Help with hopeless horrible nurse's aides

memphispanda, RN · Oct 22, 2004

I don't know what the answer is...I think sometimes they are so desperate for aides (just the warm body) that they let them get away with doing almost nothing. The aide assigned to my hall repeatedly didn't answer pages the last night I worked, until I asked the US to page her "phone call at desk". Guess who showed up? Then she tried to claim she didn't get the other pages.

Jo Dirt · Oct 22, 2004

Sounds like some real sloppy management. That kind of stuff from any employee wouldn't fly at the nursing home where I work, they wouldn't last two days.

I would probably resign with the reason being complacent uncooperative aides and poor management.

What part of CT is this in? We may be moving to CT when I get finished with school.

oramar · Oct 22, 2004

I have had this problem in the past at other jobs. Thanks goodness my current NM totally backs me up in situations like this. I remember what a nightmare it was when I worked jpbs where I could not get anything done about it. Recently we had a bad aide from an agency(most of them are great but this one was a lazy bum). We nurses approached NM and she quickly cancelled the aide. What I am saying is that if management is not supporting you in this situation then they are as big a problem as the problem aides.

HyperRNRachel · Oct 22, 2004

A friend of mine, who is a nursing student, works 20 hours a week at a hopital as a PCA/nursing student. She works 12 hours a week as a PCA and then 8 hours a week under the direction of another nurse. She is helping them to fill a positon and at the same time gaining skills. I wish that there were more of these positions available. Could this be an option for you?

SharonH, RN · Oct 22, 2004

Good luck. I worked as a nurse tech when I was in college. It was horrible, back-breaking thankless work. The nurses were rude, they did not help at all, they were patronizing and they tended to treat the aides like property(where's my aide?). Plus some of them made it their mission to see that you never took a break or stood still for more than 10 seconds so they were constantly looking to keep you busy. I will never forget how I used to get to work and I would be taking my coat off and they would be in your face talking about what needed to be done. And all of that for NO recognition and piss-poor pay.

Anyway, my point is that I can see why many of them would be less than motivated to do a great job. And I have been on the other side and I have worked with some great aides and some shamefully lazy aides. But I still remember what it was like.

Good luck.

SoulShine75 · Oct 22, 2004

What to do when stuck with a few bad nurses aide's ?
I have reported and written up . I am getting no back up from my DON ? What's a nurse to do . Any advice would be helpful . I find myself running like a madwoman , toileting people , answering call bells because my aides have disappeared , or are hiding in pt's rooms on their cell phones ? Ughhhh so frustrated .

Sorry to hear you're having bad time at work and that no one is backing you up. :angryfire On the other hand, I was a nurse aide once and it was the hardest job i've ever had in my life. How many pt's does each aide have at your facility?

flashpoint · Oct 22, 2004

I really don't think there is any excuse for not doing the job you were hired to do to the best of your abilities. I can remember being a CNA and I know how hard it is, but, no matter what, the work had to be done and I was getting paid to do it. A lot of jobs are hard and a lot of jobs don't pay well, but that is no reason not to give it your all...that is what people notice and that is what will help people move up in the world!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 22, 2004

Go to the administrator. That doesn't work? Go to the corporate office. The crap will keep happening as long as they know they can get away with it.

SoulShine75 · Oct 22, 2004

Good luck. I worked as a nurse tech when I was in college. It was horrible, back-breaking thankless work. The nurses were rude, they did not help at all, they were patronizing and they tended to treat the aides like property(where's my aide?). Plus some of them made it their mission to see that you never took a break or stood still for more than 10 seconds so they were constantly looking to keep you busy. I will never forget how I used to get to work and I would be taking my coat off and they would be in your face talking about what needed to be done. And all of that for NO recognition and piss-poor pay.
Anyway, my point is that I can see why many of them would be less than motivated to do a great job. And I have been on the other side and I have worked with some great aides and some shamefully lazy aides. But I still remember what it was like.
My feelings exactly Sharon. Everything you just said is exactly how I felt working as an aide. Just the thought of ever doing that again makes my skin crawl. I just felt terrible for those patients who don't get good quality care because the aide's are too busy and overworked. At the facility I was at the only thing the nurses did was order us around (don't know abut other facilities). I left there crying everyday because I was so completely overwhelmed. Hopefully I can take that experience and use it when I become a nurse to remember what the aides went through.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Oct 22, 2004

What to do when stuck with a few bad nurses aide's ?

Teach them how to be good nurse's aides. That means, develop a respectful relationship with them Teach them why the things they do are important. They ARE important. Show them how to make a difference.

I remember being an aide and realizing that no job was going to compensate me if my back went out, and I couldn't afford to be out of work. The goal then became one of conservation of energy, because in order to make enough to feed my family, I had to work overtime.

Knowing that I was going to nursing school was a great motivator to me, but I could only imagine the CNA who knew she'd never make it through nursing school, and would be a CNA in a nursing home doing that backbreaking work till her back gave out or she retired.

Sometimes it helps to put yourself into their shoes.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2004

Not really the CNAs that are hopeless...it is the management. You are doing your part by writting them up, but the DON and management need to do theirs. I have the same problem. When I work during the week (very rarely because of this) the CNAs are the worst.( and yes I've busted my but as a CNA). I came in the other day at 7pm to help out...it looked like Xmas with all the lights, half of the hallway was still sitting in the lobby, dinner trays not picked up and a family member c/o residents call bell on for 25 minutes waiting to go to the BR. Of course we had the 4 residents in bumper cars err I mean merry walkers wandering around and two of my finest residents trying to escape out the back.

I think part of the problem in my case is lack of consistancy with the supervisors. Yes I do pitch in and do my share of toileting, feeding and answering call bells all while doing my meds, tx, charting and babysitting the "escapers" or "fall from chair" folks. I will not do all of this while a CNA is taking their upteenth smoke break, phone call or sneaking TV while sitting or "caring" for a resident while in their room. I also resent the time that it takes to hunt these CNAs down, but I will and I will monitor their work and make them do their assigned duties. Some of the other supervisors are walked all over and thus permit this behavior just to have a warm body. :angryfire

Now....on my weekends that is another story . I truly love working with those gals. They do things before being told, communicate with each other and the nurses, ask for help and help each other. They are the best, hardest working group. Some of them get sassy, but all in fun.

What kills me is that the "good" get frustrated because little is done to the "bad" once they get into the union. The joke at our place is that you need to kill someone before you get fired....and then even???