Have you been accused of being more of a CNA, then a RN.

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I have been told that i need to stop doing the job of the CNA, and concentrate more on being a nurse,(RN). I feel that my job encompasses all, from CNA work, up to RN work. I love the hands on duties that the CNAs have. I love it when my patient feels comfortable with me, and can trust me, to take the best care i can of them. I dont know why i get reprimanded by my fellow nurses for this, but i feel that i can be a great nurse this way. There have been times when there was no CNA on my shift. So, do I not empty their foley, or help them to the BSC? Dont help them with their dinner, because that's a CNA duty? Does any one understand where I am coming from?

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I understand what you are saying and you are correct that CNA duties are within your scope as an RN. However, being an RN means you have to prioritize your care and delegate the CNA duties when appropriate. That doesn't mean you can't help your patients to the bathroom or feed them dinner, just that you shouldn't be doing that while the patient next door is waiting on pain meds and the CNA is sitting around letting you do all the work. Your priority is RN work because that is the work only you can do, let the CNA do their work and if you have extra time, give them a hand.

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Specializes in LTC.

A friend of mine was fired a few weeks ago because of that. They said they wanted him to be more like a nurse and less like a nursing assistant. It's difficult to know what really happened or why they really got rid of him. However, he did mention that he needed to work more on his assessment skills. If I was a nurse, I would take that sort of advice seriously and stick to what is listed in my job description. It sounds like you're a good nurse and genuinely care about people. I would love to work under you.

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

Where I'm at if you don't help the CNAs they will plot against you. So I do make time to go and help feed or I will empty foleys, change a diaper ect... Sometimes I can't help as much as they think I should due to the fact I have to do my "RN duties" which to them looks like I'm sitting on my okole writing and talking on the phone all day.

Yes I love to help and enforce the teamwork concept. I just wish that the CNAs (where I work) understood my responsibilities more so, then they think they do.

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I have been told that several times, Problem is our cnas do nothing. It takes more time to hunt them down and then they give you 100 reasons why they cant do something, it is quicker just to do it yourself & save the hassle. That way I avoid seeing the call light 100 more times because it never got done. There are some cnas that are wonderful, but they are few & far between where I work because they are paid very close to minimum wage. The good ones usually leave after a few months and go to a nearby hospital. To be honest, I cant balme the good ones for going elswhere.

I have reported 2 of them for taking empty rooms and sleeping, and nothing has been done, they still do it.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
A friend of mine was fired a few weeks ago because of that. They said they wanted him to be more like a nurse and less like a nursing assistant. It's difficult to know what really happened or why they really got rid of him. However, he did mention that he needed to work more on his assessment skills. If I was a nurse, I would take that sort of advice seriously and stick to what is listed in my job description. It sounds like you're a good nurse and genuinely care about people. I would love to work under you.

Actually everything the CNA can do is in the nurse's job description. As a nurse I understand that my first priority is the tasks the CNA can not do, the assessments, med pass, communicating with doctors, etc. However if I'm caught up, have several pts at OR or something you bet I'm running around assisting with lab draws (our CNA's do phlebotomy), helping change beds, or whatever. I worked as a CNA through nursing school and I know how hard their job is, so I try to lend a hand whenever I can. I am in the float pool, and all the CNA's on the various units always tell me they wished I worked on their floor all the time! :redbeathe

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.

After you've made sure your nursing duties are properly done, what's wrong with doing CNA work? I agree with an above poster that it's usually easier (and more important faster) to do the task yourself than to try to track down an aide, and then convince them to do the task, and then make sure it was done properly.

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Specializes in LTC.

I've been told occassionally that as a nurse I need to get my job done and out on time, which is why we have CNAs working the floor. I help out where I can, but if I'm really far behind in my duties, I can't.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

If you're a RN you gotta think like a RN. You can still do CNA jobs (if u don't have a CNA around or ward helper whatever they are in the USA), but you must learn how to delegate. Managing & delegating is part of the RNs job.

When ur new it's hard to switch over to thinking like a RN but you will get used to it. Maybe u have to be a bit more forceful (in a good way), but that takes knowledge, time & experience.

When u have a CNA there, just start delegating small jobs to them, and don't do CNA duties yourself. Then u will slowly start getting used to becoming a RN.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

I've accused many a nurse of this. You want to shave, with a RAZOR, the hepatic venous nic, with no platelets? Get real. I don't care that the beard is long.... look at your risk factors.....

All this with a CCRN who wanted to shave my patient the I assumed care due to a call shift. Couldn't till me the platelets... but was trying to shaving him anyway... SERIOUSLY? We are PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED NURSES, HELD TO A HIGH STANDARD, get real and put the razor in the ICU away, cripes sakes. Infection risks along.... go be an aid, but nurse with the highest standards of care... who cares about stubble? geeze!

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Specializes in Step Down.

It's frustrating because in nursing school I feel like we've been trained more to be a CNA than a nurse. I understand that we have to know how to do these basic care tasks, but that should not be the essence of clinical. That's why it's hard to switch over in the real world of nursing. This last rotation we were told to delegate a bit to the CNA's on the floor because we were given more patients, but then when we told the CNA's we didn't necessarily have time to do everything, that we would help them when we could, they gave us attitude. The instructor ended up making us do all the work because she didn't want our school to look bad on this floor. Thus again, we didn't have time to focus on the RN aspects of clinical.

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It's frustrating because in nursing school I feel like we've been trained more to be a CNA than a nurse. I understand that we have to know how to do these basic care tasks, but that should not be the essence of clinical. That's why it's hard to switch over in the real world of nursing. This last rotation we were told to delegate a bit to the CNA's on the floor because we were given more patients, but then when we told the CNA's we didn't necessarily have time to do everything, that we would help them when we could, they gave us attitude. The instructor ended up making us do all the work because she didn't want our school to look bad on this floor. Thus again, we didn't have time to focus on the RN aspects of clinical.

What nursing school did you got to?

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