Sometimes I Miss Being a CNA - page 3

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I miss being able to go in, do my job, and go home to my family. I'm tired of all the responsibility and all the problems of being a nurse. Anyone else feel like this or am I just having... Read More

Feb 12, '07
Joined: Oct '06; Posts: 1,256; Likes: 66

Oh Angie, you're right. People misinterpret posts sometimes. I never meant to downgrade CNAs work. I just identify with your opening post, as how it relates to my own life.

I AM tired of being a responsible adult, truthfully. But I'm not tired of nursing.
Feb 12, '07
Occupation: Licensed Practical Nurse Specialty: Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health ; From: US ; Joined: Sep '05; Posts: 9,297; Likes: 8,221

I can understand what you are saying. At times, I miss being a patient care associate at my job at the clinic. Now, each time something happens, my old peers look for the 'nurse' (me) and, since I am new with these responsibilities, I don't think that I know more than they do. They get to leave without worrying about what was left behind to do, can even curse someone out (not saying that I advocate for this type of behavior), without worrying about the same ramifications that I would because I may need the same person I screamed at. My feet actually hurt more (maybe because I am older than I was a few years back), and at this point, I am more mentally than physically drained. Your feelings are not abnormal. Are you a new nurse? That may be some of it as well. I have been one for 7 months.
Feb 12, '07
Joined: Aug '04; Posts: 9,279; Likes: 4,302

Not new, just old enough to recall when it was different. Before the days of DRGs.
Feb 12, '07
Occupation: Taking care of dumb nurses Specialty: Nurses who are mentally sicked ; Joined: Jan '07; Posts: 644; Likes: 14

Try to work for those agencies....I found out it is easier. Less responsibility in some sense... Unlike being a staff nurse, you have all those responsibilities attached to you "physically and mentally." In our ICU, an agency nurse never has to be in-charge, she/he just has to finish her owe work and go home. It is only my opinion. Good luck!!!
Feb 13, '07
Occupation: lvn Specialty: LTC, cardiac, ortho rehab ; Joined: Feb '07; Posts: 194; Likes: 47

im an lvn and i never was a cna, but from time to time, i would think that being a cna would be alot easier. i would see my CNAs on their break and watching tv while im running around with my treatment cart trying to treat various skin tears, decubitus ulcers, post cabg, abd surgery, wound vacs, and a bunch of other stuff. i became a nurse to help other people out, but with 50 patients per shift, i cant even have a 5 minute conversation with one patient.

yeah sometimes i wish i was a cna with less responsibility, but i love the fact that im a nurse, and my calls help people.
Feb 13, '07
Joined: Oct '02; Posts: 60,602; Likes: 17,415

As my boss would say "that's why you get paid the big bucks".

I hate when she says that.

Seriously, I know the feeling. But then if you went back to being a CNA, you'd want to put you hands in situations where they didn't belong, or offer your two cents about things.
Feb 13, '07
Specialty: Alzheimer's Disease, Geriatrics ; Joined: Aug '06; Posts: 35; Likes: 6

I'm a CNA now for a home care agency but for a couple of years before med aid school and then nursing school. I worked in an AL facility as CNA and then Med aid, and I loved it. I worked in the Alz neighborhood and the time that i spent with them and the things that you learn from you residents that you will never learn from anyone else really sticks with you.
Tell me how and when else you would get an opprotunity to explain oral sex to an 87 yr old woman? Keep in mind this is at 11:30pm. Gotta love it.
Feb 13, '07
Specialty: Nursing assistant ; Joined: Jan '05; Posts: 1,476; Likes: 110

These post are insightful and very revealing. I think the frustration may be that basic care tasks have been segregated from the nurses responsibilities, and instead of being freeing, it has doomed you to endless paperwork and distanced you from your real focus: the patient receiving care. You may actually feel like you are doing assessments blindfolded, or at least by word of mouth.
I am a proponent of nurses having small enough assignments that they can do the whole thing, soup to nuts...
The patient would really benefit, but on the downside, I would be unemployed. Bogus.
Feb 14, '07
Occupation: L&D nurse Specialty: LTC, Home Health, L&D, Nsy, PP ; Joined: Sep '03; Posts: 146; Likes: 38

Quote from GardenDove

I'm tired of being a responsible adult period, so I can relate. I'm tired of having responsiblities. I just want to be free to be me and play in the dirt.

