I don't want to be a CNA anymore.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

After this experience, I don't want to be a CNA anymore. I do not have any luck in this field, I have the worst luck.

I recently spoke with the Nursing home who terminated me to get the real reason why I was let go and things got real ugly. The RN was rude, had me on speakerphone so other RNs/LPNs could chme in aganst me. I ended up crying after the conversation.

Apparently, they said that there were too many complaints against me before I even reached 90 days. One of them was being getting a write up for one diaper being soaking wet.

And then a major one that almost cost my certification being stripped away from me involving a resident and his "shoe". His shoe was put on wrong, and his toes were curled under or something like that. He has arthritis. His son came up there to visit him and said that his father was screaming in pain because of how his shoe was put on. He was so angry that he was going to call state on the Nursing home, and try to get my certification taken away from me. I was unaware that it was this serious when I was employed. I was just told that his shoe was put on wrong and that I was not allowed to get him dressed anymore.

Still, I do not see how that could have happened. He had hard leather sneakers that easily slid on his foot.

The RN who I talked to claim that I ignored the pain and agony he was in--I told her that he was not in any pain when I put his shoes on. Then she switched it up and said he was SCREAMING after I had left my shift.

Then I asked how was I supposed to know if something was wrong--his shoes were perfectly fine when I put them on, he was not in any pain.

She claimed that what I did was not intentional and it was a case of being careless. You cannot tell if something is wrong with his foot because it looks fine when you put them on. Well, I argued why is he wearing hard leather sneakers if he has arthritis then?? Why doesn't he have cloth slippers so this doesn't happen again?

She claims that I was the only person this has ever happened with and since it has not occured again with another CNA.

I really don't know what I could have done differently. What happened was the inevitable. I still assured her that if they continue to make him wear those shoes it WILL happen again, despite her claims.

The other complaint was that I was too rough with a female resident. She complained to a CNA that a girl was not very gentle with her and that she did not want her ever again.

That was the first time I had ever dealt with the woman and I had been working there for nearly 3 months. She was having major difficulty getting up so I did the best I could to help her. Maybe I was a bit too rough with her, but I don't see how I could have gotten her up if I didn't put all my strength into lifting her.

It's really hard being a CNA. It is NOT easy lifting people with a lot of dead weight, what else are we supposed to do? We can't lift them like they weight 1lbs. Just about everything we do to help these people can be classified as abuse. You try to roll patients who are very heavy and cannot help themselves and they are always going "ouch" or "you're too rough"...or if a RN/LPN walks in and sees something and is quick to say you are doing it wrong and abusing the resident.

The other complaint was getting them dressed too early. There was only one particular set that was very exhausting and stressful that I HAD to get them dressed early. They had to be up at 5am, and I would just dress them at 3:30am instead of 4am. If I hadn't of started early I would have been behind. And all the other CNAs are too preoccupied with their workload to give me a hand all the time. I specifically asked the RN if this was in the employee handbook that we were not allowed to dress them at 3:30am and she started dancing around the issue..I stressed that there was no policy in the Nursing Home that stated it was against rules to do this. As a new CNA, how are we supposed to know it's wrong?? Especially, if we have not been properly trained! When I started working there it was really up to everyone's own discretion as to what time they get their residents up. Not everyone got them up at 4am. When I told her this, she specifically asked me for names and was ready to fire other CNAs of course I refused. I am not malicious at all. And I really liked my fellows CNAs very well, and they work very hard.

Lastly, the RN claimed I had many other complaints against me, and when I asked her what they were she said, "I have many things to do right now and I don't have time to be on the phone with you all day". With persistance on my part she finally told me that the other complaints were about the way my 'sets' looked.

I asked why was I not made aware of all these issues. She said she called me but I was never picked up the phone.

I TRULY felt that I was doing the job to the best of my ability. Everyday, when I came to work I thought I was doing the RIGHT thing. I had no complaints from other CNAs, in fact I helped them dress some of their residents. Just to think that everyday I came to work I was doing EVERYTHING wrong. I am very hurt and dissappointed. My intentions were always to do a good job. I was doing what I thought was right.

Lastly, the whole confrontation between me and the LPN was such a set-up to get me fired. The confrontation was what got me written up and taken off the schedule, but when I get there it was not addressed at all!

