnas after 5 minutes! :lol2:

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Wow, I bet she's never been an aide before. Though I will agree that there are some lazy CNA's out there :uhoh21: But that was very rude of her to say.

I will admit that the facility I work at has nothing but GREAT nurses, who treat all the aides and the rest of the staff with respect. I'm very lucky.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Geri.

I respect every CNA I have ever had!! I think they are the "HEART" of nursing. There are lazy people in all professions and the Charge should be more carefull of what it said. It takes ALL of us to take care of our patients, take one element out of the equation and it will not work.

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Specializes in ALF, Medical, ER.
Let me first start by saying that I've worked with a lot of good nurses in the past and the majority of the ones I work with now are very helpful and wonderful people to work with. But the other day, I overheard this conversation from the report room and it really upset me. This was while the night charge was giving report to the head nurse (day charge nurse).

Nurse #1: You know what pisses me off? Aides. I told that CNA (me) to change that pt's diaper 30 mins. ago and he said he would get the nurse tech to help him. I can't believe how lazy these aides are.

Night Charge Nurse: I hear ya. But if you're talking about Jared, it wasn't him. That's not like him. It sounds like the tech disappeared and he couldn't find someone to help him. Jared always does what I ask.

Head Nurse: Well, you know. They're just ****ing aides. What the hell are they good for anyway? I mean, you ask them to do something, and it's not like they have anything to do, and then it doesn't get done.

That was the most awful thing to hear, let me tell you. Aides have just as much to do as nurses at any given moment, we just don't have the knowledge and training to perform the nursing tasks that an RN or LVN does. I mean, as a nurse if you have 5 pt's and each one has 5 orders that need to be carried out before the end of the shift, just keep in mind that I will always have 15-30 pt's, each with just as many things...q2h turn, q4h vitals, mouth care, pericare, ambulation, etc. etc.

I know there are a lot of lazy CNA's out there, but I take pride in my work ethic. I asked the tech to help me clean the patient and she disappeared. I then informed the oncoming shift that the patient needed to be changed. I just can't believe what I heard...

I would have been :angryfire Normally I can keep my mouth shut but something like that I would have called the nurse on it. If you overheard her saying those things about aides, how many other people do you also think overheard her? What about a patient's family member? And since you did a ***** I'm assuming she cursed which shows poor taste IMO especially while giving report to the oncoming nurse.

If people want to complain about each other, fine and dandy but do so in an appropriate place at an appropriate time (NOT while giving report). That sucks you had to hear all that.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.
hmmm....i bet she would change her tune if there were no cnas, don't you think? then see how she feels about them. we always tend to take things for granted when its available.

don't you wish you could just have her enter the twilight zone and have it be just the rns and lpns that are there and no aides? she would be begging for the cnas after 5 minutes! :lol2:

oh, you should see it when there is no aide, every once in a blue moon i've had to sit in a pt's room because they are 1:1 d/t suicide precautions and they had no aide that they could send to work the floor. it sounds chaotic down the hall.

i will admit that the facility i work at has nothing but great nurses, who treat all the aides and the rest of the staff with respect. i'm very lucky.

you know i work with nothing but great nurses except this one in particular. and the worst part is that she is our head nurse.

i would have been :angryfire normally i can keep my mouth shut but something like that i would have called the nurse on it. if you overheard her saying those things about aides, how many other people do you also think overheard her? what about a patient's family member? and since you did a ***** i'm assuming she cursed which shows poor taste imo especially while giving report to the oncoming nurse.

if people want to complain about each other, fine and dandy but do so in an appropriate place at an appropriate time (not while giving report). that sucks you had to hear all that.

oh, it was very tacky, i agree. the charge nurse from my shift and i have taken the liberty of writing her up...which is sad that we'd have to do that because the nurse who said those things was in a management position. fortunately, i was probably the only one who overheard the conversation because the door to our report room was closed but i just happened to be standing outside of it.

don't get me wrong, there are some lazy people in this field, and all fields. a lazy person was the reason the pt didn't get cleaned...because i asked her for help and she disappeared. i just can't believe she'd categorize "aides" in general as lazy, and also the fact that she swore. highly inappropriate imho.

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

JaredCNA....I hear ya! I'm a fellow CNA/ nursing student...and sometimes I feel like I'm beating a dead horse....I get along great with all my night CNAs, and my night nurses...I can find someone to help if nothing else....Did you ask the nurse to help when the tech disappeared? Was there another CNA you could have asked?...I'm not putting this all on you...but I wouldn't have left it for the next shift, when they came on, I would have said "hey, i need a hand, let me help you out here with x patient..."

Do I feel that nurse was in the wrong? Oh yeah! do I think there's a double standard between shifts? Yep...(cause all my incontinent patients have to be checked when they come on, but heaven forbid that I try to do the same thing back to them!)....

Personally, I would have mentioned to the nurse that I heard her as I was passing by(not even listening

) the door...and would she mind explaining why she felt the need to put you down? She would have been in the mangers office so fast, I would have left flames by the door! But it's not just her....unless you have more details...you're partially in the wrong here as well....JMHO

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

*shakes head* Well, unfortunately, that's just something you'll have to deal with. Obviously this nurse that was talking smack about you doesn't know your work ethics. I can relate; some nurses are just plain mean. have you tried talking to her/him?

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Specializes in cardiac.

Sounds familiar! What was that nurse so busy doing that she couldn't have helped you change your client? Oh that's right she was complaining! I feel your pain, the other night we had a nurse throw a complete tantrum because the RN's were overstaffed and they asked her to tech. Evidentally she did not go to school for "that". She threw a fit in front of the techs from 2 shifts at report. We felt like she thought it was the worst job in the world. Go team! I'll mop the floors as long as they are paying me!

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Specializes in LTC.

*huggles*

As a CNA you can make or break the nurse's shift. It seems that your night shift charge knows this. As a CNA you occassionally expect to hear something unpleasant, but it's nice to see someone stick up for you on occassion.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

Thanks all.

No, no, she wasn't insulting me or bringing me down any. She was talking aides in general, which pissed me off.

I didn't say anything to our head nurse (the one who said all that) because I didn't think it would do any good. So I went to her supervisor. Man, she was pissed. lol

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That is got to be one of the most disgusting remarks I as an aide of 32 years has ever heard from a licensed nurses mouth. Over the years I have worked with many a nurse and have had some good ones and bad ones but this nurse needs to walk a mile in your shoes . Dont ever let anyone make you feel inferior just because you dont have the "Diploma" from nursing school. I know a lot more about nursing than most new licensed nursing grads simply because I have been in this line of work for many years. I am proud of my work and feel that I am doing a very important job. Just because we aides are not college graduates doesnt mean that we are ignorant and uneducated.

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