I love being a CNA, but....

[LoriJoCNA]

I have been a CNA for about a month and I love it. I'm in LPN school right now, so I work 32 hrs a week plus go to school 32 hrs a week. I'm under so much stress I can barely handle it, to top it all off my fiance lost his job and place to live so he is living in my car, I still live at home. I love being a CNA but don't like the place that I work. I love all of my residents and am not sure I will be able to get another job, because I will miss them. I just want to know if all nurses are mean, bossy, and unsympathetic. I'm in school to be a nurse, and I will NEVER be that demeaning. The nurses drive me crazy, I have 50 million things to do and they keep bossing me around so and so is wet or has to use the bathroom. Meanwhile I'm changing someone else and 5 other people have asked to go to the bathroom. There is NO teamwork a CNA told me that I should learn to use the lifts alone because she doesn't want to help me, well I refused and she is very mean to me now. All the CNA's treat me horribly because I'm new, I still am learning about all of the residents. I switch floors all the time so learning about 130 people within a month is a little difficult. I can't ever find help when I need it but am always asked to help other aides with their work. The nurse has me doing wound treatments for her and all the mean time is bossy me around telling me what to do next. Some days are great but other's are nightmarish. Right now I have no time for homework and I'm just all around stressed. I need to vent in a place where others will understand, and definity not at work. I'm getting much quicker at my job, but the CNA that have years of experience get annoyed with me because I'm still slow. But I get all my residents in bed by 9pm with showers done and they are dry, I don't know how to win them over so my work day with them will be more enjoyable.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

Same thing with the other aides. When they ask you for assistance say, "Absolutely, will you help me with Mr. G when we are done?" This works wonders for letting them know where you stand and generating teamwork. Be firm, steady, and a bit loud when asking for assistance. Try to make sure a floor nurse or other witness is around for their answer.

As far as the other CNA telling you to use the lift by yourself, I found a pretty good trick for that. Casually let the floor nurse know it is going on and mention how sad it would be if she lost her license if someone fell, especially if she knew it was going on. You need to be careful with this one, but used properly it can be very effective. If fellow CNAs refuse to assist you with hoyer lifts, tell them the same thing. I absolutely refuse to do single person lift transfers. I'll even get a person all hooked up then ask a nurse to just stand in the damn room and watch for 30 seconds while the lift is occurring. If they refuse, then the lift is tied up until one of other CNAs gets their rear end in the room and helps me.

Also, you are most likely NOT slow. The "more experienced" aides are often not doing their jobs. I get told I am slow all the time, then I watch other aides not change, reposition, clean, shower, or properly feed their residents and realize that I am just doing my job and they are not.

YESSSSSSSS. What he said. There are sneaky ways to get others to help you, and you have to be assertive as well.

If you're slow, you need to tweak your routine. Once you get fast and efficient your coworkers will be easier on you and easier to deal with.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

Oh and I have to say that leading by example has actually worked for me a couple times! There have been a few people who never bothered with anything beyond washing someone up and throwing them in bed. They didn't bother to lotion, repo, mouthcare, anything! Whenever I worked with these people I would be very thorough but I would NOT nag or lecture. Instead I would just be like, "Hey can you pass me the lotion and the toothpaste?" or "Hey it's time to reposition X, can you help me boost her?" and act like it was no big deal and that EVERYONE does it. Just playing dumb. A couple people I did this with actually got their act together after a while and started taking good care of people. I don't know if they did it when I wasn't around but it was better than nothing.

[susanlwins]

I don't know what state you work in, but in WA using a lift with only one person and dressing wounds as a CNA are both ILLEGAL - find another facility to work in, before you find yourself in a position where your license is in jeopardy because of what someone else has "required" you to do! Best of luck to you.

[CNA2day]

wow using a lift with one person is illegal? really? It is not here bbut I dont understand why it is illegal?