I know this post is long but I really need to vent. But I have talked to my mother and father and told me that I do not want to work in a nursing home ever again. I still want to be a RN, but not a CNA. I truly feel like there is VERY little respect for what we do and its easy for us to make so many wrong mistakes. I don't want to go through this ever again. I might find a job in retail or something. This experience has really jaded me a bit.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

CNA work is very difficult. Add to that that if you're in a facility with inadequate staffing, you are being set up to fail. It is simply not humanly possible to give the residents the care they deserve. That is not your failing, it is the system. It doesn't help to have a toxic work environment either.

I'm sorry this was your experience. However, being an RN will not make this sort of thing go away. You'll have to deal with it then, too.

Have you considered in home care? It's very different from LTC in many fundamental ways.

[squeakykitty]

I followed and posted on your other thread, and you do sound like a great CNA who was in a very toxic place. Not all of them are like that, and I do think you will find a better place. I hope you do.

[SICU Queen]

I guess it has to be done... but I can't fathom waking people up at 3:30 am to get them dressed!! WOW!

I'm sorry about your problems. Caring for patients is difficult at times, and it sounds like you had your hands full. Good luck to you. :)

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

I guess it has to be done... but I can't fathom waking people up at 3:30 am to get them dressed!! WOW!

I'm sorry about your problems. Caring for patients is difficult at times, and it sounds like you had your hands full. Good luck to you. :)

I worked the midnight shift.

I had to do what I had to do. That particular set was VERY hard. All the other sets I never had to get them dressed early, because it was easy. they said gettng them dressed early was abuse, and that I should have gotten them dressed at 4am in the morning instead of 3:30 or sooner.

It would have been impossible to get 4-5 people (mind you ALL of them were total care could not move, could barely lift a finger) completely dressed with shoes and socks on, change their briefs, lift them up in the wheelchair (they were HEAVY) and then put all kinds of miscellaenous things they needed on them which took time.

Then you had to go back around and change people--and a lot of times they would make bowel movements which took awhile to clean because the people in this set were in the most unfortunate condition so cleaning them was very challenging.

Also answering call lights--we had residents who had weak bladders that needed my assistance. None of the nurses were going to do it for me. They'll let the call light go off for eternity and then write you up for neglect cause you didn't get to it in time

I was just trying to do my job. I did not mean any harm by getting them dressed early, seriously I didn't. If anything I am going out of my way to do more than I have to. I could have just sat on my behind and did nothing til the last minute. How can you fault me for trying to take the stress off of my back?? If I'm stressed how can I take care of anybody else

[leslie :-D]

one of the huge lessons i learned in nsg school, was accountability...

which is knowing how to take criticism and learn from it.

ideally, all criticism should be constructive and tactful.

but as you have learned, this is not always the case.

also, getting 4-5 people up and dressed at 4am, i believe, would be considered a type of abuse, according to the state's health dept- who governs ltc facilities.

it infringes upon a pt's bill of rights.

there are many regulations that nurses have to adhere to.

as to putting the shoe on the wrong foot, i know it was unintentional on your part.

but wearing a leather shoe would be perfectly appropriate for a pt w/an arthritic foot, IF the foot wasn't swollen.

having the shoe on the wrong foot, could cause pain, related to the improper fit.

the bottom line is, whatever your intentions were, the nurse's contentions could have been very valid.

perhaps you could take a cna course at a reputable school, and learn your job the right way?

i know you meant well.

i truly get that.

you just had a crappy set of teachers.

wishing you the best.

leslie

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Yep. I had on average twenty residents to care for by myself, and three "get ups" to do every night. I had to start no later than four to have them up by six, when the day shift arrived. If I didn't have them done, day shift would complain to management that night shift wasn't doing their job. With fifteen out of twenty residents incontinent, I also had to make sure every single one was clean and dry when day shift arrived. Not completely possible to do single handedly.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

one of the huge lessons i learned in nsg school, was accountability...

which is knowing how to take criticism and learn from it.

ideally, all criticism should be constructive and tactful.

but as you have learned, this is not always the case.

also, getting 4-5 people up and dressed at 4am, i believe, would be considered a type of abuse, according to the state's health dept- who governs ltc facilities.

it infringes upon a pt's bill of rights.

there are many regulations that nurses have to adhere to.

as to putting the shoe on the wrong foot, i know it was unintentional on your part.

but wearing a leather shoe would be perfectly appropriate for a pt w/an arthritic foot, IF the foot wasn't swollen.

having the shoe on the wrong foot, could cause pain, related to the improper fit.

the bottom line is, whatever your intentions were, the nurse's contentions could have been very valid.

perhaps you could take a cna course at a reputable school, and learn your job the right way?

i know you meant well.

i truly get that.

you just had a crappy set of teachers.

wishing you the best.

leslie

The shoe was not on the wrong foot. His toes were allegedly curled under inside of the shoe when it was placed on.

