We are having some aide issues on following directions on our shift..7p-a. We nurses all do 12 hr shifts now..the aides still do 3 shifts, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. The 2nd shift aides, all of who us night nurses have been very familiar with have become very slack. Write ups have been done to no avail. Some of these aides have been noted sitting at the desk, which is against state regs in this state and they ALL KNOW THIS. We tell them to move....its temporary. WE have a heavy load...we cant babysit. Oral care, nail care, snacks, offering fluids...none of this is being done. They let lights go off for 20 minutes and we have to stop our meds and fuss at them to get them to go do their job. Now, Im not above it..but I will NOT do my job and theirs when they are just sitting around at the desk on the phone or in a room chatting. The nurses are overloaded as it is. We are all easy going and laid back most of the time but now we are all just fed up. Myself and a few nurses were talking and we all agreed its time to take back control and set things straight even though when we reprimand the aides it causes drama, strife and hard feeings. They try to make it harder on us....when we do write ups or scold them for not doing things or sitting around we suddenly have a jump in "skin tears".....which they know is about an hour worth of paperwork we have to do. Its ridiculous. I can be ugly when forced to but I just like calm and tranquility. I dont want to bring out the beast in me. Nor do the other nurses. Why is it so hard to do ones job? And whats worse is that when the aides get slack, it gets pawned off to the nurses....the DON then tells us to pass out their snacks, their liquids, do the nails, do the oral care and all that other stuff.....do we need to just go ahead and do all their work as well? I think a good house cleaning is due. What ways work for you guys to get aides to do what they are supposed to? I usually am nice the first time...but by he 2nd time...Im aggravated. What to do here?
I wrote an aide up several weeks ago for all out neglect of 5 of my residents and she kept her job. This writeup took me 3 sheets to fill out! She was finally let go after 2 more nurses got her for the same thing on a different hall. What irks me is when mgmt says they will back us if we write up someone but at the first whimper or tear they disregard it and that person is off the hook and give a pat on the back.
They did back you up. When the three of you each wrote her up she was let go. Well done!
Problem is, she thinks she knows more about nursing than I do just because I'm new to the facility and when I've talked to other nurses about her, they say to just ignore her and not to "make waves" because management doesn't like to fire and hire aids.
I feel I'm just stuck with her and her bad behavior.
Nobody (in their right mind) likes to fire CNAs, just as nobody likes slackers. Sometimes showing respect and goodwill isn't enough. I like to use quotes a lot on those occasions, so I'll ask questions such as, "how do you justify talking on the phone when you just had a break" or "tell me why you feel you're doing a good job". A lot of times the responses I get and quote in documentation are much more powerful than any wording I could formulate myself.
Yesterday, I had a conversation with the DON about her and apparently, I'm not the only one that has been complaining. I guess we all have been suffering in silence. Anyway, I'm to write up some specifics about the events and she is going to be suspended.
I guess it takes a few people to collaborate to make a difference.
been there! Ive had a cna come to me demanding that a resident (that wasnt even mine to start with) be sent to the ER because they were "unresponsive"..well...duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....after you take 2 percocets, ambien, and an ativan all within the past 3 hours...how "awake" would you be??? This aide is good, but over does it at times. Id much rather have her than the ones who just sit and look at you like you just spoke german to them when you have to tell them "you have 5 lights going off!"..or what not. I guess...its just my personality or something....I dont know..Ive always been easily annoyed by laziness no matter what job Ive had. I feel lke if you are employed somewhere and I dont care if its mcdonalds, you are getting paid to provide a service, therefore you should do just that. I dont feel like mgmt puts enough accountability on the aides at all....thats how come everything they slack up on gets forced over to the nurses who like I said earlier, have more than we can handle as it is. I hate to have to get onto people but its necessary at times. Prime example, I saw an aide intentionally ignore a call light and go in another room across from it while family was present. While i was in the adjoining room giving some meds on another resident I over heard the family talking in the next room and they said theywere timing the call light. I told the aide to get it and why...her reply was "oh well".....what??????? oh well nothing! I will surely remember that when this family decides to complain...and its coming soon Im sure. I had to stop my med pass, lost track of my narcotic count and had to redo an insulin syringe just to go get that D**** light ! I dont mind it if I have TIME to do it....but from 7p to 11pm I dont have a minute to spare....that entire time Im doing meds and txs. The meds take over 2.5 hrs...then the txs take up the rest of that space. Im busy for my whole shift..every single night. I dont stop til I get home and go to bed. IF they cared about the residents and their jobs I think they would act better. I get ill, moody, frustrated and ****** off to....I do stuff I dont want to do all the time but i do it cuz I have to. I care about my residents and I need my job. I get sick of mgmt being so wishy washy and cheap but ya know what.....theres nothing we can do about that. It is what it is.
