CNA went missing....

Nurses General Nursing

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i am a student intern where i work. i alway help out the cna's at much as i can, however, it can be difficult because i am trying to learn the whole nursing role. so i was frustrated yesterday when the cna went missing and i spent a lot of time doing small things that were time consuming that she could have been doing. she was not busy she just went missing. so i told another nurse who was frustrated and she also said that she had not seen her all day. well, i guess the cna was in a room at this time and was upset. her job is also to take the vitals and some were not charted and she had left for the day.

anyway, i feel bad that i even said anything because i am just an intern and almost want to apologize. but it is frustrating when some of these CNAs delegate to me because they feel i should be doing everything for a pt which is nearly impossible without their help. i feel that she also should have said something if she did not take the vitals because i would have done them for my pts.

thanks!

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

Get used to that. Its...........way too common. CNAs get......treated very badly and sometimes have this.........."I give up" mentality.

Its just a part of nursing.

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thats true. i've been in their position before but i would do my job. if i didn't get it done i would communicate what i couldn't get to.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I was a CNA for a long enough time, and some places were more tolerable than others, but none of the positions I ever had were rewarding or fulfilling, not at all.

I'm not saying they are the victims here or anything, but a lot of CNAs just.......give up. And, I had my units that I did that with TBH. But, I didn't like being that way and I always moved on.

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Specializes in Oncology/BMT.

I have been on both sides before...

In defense of the CNA:

I am not sure how many patients your CNA's have. I worked on an open heart/interventional cardiology stepdown unit with some high acuity patients. I worked primarily nights and had 12 patients (3 RN's). These patients needed bloodwork throughout the night, ambulated to the BR (some with chest tubes), EKG's, daily weights, bed baths, vitals q4h, and the normal night shift routine stuff. It was very busy and very hard to keep up. Many of the RN's on this floor had been there for years and way back when they did not have techs on nights, so they understoof and were grateful and would do anything to help you. There was one new nurse that tracked me down for "20 minutes" to put a patient on the bedpan. I was helping another RN walk a patient back to bed with a walker and chest tube. Many times, I felt like I did go missing. However, I would let my RN's know that I would be bathing someone or if I was starting morning rounds. That way I would be easy to track down.

In defense of you and the RN's:

Just remember that because a CNA can and is trained to do something doesn't mean that you cannot do it! I understand that being an RN is extremely busy and stressful. I work on an outpatient/observation unit and many times we do not have a secretary and/or PCA. When we do have a PCA, it is just one for maybe 20 patients. You need to scheme out your delegation and prioritization, which can be challenging. I know we have so much to do in such a small amount of time. Remember - nursing is a 24/7 job and what is not done on your shift must be done on the next. As far as the missing vitals, if they are due at 8am - follow-up with your CNA around 9-9:30 to see what they were. Offer to document them since you are already going into the chart to write your note.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

When I first started clinicals my first rotations were in LTC. I was told by a LONG time nurse that whatever I did, make friends with the aides. So, my fellow students and I tried our best to help out, answer lights, feed patients, walk them back to their rooms, or whatever needed done.

For the most part, this worked. But there were a couple of facilities where the aides saw students as mini-vacation. As soon as we started answering lights, they were nowhere to be found unless you checked outside in the smoking area. While most of the aides I have contact with are fantastic to work with, sadly there are some that are ..... well, you know.

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Did this aide go missing without proper clearance? Every place I ever worked would promply dismiss her if she did.

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yes she couldn't be found for most of the day and did not communicate with anyone where she was. then when the nurse said she didn't see her most of the day she got upset and told the nurse she was offended.

belgarion - i think a couple of the CNAs believe that when I am there interning they do not have to do anything for my pts. one CNA in particular always tells me to do the I&Os for the pts. for the most part i do them, but when i ask for something from her she can't believe i asked her to do something. not a very good team player and i wish i could say something .

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Specializes in Med Surg.
yes she couldn't be found for most of the day and did not communicate with anyone where she was. then when the nurse said she didn't see her most of the day she got upset and told the nurse she was offended.

belgarion - i think a couple of the CNAs believe that when I am there interning they do not have to do anything for my pts. one CNA in particular always tells me to do the I&Os for the pts. for the most part i do them, but when i ask for something from her she can't believe i asked her to do something. not a very good team player and i wish i could say something .

I know exactly what you mean. If we had a problem with someone we had to take it to our instructor who would then (supposedly) go to the right party. Unfortunately, the school was so worried about the possibility of losing a clinical site that most complaints got filed in the "do not rock the boat file".:banghead:

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU.

In the hospitals where I am doing my clinicals, there are a few CNA's that will literally scratch whatever patient's the students have off their list. They will do absolutely nothing for those patients throughout the entire shift. This is fine, I don't mind helping with ADLs and vitals, but it begins to get more difficult when I have 4 patients that I am responsible for all of their nursing care, meds, blood draws, etc.

One time I was hanging blood for one of my patients with the primary RN and I had to remain in the room for 15 minutes. The CNA walks in and the RN tells her to chart the vitals for another patient. The CNA says "A student has her, I am not planning on even walking in to room ___ today". :eek: I told her I AM the student for that other room, and I have to stay in here with the patient receiving blood. The RN asked her again if she could please take the vitals. Long story short, she didn't do it. I was so irritated!

Granted, I am not saying they are all bad. I work with some amazing CNA's, and I enjoy working along side them as a team. I learn a lot from them. There are others that see my student scrubs and think they are getting a day off.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.
In the hospitals where I am doing my clinicals, there are a few CNA's that will literally scratch whatever patient's the students have off their list. They will do absolutely nothing for those patients throughout the entire shift.

This is the precise behavior that was modeled for me by the experienced CNAs when I was a new CNA at the hospital. So of course, I thought that was okay because I had no idea what the students were going through. Then, when I was the nursing student, I was at the receiving end of this, and when I only had one or two patients and was practicing very few new skills, it was okay. But as I began to practice more and more skills and take on more patients, it became very un-okay.

I don't have a solution for you, just commiseration. I just learned to grin and bear it and get through school as best as I could.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical-Ortho-Neuro-Agency.
Granted, I am not saying they are all bad. I work with some amazing CNA's, and I enjoy working along side them as a team. I learn a lot from them. There are others that see my student scrubs and think they are getting a day off.

This is so true!!! I work with the good, the bad, and the worst CNAs. I do know that there are some lazy CNAs, and some lazy RNs. But it will be nice if sometimes you wouldn't have to beg, someone to do their job. Sometime the floor may be chaotic, I understand, we have to help each other. But when the shift is calm, and a CNA is taking tons of breaks, or sitting in a pt's room watching TV, and gossiping, and not performing his or her job, it can be very frustrating.

I wish that management, did not spend so much time with adding extra paperwork, flow sheets for everything you can think of. Now we have to do audits on my unit, it is ridiculous. Teamwork is the KEY in nursing!!!:up:

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