You bring the spoons - I'll bring the old coffee cans!
Feb 14, '07
Specialty: 12 year(s) of experience in rodeo nursing (neuro) ; From: US ; Joined: Apr '04; Posts: 2,618; Likes: 2,838

While I was in school, I was encouraging a friend of mine--an aide--to get into nursing school. Many, many advantages for a young, single mom. Her big concern was that nurses don't spend time with patients, they spend time charting. In my vast wisdom, I opined that there are just some nurses who would rather spend time on their butts, charting, than on their feet, caring.
Hey, I didn't know I was lying. Give me a colostomy to empty over charting, any day! At least when you empty a colostomy, you've done something. Good lord--charting is endless! And boring!
But I do work nights, and sometimes they let us keep enough nurses to run with 4-5 patients. Six is our max, and five is our goal. Four is real nice, although you have to hope you don't get your admission at the worst possible time, because you're sure to get an admission. Anyway, I do get to help with a bath, now and then, and usually have time to chat with patients a little. Sometimes I work in the epilepsy monitoring unit and have a good deal of time for pt contact, even with six. (EMU can be 95% boredom, 5% panic. Pts are supposed to seize, but sometimes they get carried away with it.)

I do have a strategy for avoiding midlife crises, though. I'm letting my extended adolescence carry over into my second childhood. (Thus, the 50 y.o. Buffy fan.)

Last edit by nursemike on Feb 14, '07
Feb 14, '07
Occupation: clinical nurse manager Specialty: 7 year(s) of experience in oncology, med surg, Alzheimers ; Joined: Dec '05; Posts: 16; Likes: 3

I was an aide for the last two years of nursing school. When I got to be RN orientee, I had the shock of my life. I think I spent an entire year in a state of panic. Now that I'm almost three years into nursing, when a patient yells at me for not bringing their pain med fast enough when I've been with a patient with POX of 58...I do sometimes wish I didn't have that responsibility.

But then there are moments like when I advocated for my patient and patients family for CMO and morphine drip; The patient was in her late 80's with advanced cancer, the family was surrounding her bedside as she breathed noisily, and stirred in obvious pain and discomfort. The families pain at seeing her in pain also hurt me. The attending was nowhere, and the intern was too new to write orders for what the family had already agreed upon with the attending;

After waiting for one hour for the attending and calling several times, the attending showed up, I told her the patient was in pain, distress and discomfort and reminded her of the family's request. She brushed me off to round with her intern.

I followed her down the hall and reiterated that she please go see this patient now...respectfully and politely as I could.

She walked in the room, and 3 minutes later walked out and verbally gave me the order for CMO and morphine.

I walked directly to the overwhelmed fresh-out-of-med-school intern, and told her as firmly and politely as I could to write what I needed exactly as I stated...and she did. I apologized for making her day any harder and went and hung a drip for my patient.

I spent the night before with this patient when she was alert and laughing with her family...I made the time to speak with her children and assure them that her care was the best I was able to give. I heard her stories and looked into her beautiful blue eyes as she told me what a bountiful life she had, and how wonderful it would be to be with her husband on the other side.

When she started tachying away, I knew the next day would be different for her.

I got a card a few weeks later thanking me for my care, and that is what makes me glad I'm not a CNA anymore.
Feb 14, '07
Joined: Oct '06; Posts: 1,256; Likes: 66

Quote from tryingtomakeit

You bring the spoons - I'll bring the old coffee cans!

It's a deal!
Feb 14, '07
Occupation: Emergency Department Specialty: ER/Ortho-Neuro-Med-Surg ; From: US ; Joined: Sep '04; Posts: 11,171; Likes: 3,262

Quote from Angie O'Plasty, RN

To me, that's such a basic nursing task--to help the patients feel better by getting them cleaned up.

We hardly have time to reposition patients nowadays, and I think it's sad that we have to be so hard-pressed that we can't do the basics anymore.

I work nights. Tech/aide staffing on nights is tenuous at best.

Now, understand that I have never been a tech.
Maybe it's "karma" that I saw this post today but...

... for quite a while I've been "bothered" by this quandry.

If there are a couple things I notice on my patients:
1. Oral hygiene
2. Dry/bad skin
3. Aching/sore back/shoulders/legs relieved by massage

It's not that bad breath bothers me that much or that flaky skin gorsses me out - it's just that I instinctively think "dang! We need to get that sorted out! Might make him/her feel more human than patient!"

I guess the motivation is partly selfish - my Father suffered from a bad back and sore legs. Both my parents suffered dry skin in the lower extremities. For years after a hard days work, I'd apply lotion to their extremities and give them (particularly my Father) a good back rub and leg massage.

So, if nothing else, the least I get my patients was some mouth swabs and while the patient is working on them, I apply lotion to their skin. Or I take careful time to "brush" their teeth and then proceed to at least lotion the extremities.

I admit that I don't get to do this very often - but I also admit that the few times I DO get to do 'em, it gives me immense pleasure.

cheers,

Sometimes I Miss Being a CNA - page 3

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