I was told i was a bad CNA.

allnurses Guide · Nov 3, 2017

Go over in your head what your nurse told you. Do a through self examination to see if you really own any of what you were told. Then suit up and show-up and do better.

Oh and keep your head up! If you have to cry do it in the ladies room!

Hppy

allnurses Guide · Nov 3, 2017

First off let me say that I love my job. I love being able to take care of these people that are practically like my family. I've been at this facility well over a year and I thought that I was doing pretty good at my job.
Well, today my nurse asks me to come talk to her so I do. She sits me down and tells me that people don't want to work with me because I'm a bad CNA, I dont clean good enough, I don't finish what I start, and other people have to finish for me. Anf apparently whem people see that work with me they get disappointed. Now she didn't say it in a mean way, but I guess it still kind of hurt my feelings. I don't even want to go to work tomorrow because I think that they all hate me..
Is there anything I can do?

You really sound like you care and I'm sending you an internet hug. Maybe you are not the best CNA right now, but that is not a reflection of you personally. Show them you have the intelligence and dedication to make changes where they're needed.

If you are afraid that people dislike you, stick it to 'em by coming back (over and over again!) and showing them you can do an even better job than they can. Make this your goal. Give them nothing to complain about. That's what I did, lol, because I sucked when I first started.

Are you working in a nursing home? By the time a year comes around, you really should be carrying a resident load without needing to be saved. However, I'm not sure why this feedback was not given to you sooner than this-- or has it? It would have been nice for you to know there was a problem sooner.

Slow down when washing your residents. Leave them in better shape than you found them. Think about how good that resident will feel (which isn't hard when you think about how good you would feel) when they are as clean as could be-- not just with cleanliness of their bodies, but also their clothing, bedding and rooms.

You can rush when taking out garbage or making an empty bed or getting from point A to point B, but slow down with your people.

I'm sure your coworkers don't hate you, they just hate picking up the slack when everybody is already overburdened with their own work. You can change that.

Take care and you can do this.

JKL33 · Nov 3, 2017

You didn't say you disagree with this nurse's assessment so I'll respond as though you believe there is some truth to it. It seems like the only positive way through this is to consider it carefully and take ownership where appropriate. We need people who care, and you have that going for you!

How about letting it settle for a couple of days and then seeking out another conversation with this nurse who was professional enough to have the discussion and do it in private and not in a rude manner. Let her know you have been thinking about the conversation and are interested in specific feedback and suggestions - not so that you can be defensive or nit-picky about it but so that you have concrete examples that help you understand where and how you could improve. Then give it your best shot.

Good luck to you ~

rkitty198, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2017

Now, it's one thing to gently sit someone down and tell them that they are not doing a good job out of kindness and then then then it's another to sit someone down and tell them the same thing out of being nasty. I do think she was trying to do it from a good place, however, it was not constructive.

She should have included examples and ways how you could improve.

I want to kudos you for being introspective and coming here. Don't let this get you down! Use this as an action plan. Ask the RN you work with for the shift:

What ways can I improve upon my care for our patients today?

In the future?

Is there something I have been missing in the past?

Don't bring up what this other nurse said, or it will start department gossip. By asking these questions it will show initiative and a desire to improve. In the long run your coworkers will see the willingness you have to grow and they will greatly respect you for it.

Keep your head up!

morte, LPN, LVN · Nov 4, 2017

if you are confident that she has a point, work on it. if there is some question that she does not, investigate further.