If the shoe looks perfectly fine, and he isn't in any kind of pain how was I supposed to know something is wrong?? This could have happened to anybody, quite frankly. I put the shoe on the same as I always did. Then one day I come to work and I am slapped with a write-up and the possibility of getting my certification taken from me.

As for getting them dressed at 4am in the morning being considered abuse..well I have nothing to do with that because apparently that's the time the nursing home wants them to get dressed. I started getting them dressed earlier to make the job less stressful. It was very hard to balance my set if I had started later.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

Yep. I had on average twenty residents to care for by myself, and three "get ups" to do every night. I had to start no later than four to have them up by six, when the day shift arrived. If I didn't have them done, day shift would complain to management that night shift wasn't doing their job. With fifteen out of twenty residents incontinent, I also had to make sure every single one was clean and dry when day shift arrived. Not completely possible to do single handedly.

Yeah it's very hard.

I had no problem with the other sets because those residents were fairly easy to dress. I could start later with them. Depending on the condition of the resident, they require more patience and care so it takes longer.

[beachbum3]

I get that you had no ill intentions.

But here is the thing... you HAVE to learn to take criticism. What you were doing obviously wasn't working, so now its time to take a new approach. Coming up with 15 million reasons why you were unsuccessful at doing what they wanted isn't going to make you more successful in your next position, and especially not as a RN. As far as getting residents up at 330 am to make your life easier- I feel thats highly unacceptable. Its not about making your life easier- its about what is best for the residents. I personally think its crazy to be getting people up before 530 or 6 am... but thats with out knowing the schedule.

It sounds to me like you need further training. I hope you have better success in the future!:)

[kstec, LPN]

Sounds like that facility was out to make a guinea pig out of you. I work LTC as a nurse and I know which CNA's bust their butt and which one do not. The CNA/patient ratio in most places is very unreasonable. As far as some of the complaints made against you, if you know you did your best, than try and let this go. Just yesterday I worked a floor with 35 residents, who are all incontinent of bowel and bladder, 5 tubefeeders, 6 diabetics, and so on and only two CNA's. They are only human and can only do so much. I helped as much as I could but the med pass is out of this world. I saved my paperwork until the end of the day so that I could attempt to help the CNA's clean people. I worked as a CNA and alot of nurses haven't and you can definitely tell who they are. They are the ones that expect out of CNA's more than they can physically do and them have the odacity(sp) to complain when someone is wet or something is just not perfect. I did my own vitals, emptied my own foleys and anything else that a CNA might be expected to do outside of the norm, why because 2 CNA's with 35 almost complete residents isn't fair to anyone. I of course, threw a fit and went to the DON and told her what all was left undone, not due to laziness on our part, but the ever popular "SHORT STAFFING." As a CNA or a nurse you now whether you've done your best or not and if you have then put your chin up and realize LTC is going to be the place you go home and think of all the things you would've like to of done for some residents, but just weren't allowed the time. As far as abuse, I don't think so. The LTC facility made it so you were getting people up at 4am, what does a 1/2hr difference make? They(the facility) should be in trouble for doing everything they could to avoid having extra help to get these residents up at an appropriate time. Oh and by the way welcome to the healthcare field. It's not always a pretty picture. I won't detour from it, because when you get that first "Thank You" or a smile from someone, it makes it all worth wild. Good luck in whatever you choose, but only you know what happened and if you can sleep at night and look yourself in the mirror for you job performance, then to heck with them.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

I get that you had no ill intentions.

But here is the thing... you HAVE to learn to take criticism. What you were doing obviously wasn't working, so now its time to take a new approach. Coming up with 15 million reasons why you were unsuccessful at doing what they wanted isn't going to make you more successful in your next position, and especially not as a RN. As far as getting residents up at 330 am to make your life easier- I feel thats highly unacceptable. Its not about making your life easier- its about what is best for the residents. I personally think its crazy to be getting people up before 530 or 6 am... but thats with out knowing the schedule.

It sounds to me like you need further training. I hope you have better success in the future!:)

what should I have done then??

I had one hour to get up to 4- 5 people dressed (at one time it was 6 people) then after that I had to make rounds and change all of my residents. i can only do so much.

I don't know what else I could have done. If the job is stressful on me then it's going to affect the residents because they won't get the care they deserve.

I am not trying to make excuses but I honestly don't know how I could use the criticism I got from this job to make an impact on the next one. I truly don't. What I learned is that if a nursing home has rules that don't fit my capabilities then I should just quit.