this is for all nurses not just Pittsburgh area nurses!!!!!!

Nurses General Nursing

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So Nursing Assistants aren't considered "Nurses". If that's the case, then what are we considered? Certified ass wipers? I am a C.N.A. and am considered a "Nurse". We don't get the Respect we deserve. Just because, as some would say "we aren't Real Nurses", then who would do the "dirty" work for you?? We spend more time caring for these residents, that we know when something is wrong when they can't tell us, then we report it to the "Nurse". We know every little mark on the residents, that when they get a bed sore, we report that. I am shocked that there are still "Nurses" that feel like this towards N.A.'s. Gawd forbid that if a R.N. or LPN had to go back to doing the job as a N.A. :rolleyes:

RNPD, if you go read my earlier post you will see that I said the same thing as you though not as well. I have heard a recent up date on this crime and it does not sound as if there are any licensed personel at this facility what so ever. Matter of fact no one so much as even mentioned that any of the personal care assistants are certified. I bet they are not, in Pennsylvania attendants in personal care homes are not required to be either certifed or supervised by a licensed person. Staceracer1 was absolutly justifed in taking the network to task for calling anyone who worked in that building a nurse. Indeed, there has been much follow up reporting on this case and they are very careful to correctly identify the accused perpatrator as a personal assistant.

[ May 25, 2001: Message edited by: oramar ]

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Nightowl...what did anyone type that was any harsher than what you just typed? I think the point is that as nurses are fighting to be respected as professionals, the last thing we need is non-nurses posing as nurses.

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I think it is safe to say that we all agree that the last thing we need is for non-nurses posing as nurses. What I don't agree with is a professional stating, "I don't think LPNs are nurses-hell,what do we need them for? The only real nurses are RN's" Now for a professional with an education to make such a harsh statement as that only makes me wonder...How can we fight for respect as professionals when the professionals won't even give respect to their own kind??? Makes NO SENSE to me. Now I'm really going to tighten the screw... Forget it, I'm too professional for that kind of disrespect...SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO BITE YOUR TONGUE AND TURN YOUR CHEEK THE OTHER WAY :mad: ....................... :mad:

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.
Originally posted by chili2641:

This B/B is good therapy for me. I have been a NA for eight years and I am still very young. I am at a transitional point in my life right now. I have an interst in nursing because I am a cna and it is my job. No it is not my career but I still have to put up with the same attitudes because I work there too.

chili2641

Veteran

Member # 8101

posted April 07, 2001 08:14 AM

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I am a twenty-five year old cna from Michigan. I just recently left the field of nursing to pursue other goals. I work with young offenders by helping them to complete their GED's. I will be starting graduate school soon. I hope to one day work as a prison counselor or a public defender. I am an advocate for cnas and I am always in the mood to respectfully argue with others.

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well, which way is it? nursing or not?? lol

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

awwww night owl..

my little ball of fire, was simply being sarcastic. I'm sure..uh, ok I seriously doubt that's her true feelings.

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I am also a CNA(14 yrs) in Virginia we also have to sit for board and can be sued. I went to college to become a CNA and enjoy it. I feel I am in the Medical field but do not ever state that I am a nurse. I also can do dressings, pass meds, do rounds with doctors, take orders and do lots of charting. See, I went back for Med Tech. So I have been discovering that there is alot of negativity concerning who is or isn't a nurse. We are all in Nursing.

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Folks, a crime was committed against someone, and a debate ensues over inferiority/superiority of titles again. It should be an embarrassment to all of us when a paid caregiver commits an act of offense against a patient. That affects all of us no matter our title. We should be discussing ways of thoroughly checking out a person's background before they are hired to perform any type of patient care. How can we, in the nursing profession, protect the public from unstable people?

If you have a problem with the way the news was presented, simply write, call, or email them.

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Nurse4kids, I understand that she's your sister and that you're being alittle defensive for her, but I would rather not take this up with you for her. I'm sure that if she has something to say about her professionalism :rolleyes: as a nurse, you can be certain that she'll let me know...

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Pennsylvania has pretty strick laws about back ground checks for persons taking care of anyone in LTC facilities or hospitals. Since I never heard the original sensational news lead in that misrepresented the attendant as a nurse, I did not write the news people about it. However, I am going to write them and our local representative and tell them I think some investigation should be done here to find out if the regulations were followed in this case.

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: oramar ]

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.
Originally posted by night owl:

Nurse4kids, I understand that she's your sister and that you're being alittle defensive for her, but I would rather not take this up with you for her. I'm sure that if she has something to say about her professionalism :rolleyes: as a nurse, you can be certain that she'll let me know...

nightowl,

I never intended to "take this up with you for her". I'm well aware that she is MORE than capable of handling her own business. I merely intended to state that she was using sarcasm. However, I fail to see any indication toward lack of professionalism in her post(s). If speaking one's mind is unprofessional, then I will NEVER be a professional! :D

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"Please note I am not saying that an RN/LPN or any other professioanl is incapable of a heinous crime, only that with education, background checks, and licenses that are regularly renewed it is much harder to fall between the cracks and therefore much less common for a licensed professional to be accused of a crime-especially one involving the very people that they worked so hard to be licensed to care for."

RNPD, I am a CNA and I do have a license that needs to be renewed every 2 years and IS checked for employment, complaints etc. And who says CNA's don't have education?? :confused: :confused:

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Sheryl-"Personal care aides" are not the same as CNAs. In much (if not most of the country), nursing assistants are not educated (IN THE FIELD OF NURSING-they may be highly educated in other fields) nor are they licensed or even certified (and this includes PCAs, PCTs, etc). And even those that say they are licensed and need to renew periodicaly are actually holding certificates, not licenses-hence CNA or CERTIFIED nursing assistant. Those that are certified have much more education for nursing assistant and their certificate and renewal of same would make it much harder for people of questionable character to slip through the cracks. But most nursing assistants or personal care aids are minimally educated (again I mean in nursing tasks) and are not required to go through backround checks. Therefore it is more difficult to monitor the type of person who is taking care of the most vulnerable of our people-the patient.

BTW, there is a difference between a license and a certficate. A license is a legal document that gives permission to perform specific actions or engage in specific activities. A certicate is a document that certifies fulfillment of duties or requirements, such as a course of study. They are not the same.

I was wrong in the other post when I said to use CNA for the sake of brevity and I'm sorry. For an assistant who is certified, that is as frustrating to hear as for a nurse hearing an assistant be called a nurse. I had no business comparing a minimally educated (in NURSING) person with one who has a more extensive course, is certified, and renews that certificate periodically. I'm sorry and will edit the first post to correct this.

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: RNPD ]

[ May 26, 2001: Message edited by: RNPD ]

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