I am a worried CNA

Nurses Safety

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Hello

I am a CNA at a large long term care health care facility, most of my residents have alzheimers or are quite combative

I am 32 and the other CNA's I work with are 21 or 22. They are extremely unprofessional...admitting to me that they "make up temps" and "make up weights" "why waste time on that when you can go outside and have a cigerette???"

It sickens me. They do not answer call bells.THey steal linen from beds I open. They try to switch residents with me on the night they know the resident is a shower or a treatment. They take advantage of the new nurse on the floor..i.e. only doing their last turn to save their butt

Please tell me it is not always like this. I am also curious as to how a 21 year old has 3 kids and is a heavy smoker already???? These are my co-workers

I put in for a floor change...I hope it works

Krissy

The last I posted here was my concern for a resident of mine who was on comfort cares (a classical music lover who I played CD's for...despite some of the nasty CNA's sneaking in to shut it off and slam her door)

I went in the next day to see her sign with her name on her door was gone. I went to make my cart. THere was one of the nastier CNA's there and I said "so and so" is gone??" and she snapped "she's dead!" and looked at me like I was an idiot. This same person has expressed relief when a resident dies because it is less work. This same person has her jacket on headed for the door for her cigerette break every time I look, on her smoke break she enjoys starting trouble between the other CNA's. I went to management with this and was told to "grow up" "how old are you?????" "get back up there and do your job" All of this by an overweight miserable supervising RN with great big googly glasses and bleach blonde hair with the black roots pourng from her head who spit saliva as she spoke "at" me. She threatened my job so I went back upstairs.

Her solution was to meet with the two CNA's I described to her. Well, she told them everything I said and my job has been 10 times worse. I have even received phone calls at my home from one of the CNA's saying that because of me she is going to lose her job and she has 3 kids.

Maybe I should have just kept quiet. You know some of these young women CNA's have criminal backgrounds. One was in jail. THe other day at dinner I heard a girl ask "where is yo baby daddy" to a CNA and she replied "he in jail"

excust the politically incorrect language but I want to be descriptive as possible.

My family says "stick it out, pay your bills, go back to school...pay no attention to them" I have to keep my coat and bag locked in the car because I have had things stolen including completed inservice packages.

They are viscious. What should I do?

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Ummm... I just wanted to comment that some of your post seemed a little bit closed minded. I totally understand not being happy with people when they are not doing thier job, but would like to encourage you to look past people's situations that are different than your own. Anyway I am sorry that work is not going so well for you. Good luck.

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Ummm... I just wanted to comment that some of your post seemed a little bit closed minded. I totally understand not being happy with people when they are not doing thier job, but would like to encourage you to look past people's situations that are different than your own. Anyway I am sorry that work is not going so well for you. Good luck.

Well, when you had had money taken and jackets stolen and feel depressed every single day you have to climb the stairs to your unit you might be a bit jaded too. Especially seeing helpless people being looked at as "pains in the a**es" and treated as such.

My situation is not far from theres. I am a single woman trying to maintain an apartment in NY and vehical as well as save...but I do not steal or take my sadness out on others, the residents or the co-workers. I am kind to everyone and a darn hard worker.

I feel the way you address me above is brief and judgemental. I was told to be careful to share too much on public forum, especially when you are down. You are sometimes asking for it. People can really do a number on you.

ummm...

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sorry did not mean to come off like that - just slightly offended (unjustified) by your post or had a bad day... true I need to heed my own advice and be less judgemental. Again I apologize - you are only looking for support. I do sincerly wish you the best in your situation.

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Well, if you had a bad day you should share it and maybe someone can help. That is what these forums are for.

There is no need to apologize. Thanks for responding. I welcome all responses. I learn from each of them and sometimes it takes an outsider to truly see what is going on.

sorry did not mean to come off like that - just slightly offended (unjustified) by your post or had a bad day... true I need to heed my own advice and be less judgemental. Again I apologize - you are only looking for support. I do sincerly wish you the best in your situation.
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Krissy, I have been a CNA since I was 18, I am now 25 and a BSN student. I want you to know that no matter where you go, there will always be some people that are going to neglect their pts/ I have never mistreated a pt, nor have I ever stood by and watched another person treat a pt badly. You truly need to report this to your superiors, if they do not listen, then you need to go the state. Falsifying records is a HIPPA violation, and the CNAs doing this could actually be in big trouble from the Federal gov't if they are caught. I know this may seem harsh, but I don't think these girls deserve another chance, and if I were you I would look into getting their certifications taken away. We don't need them in health care. :angryfire

It sounds like you are really caring and I hope that some of your compassion rubs off on your co-workers. Chin up!:p

Hello

I am a CNA at a large long term care health care facility, most of my residents have alzheimers or are quite combative

I am 32 and the other CNA's I work with are 21 or 22. They are extremely unprofessional...admitting to me that they "make up temps" and "make up weights" "why waste time on that when you can go outside and have a cigerette???"

