What do you do when CNAs dont work and just take breaks and watch TV?

[Bala Shark]

I am a recent grad..I am responsible for about 20 patients at a long term care facility..A CNA did not answer the call bells twice and I called him in the intercom about twice..I went out looking for him and saw him watching TV and the volume was turned up high so he could not hear anything from the intercom..I was upset because of what he did..Was wondering, what should I do next time..Since I am a new employee and he has been there for 4 years, I cannot write him up or speak to him badly..

I even asked for any avalable CNA to go to certain rooms..Guess who showed up to the rooms? No one, I had to take care of it..My work load is high..I dont get to take breaks or go home on time...

[not now, RN]

First time: write them up

After that I just send them home. If they're gonna do nothing they might as well do it at home. My DON has no problem with it, I leave her a note telling her why I sent them home and she talks to them herself.

[SmilingBluEyes]

The others said it well. Anyone so derelict on duty should be written up. If mgt/admin does not back you up, well you know what you are dealing with. The sad thing, this is all too common in many places. But you have to take that step to correct this problem and write it up.

[BmtTXLVN]

They both told me if I did that that they would walk out. I told them to get to walking and don't come back because I will make sure you are fired. The next day I got a call from the regular supervisor; not only did they get their jobs back, but I was the one who was fired.

Sounds like they did you a favor if there not going to back there nurses.

[PHLEBOTOMIST_TO_RN]

I work at a facility where our PCT's are so highly regarded that they are almost on the same level as RN's respect wise. Thankfully, I have not really heard of this problem from the RN's that I know throughout the facility.

[squeakykitty]

I wrote up my CNA for hitting a patient and they were not fired instead the CNA's who worked with me thereafter refused to help, they (cna) knew it was easier to replace the RN then the CNA so I left the job rather then lose my license,

Did that CNA ever get reported to the state? She needs to lose her job working with vulnerable elderly patients, and the LTC needs to let CNAs like that go.

[lupin]

First of all, I would have gone over to the CNA and asked if he was on break. Then I would have asked him to start answering bells as soon as he was done because people were needing help. Then I would give him a verbal for not telling me he was on break.

And, Oh yes, you can write them up. You are responsible for the patients and if someone who you've delegated to won't follow the directions, write them up. If you've got the documented proof then it cen't be blown over.

[squeakykitty]

Also, for those facilities where the DON and management won't back you up------you can always call the state since if the CNAs aren't doing their job it's very likely that they're neglecting the residents.

[Kitkat23]

Sounds like the CNAs I used to work with in 3 years of CNA work. I was fired unfairly last month for "neglecting a resident". I put a resident to bed who's confused and has a history of falling out of bed and taking off his tab alarm. On my last night, I kept checking on him and he kept taking off his tab alarm, so I kept putting it back on him where he could not reach it. I had to take my half hour dinner break so I asked my fellow coworker to keep an eye on him while i ate supper. We were short one aide that night.

She didn't. She is lazy, mean, and not a teamplayer. Her favorite quote is "not my light, not my resident." When I got back from break, my coworker and I started our final rounds and I found the patient sitting on the floor by his bed. His tab alarm was pulled off, but didn't ring. My coworker yelled for the nurse and tattled, "that was Kat's patient. She didn't put the alarm on him." So I was written up and I begged to write my statement, so I did.

I wrote that the patient was found sitting on the floor next to his bed, not hurt and apparently took off his tab alarm. I wrote that I was constantly checking up on him, and found him with his tab alarm off and trying to swing out of bed. I could not get him to a chair because he was a hoyer lift patient and was sick with the flu, so he was on orders for bedrest. The resident is confused and has a history of trying to get out of bed and taking off his tab alarm as well.

The next day I was called into the DNS's office and was fired. The administrator was there as well. I tried to explain my case, but they apparently didn't buy my story. They said I was making petty excuses and failed to put on the tab alarm, risking his safety!

The CNA I worked with my last night, walked away from call lights going off under her nose and ringing tab alarms. She had her pm care done before supper, half her patients were in johnnies in the dining room and after supper she just tossed them to bed without toileting them or changing them. She sat on her ass watching TV in the dayroom while I was busting my ass putting residents to bed, giving showers, answering lights, shutting off tab alarms and keeping my eye on the patient who fell. The aide refused to help me hoyer or boost patients so I had to fetch an aide from another wing to help me. The nurse was too busy with meds/treatments and the lazy aide tattled that I interrupted her during break; 3 hours long!

The nursing home I was fired from had no union or anything. The new administration pretend to care about residents but they only care about making money and hired any CNA that came into the door. The DNS told me that I don't work hard or fast enough and I got to close to patients; I work hard and quick enough, but I'm sweet and talk to my residents. Plus, I perform effective, excellent care. I've always put my residents first and loved them to pieces. I was their favorite aide and their families loved me.

The DNS also had the nerve to tell me that the job is not for me and being a CNA is more than putting a patient on the bedpan and saying hello to them. CNAs have to think fast, move fast, and be sharp. I thought I was fast enough but don't take major shortcuts or neglect patients. If they wanted to prevent that confused patient from falling or taking off his alarm, they should have put a bed alarm under his bottom sheet or hire an extra CNA to be one-on-one sitter.

But, they are being so cheap and money greedy, they stopped calling extra CNAs to do one-on-one care. They took our bonuses and overtime pay away and cut the aides on the floor. There used to be four aides on each unit, now its three. If their census is low, down two beds, they send a CNA home. And they stopped calling CNAs to pick up if a CNA calls out sick. That's the problem with nursing homes today. They are soo greedy for money and don't give a damn about the patients wellbeing, they overwork the CNAs to death and it seems like the good CNAs get the boot, and the bad, lazy CNAs are treated like gold. Since, they work fast and take major shortcuts. I'm so mad and now looking for another job. I'm taking college classes right now, but I'm not sure if I want to work in LTC. Comments people?

:trout:

[squeakykitty]

Kitkat23, can the CNA and the facility be reported for neglect? It sounds like she's neglecting the residents big time, and someone could get hurt.