[AlexisWilliamsCNA]

Okay

1. If "so and so" is wet and the nurse is telling you- it is probably because that resident is your responsibility

2. My BIGGEST advice to you is to be confident. When you are in a room with a resident- jump right on in. Don't let someone else do all the work and don't wait for orders. a good cna knows his/her residents a mile deep. Be cheerful/nice/respectful to all of your coworkers, residents, and visitors. But DON'T try to tell the other CNA's how to take care of their residents. They have been doing it much longer and take it offensively. Don't get too comfortable too quick. Let the other employees accept you into their "family" by taking initiative to answer call light, help other employees, praising good qualities, and picking up their techniques.

Trust me.... I have seen a lot of CNA's be ran out of our nursing home and others who s

[heelhook80]

Whatever a nurse asks I do, no matter how impolite, how rude ect I smile and say yes mam. If I can't do it right then I let them know when I'll get it done. There have been times I wanted to blow up, I didn't. Almost every time the nurse came to me later and said sorry her day was really bad. I've made friends with them now and realized their stress is so much worse. Meds, wounds, doctors, call lights ect. When you go to them with an issue be polite and recognize how hard their job is, it goesa long long way.

No matter what the job is, this how I try to be also. If I had to hire someone that is the type of attitude and work ethic I would look for. This post is the perfect post.

OP, your fiance is a stress inducer for you in an already very stressful time for you. Keep moving forward and manage your stress and responsibilities as well as you can, it will pay off.

[ChrissyLove123]

I am in the CNA class right now and working on my pre's and co's for the NP (hopefully Spring '11 for that!) I am getting my CNA for the pt. care experience and to hopefully get a job that will be "understanding" of my future goal of becoming an RN (school schedule, etc.) I am dedicated to becoming a CNA and being the best that I can. When I say to an RN or a NP student, I feel like they look down upon me or something. Like: "Oh, well I'm not going to waste MY time with that."

Then I've been told that as a CNA I should NOT ever express that I'm working toward my RN to the other CNAs becuase they will feel like "I think I'm better than them" or something...

I feel almost torn. I respect the job of a CNA - I think I will even more after working as a CNA. But I want to be an RN. I feel like I'm in the middle of the two and someone is always going to be "looking down upon me" because I'm not "one or the other."

I've been trying not to talk to ppl about "my life" just so no one has any judgement to make either way, but it's hard to know what to say or not to say... I want to be personable but not a target of someone's "opinion."

[Miwila]

At the earliest opportunity I plan on taking classes to become a CNA but this forum is just SCARY. I have pretty much gotten the picture that CNA's are overworked and underpaid, treated rudely by their nurses and co-workers alike. What gets me is that this is the kind of atmosphere in which people who are sick and elderly are being cared for??

My mother is 78 going on 79. Last year she had a leg amputated and was in an LTC for a few months going through rehab. When it became apparent that they had done all they could do for her, I decided to bring her home. The social worker and another lady in the facilities administration (as well as a few of my family members), strongly implied that because of the care she needed it would better for me to leave her there. The lady in the admin said to me, a little sarcastically "What, are you going to pay someone $200 an hour to look after her?" I was far too polite to tell this woman what I was thinking...which is that there is no way I would surrender anyone I love, especially my mother, to the tender mercies of a nursing home. I have read enough posts in allnurses and that just isn't happening.

The medical industry needs to increase the salary of CNA's in order to attract more quality individuals. They also need to fire these CNA's who come to work with these unpleasant attitudes. To me it is very sad that CNA's who have a crappy attitude about their job are allowed to provide care - and I use that word loosely - to individuals who have reached a point in their lives where they can't take care of themselves.

[AlexisWilliamsCNA]

Nursing homes are much different now than they used to be and if you find the right one they are really great. Residents rights and person centered care are becoming major part of nursing homes due to culture change. Just because some of the CNA's and nurses don't get along doesn't mean your loved one won't get the care that he/she needs. I don't like 75% of the people I work with- but none of the residents know that and resident cares come before personal issues.

[magabcaz]

Very very good advice. Especially the part about getting the pt. or resident ready before running for help. It was the same way for me when I was starting out. I had just received my certification and had landed a job with a rehabilitation center and it was like that my first month. I was nervous, breaking a sweat, clumsy, frustrated etc etc. Then after like the second month it all died down. Of course there is still the occasional comeback of these things but I have come to realize its a learning process and we all have to go through it. Just take it as it comes and don't be afraid to ask questions.