after reading many of the posts here about bad CNAs and CNAs that like to diagnose patients, I wonder if it comes from the low pay they get. I mean, our CNAs only get about $10 per hour. That's not much above our minimum wage here in California. They can probably get a job at McDonald's and get paid about what they get as a CNA and not have to deal with the hard work. And, I know they work hard, I use to be a CNA before I became a nurse. I'm not above answering lights and helping to change a bed or patient with them and I think for the most part, they appreciate it. I always make a point of thanking them at the end of the night, again, I think it's appreciated.
My problem is the few CNAs that have been CNAs like Forever! They get the attitude, act like they know more than the nurses do, and are general pain in the Gluteus Maximus! if you know what I mean...
When I see that I'm saddled with one of those know-it-all, do-nothing CNAs, I just want to scream because I know the night's going to be a long one!
If they decide not to hire anymore CNA's at all the long Care Term Facility, would that make things alot better for the Nurses? If they decied to hire lpns applicants only, would it make your job any easier?
we have the same issue on my unit. However, I treat the CNAs with respect, because they are people just like you and I. I notice so frequently how my fellow coworkers talk down to them and threat them like crap. We all know, were RNs and LPNs and they are CNAs...thats all! it doesnt make them less of a person. I communicate with all ancillary staff members in the most courteous way possibe, and yes at time i do have to PUT them in line, but only if they intefere with my patient care. I am my pts advocate and im going to be just that. All of the CNAs are needed to get our jobs done...nd trust me they most def can make those twelve hours hell. I personally dont have issues with them because im very respectful, besides im the youngest nurse on the unit lol 23 so i guess respect goes a long way
You JSTARZ make a pretty presumptuous insinuation............that CNA's who don't work...........do so because of how the other staff are treating them....that is ridiculous.....you certainly assume you have all the power....I think that is a very deluded way of thinking....and not helpful in the least.
I am sickened by the fact that the OP has implied that the CNA's are deliberately injuring the patients to get back at some of the other staff....I would be notifying management immediately and I would not stop complaining until something was done..... if nothing changed I would be going to my union, my association and if necessary a group advocating for patient care...elder abuse for starts.
we have the same issue on my unit. However, I treat the CNAs with respect, because they are people just like you and I. I notice so frequently how my fellow coworkers talk down to them and threat them like crap. We all know, were RNs and LPNs and they are CNAs...thats all! it doesnt make them less of a person. I communicate with all ancillary staff members in the most courteous way possibe, and yes at time i do have to PUT them in line, but only if they intefere with my patient care. I am my pts advocate and im going to be just that. All of the CNAs are needed to get our jobs done...nd trust me they most def can make those twelve hours hell. I personally dont have issues with them because im very respectful, besides im the youngest nurse on the unit lol 23 so i guess respect goes a long way
I agree with you 100% most of the Nurses look down on the CNA's...CNA's Work as hard as the Nurses and at times even harder.I'm surprise about the things I was reading and from the comments these nurses have a problem with the CNA's...I think all the CNA's should have a look at this thread and give their input on this.
SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN
10,263 Posts
They did back you up. When the three of you each wrote her up she was let go. Well done!
:)