Have CNAs bullied nurses (RNs/LPNs)?

anotherone, BSN, RN · Dec 10, 2011

worse.. they can jepordize pts well being and your job by beign lazy. obviously this is based on my own experience and not EVERY AIDE IN THE world. many where i work are extremily lazy and lack a poor work ethic- example: asking them to get vitals, aide says s/he will get vitals and never does. (many times) while taking tons of smoking breaks, when asked about it they will tell you, "you are the nurse". so meanwhile i am handing out meds or doing other things and another patient's vitals were never done. i cant ask them to do anything or they start whining and crying about having to actually WORK. they seem to love the phrase , "that is not my patient". rarely have i heard a nurse say this to get out of doing something. the aides will run to the clueless manager as if this is a sign we are "overworking " them. some aides who are nursing students in general are at least willing to help and do their job because they might want to be hired by the hospital after graduation.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 10, 2011

i always read about bullying that goes on in the healthcare amongst nurses. i was curious if any cnas have ever bullied the rn/lpns?

if you look for bullying, you will find it. why not go into it not looking for negatives but for positives?

OhioCCRN, MSN, NP · Dec 10, 2011

Bullies are everywhere... If you are getting into nursing grow a spine-so to speak- because you will deal with rude co-workers EVERY day! :)

nettaNDAvalley · Dec 10, 2011

I worked as a CNA for about 10 years and I can understand some of the nurses frustration being that i witness this bullying first hand.

I have worked in LTC and in the hospitals and mostly in LTC you do see those lazy CNA that mouth off and try to make the nurses life a living hell.

Some of these CNA are people that wish they could've became a nurse but for some reason or another did'nt so in my oppinon they can be a bit invious of the nurses.

I have also noticed that these same CNA would get jelous of us CNA that accually did our jobs.

Some times these CNA would feel the nurses favored me because the nurses were nice to me and treated me with respect.

I was not trying to impress the nurse, I was just one of the CNA that took pride in my work, I accually loved my job.

I also did what the nurses asked me to do, becuase they were my superior. On any job if your manager ask you to do something your supose to do it as long as its in your job description and not unethical.

Now on the other hand you do have some lazy nurses, that believe that giving patients peri care is beneath them and that is only a job for the aids to do. These nurses some time look down on CNA and they cant understand how some one could do that job for so long. Well, in my situation I couldnt go back to school because I was raising three children by my self and further more some ones has to do the job are nurses would really be over worked. CNA work was truly a hard job and it could deffiantly be stressful when you dont have enough help, but I would"nt take working as a CNA back for anything. I feel it will make me a more humble nurse and I will all so not mind getting out there and getting my hands dirty.

AJPV · Dec 10, 2011

I've seen it go both ways with CNA's and RN's. But I have to say, having worked as a CNA, as an RN I will have a little more sympathy when the CNA is legitimately overloaded. I worked as a tech on a hospital in-patient floor. I would often be the only tech for up to 18 or 20 patients!!! The nurses would all be like, "Awesome, we've got a tech today!" Then they would assume that I would do all of the vitals, all of the soiled brief changes and Foley emptying, all of the baths & hygiene, all of the linen changes, all of the accu-checks, all of the feeding assists, all of the ambulations, escort all of the discharges out to the parking lot, prepare rooms for all new admits, and answer all of the call lights that were requests for things that didn't require a nursing-level intervention (assistance to the bathroom, repositioning in bed, getting a snack, fixing the TV or phone, etc.) I'm hoping I'll have a little more realistic expectation of what I can expect from a CNA than what I experienced.

Jess_Missouri_RN · Dec 10, 2011

I have not noticed that at the hospital I work at. We as the nurse will primary patients so our techs are not over loaded. A few have a mouth but they will do what we ask them and we always help with total care patients. I will stop what I'm doing to help them out and in return they will hep me out when I need it. If you show respect they will show it back to you.

mc3, ASN, RN · Dec 11, 2011

Yes, assault can go both ways. To me, bullying is assault.

mc3:nurse:

kcmylorn · Dec 11, 2011

netta- if more CNA's had your philosphy and work ethic, the job would be a more rewarding and pleasurable place. Thank you for being the CNA you are.

katielam616 · Dec 11, 2011

i was a CNA for 5 years during nursing school. i know how hard it is for that poor aide to be the only one on the floor with all of these patients and a nurse who will and does assume all of the "dirty" work falls on them. it can be very frustrating. taking care of pts is a team effort. like others have said respect the cna's and they will respect you. take just a few moments of time to help them with care or ask if they need a hand with anything when you have a spare moment. every night i leave work i say thank you to the cna's because without them id be lost. they are very valuable and often dont get enough credit.

nettaNDAvalley · Dec 11, 2011

netta- if more CNA's had your philosphy and work ethic, the job would be a more rewarding and pleasurable place. Thank you for being the CNA you are.

You are so welcome and i really appreciate this comment.

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Dec 11, 2011

I love the PCA's I work with! We are overnights, so it's not as busy as the daytime hours are, and I don't know how days can get, but I know that the aides I work with are really flexible, and really willing to collaborate to make the shift work out with changes, turns, keeping an eye on the patients who were not all there but didn't have a safety assistant.

Now, that said, I have met some doozies; when I was a student the aides were cross because we, the students were expected to do all the aide work in addition to the RN work. So we did vitals, we did ADL's, feeds, baths- everything. One one hand I can see where you get to work, and don't know that your territory is going to be invaded, but find that all the vitals are done, and now someone is feeding and bathing a patient, and they're doing it in the wrong order (or the order you wouldn't have done it) and it throws you...but then again, why wouldn't they be pleased? All your work is done...

Back when I was in clinical for LPN school, I was in a nursing home and true to what has been said already, I witnessed some unbelievable injustices. I witnessed CNA's screaming at (dementia residents who were yelling out) residents to "shut up" and mumbling about wanting to slap them (the resident). Other times just witnessed aides who were acting like snide teenagers...I mean why did you become CNA anyway? If you're going to act like a jerk and these patients are going to cause you so much grief- do something else for heavensake.

As for bullying- I agree with Ruby, ANYTHING can be construed as bullying now days. You can not find someone's joke funny and it's bullying. You can point out that the MAR says 0.5mg of hydromorphone and you just gave them hydrocodone, now you're insinuating that they're illiterate...

TriciaJ, RN · Dec 11, 2011

Every workplace needs strong leadership and realistic workloads. Giving any group of people a "pass" for doing poor work is inexcusable. Individual CNAs can be reported to the BON, just as nurses can, for providing poor patient care. Facilities can be reported to the Joint Commission.