It sickens me. They do not answer call bells.THey steal linen from beds I open. They try to switch residents with me on the night they know the resident is a shower or a treatment. They take advantage of the new nurse on the floor..i.e. only doing their last turn to save their butt

Please tell me it is not always like this. I am also curious as to how a 21 year old has 3 kids and is a heavy smoker already???? These are my co-workers

I put in for a floor change...I hope it works

Krissy

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You have the right to express your anger, but I honestly think it is time to start looking for a new place to work. Their is a health care shortage, and I think you may have better luck in a hospital. I worked in a LTC enviornment for about a year, when some one broke into my locker and stole my entire paycheck. Over 4 hundred dollars. After that I went to work in a hospital and the people there were so much nicer then the ones in the LTC facility. I worked in two hospitals since then, and the pay is better, the hours, and the superiors care much more than they did in the LTC facility. Plus I accquired many additional skills, such as learning to do EkG's, blood draws, and bladder scans. Plus I have assisted in the OR and on many interesting procedures. The nurses in the hospitals respect me more then the ones in the LTC did, and they have taught me so many things, and the doc's love to educate students. Being in NYC you should have no problem landing a job at a great hospital. Shoot for the stars you can do it!!!:balloons: Good luck.... Smile

Well, if you had a bad day you should share it and maybe someone can help. That is what these forums are for.

There is no need to apologize. Thanks for responding. I welcome all responses. I learn from each of them and sometimes it takes an outsider to truly see what is going on.

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Five Star,

I believe what you say. I remember going to pick up one of our residents (who has breast cancer) at a major hospital and how lovely the nurses were. They were helpful and warm and actually remembered my name when I left. What a difference it was leaving the nursing home for just an hour or so...and stepping into this different world.

I remember getting back with the resident in the van and how my "charge nurse" was outside smoking with the cna's and just glared at me as I wheeled the resident past her.

If your resident just got back from the hospital for a cancer treatment would you not welcome them??? or would you just puff away on your cigerette and stare as they were wheeled by. It makes me sick! :angryfire

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Girl, get those NIKE's on and like the wind!! You don't need to- and shouldn't take that. I would get a different job and call the state as soon and I step foot out of there! Not to mention I would let those other CNA's have it with both barrels! If they don't care about people-go work retail!! Not to mention if some low life called my house with the sob/how-dare-you story, I'd just tell her if she had been doing her job she wouldn't have been in trouble in the first place!

I hate when businesses pay their workers pennies because the people on top want more $$$. It is always the people who need help the most that suffer. I hoep that there is a SPECIAL place in hades for these people!! Right next to those who get a job in healthcare and really don't care about people (not to mention falsifying records!!) :angryfire

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Hello

I am a CNA at a large long term care health care facility, most of my residents have alzheimers or are quite combative

I am 32 and the other CNA's I work with are 21 or 22. They are extremely unprofessional...admitting to me that they "make up temps" and "make up weights" "why waste time on that when you can go outside and have a cigerette???"

It sickens me. They do not answer call bells.THey steal linen from beds I open. They try to switch residents with me on the night they know the resident is a shower or a treatment. They take advantage of the new nurse on the floor..i.e. only doing their last turn to save their butt

Please tell me it is not always like this. I am also curious as to how a 21 year old has 3 kids and is a heavy smoker already???? These are my co-workers

I put in for a floor change...I hope it works

Krissy

Dear Krissy Like you I am a 42 yr old CNA working about a month now. I have seen it to but I was able to hook up with other CNA's Who want to provide the best care possible We treat each resident as if they were our own family This is why I stay if the little kids who are playing with not giving peri care or the proper care rule the facility Imagine the life the resident after you leave. I have spoken with the DON and ADON about this and they trying to get some good people in and they are keeping me with others who will work (some nights I dont get a break cleaning up after those before me) If they cant do that for you start dropping resumes. Get running girl. I'm staying put because they are paying for my R.N. schooling and because I do make a difference I became a nurse to help others, not for the paycheck But the money is nice to have Good Luck Sis

Michelle

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I am not going to let this experience ruin my hopefulness towards a future as an RN. If you have read some of my posts you will see that I do not have a support system. My family is awful and would rather see me struggling in a lowly job then thriving in a comfortable position. My esteem has come from within and from my CNA teacher and staff at the school I attended, who believe in me.

It is hard to finally "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and become a CNA and get kicked over and over.

It is a mean world out there...or is it just New York :uhoh21:

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Krissy, I see that other folks here have given you similar advice: get out. I am an RN and I worked in LTC for about two years. I started there because I didn't feel ready to work in acute care. I came across some really AWFUL CNAs and some really good ones. When I started working in acute care, I noticed a huge increase in the amount of excellent CNAs that truly cared about their patients. I encourage you to look into getting a job in a hospital. The pay, I'm sure, is better and so will your work load. I do know that for CNAs and RNs alike in LTC, the work load is unrealistic. I remember so many nights I went home without doing any of the treatments, because I had to give about 10 million pills to the patients. And I know that there is no way to properly provide all hygeine care to the large amount of patients that are assigned to CNAs in LTC facilities. By the time I left LTC, I was so relieved to get away from it. It gave me some really valuable experience, but I'll never work in LTC again in my nursing career. Not that everything is perfect in a hospital, but so much better than in LTC.

Please keep us posted. I'm SURE you can find a better job.

Take care.

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