I'm not on a power trip, far from it, but I'm having some issues with the new nurse aides on my floor (LTC). We first had an issue with the older ones trying to run off the newbies, but after a few go 'rounds and the pecking order among them was established things are better with that.
I'm just having an issue mainly with one aide. She is in her mid 20's and is very stubborn and even argumentive when given a task to do. I try to leave the aides alone to do their jobs but sometimes I need help (I also help them with things like putting patients to bed or feeding them during mealtime as I am able). When I ask this aide to do something she gives me an argument. I asked her to accompany a patient to the car because their were going LOA with their family and she said, "Well, I'm busy, I'm about to go pass out snacks." On another occasion, it was 9pm and there were patients waiting to be put to bed. This aide wanted to work alone and do a round drying patients who were already in the bed. I told the aides that it was long past bedtime for the ones who were still up and they needed to be put to bed before worrying about doing a round.
She just flat out didn't listen to me. That is when I turned into my alter ego and showed a side of myself I don't like to show to others. This is what I had to do to get her attention. Thing is, I don't like being Nurse Ratched.
I don't want to write her up or run and tell on her. She isn't lazy, just new an inexperienced and has a real issue with taking direction. She would be a great worker if she would just take direction.
Does anyone have any strategies for dealing with a person like this?
Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.
I believe the reason why CNA's do not band together in a united front to administration is because of the fear of being replaced rather easily.
If you are an older CNA making 16-18 dollars an hour and are complaining about patient load, chances are Admin would want you gone so they can have this fresh out of HS student who is willing to do the job for 10-11 dollars and hour.
I understand the concern for more CNA's in LTC and medical floors but reality is, our industry is plagued by cheap administrators who cut costs in any way shape or form possible
I just want to add my two cents as a CNA.. and especially remembering what it was like to be a NEW CNA.. I am not speaking for her, because this may not be her problem.. but it might be...
I remember having so much stuff to do.. and stuff I *had* to get done.. vitals, weights.... brief changes...so many people to get into their pajamas and into bed... and if someone asked me to do something in addition to all of that it would throw me off schedual and important other things wouldn't get done. Which would usually get me into trouble with the nightshift RN and staff. So it just became really frusterating. Obviously if the nurse needs me to do something, I would like to do it.. but what about my never ending list of things I have to get done that shift?
I remember it very well.. it just seemed like there was never enough time or enough CNAs..
On top of that I've had nurses in other departments give me tasks on top of my own and on top of what my nurse has asked me to do.
Sometimes I wish I could just said "Sorry, I have to much to get done"..
and then while you've been sent in all these other directions you have one resident who is still waiting for her dinner to be sent up and you get yelled at when you are an hour late..
It can be such a HARD job when you have others waiting on you..
That's perfectly understandable, because I often have felt the same way about being told to stop what I'm doing...but it wouldn't even occur to me to tell the DON or another supervisor I was too busy to do something they told me to do, and I'd be willing to bet there isn't a CNA around who would think of saying that, either--unless they wanted to get fired.
As for feeling like there is not enough help to go around, well, join the club. As a nurse there is ALWAYS something to do, and the longer you stay the more you can see that needs to be done. It's incredibly hard work, and while she is doing a lot better in some ways she is stubborn, almost to the point of rebellious and defiant. Another example, there was a patient's family that was needing help bringing in some things so I told the aide they needed help and were waiting at the side door. She stood there talking about it, and then walked away from where she should have been going and stood at the nurse's station....just standing there.
HELLO! I was so frustrated, but I kept from doing the Rumplestiltskin routine because I really do hate confrontation.
Other times she is a perfectly likeable person.
Just a little issue we'll have to work on, I guess.
I wouldnt let her keep getting away with this behavior. If you do, it will only get worse. I would tell her that if she has such a problem following your instructions as her supervisor, then maybe they can find her another unit to work on. Believe me, if you let this keep going, you will begin to dread going to work because she will only become more insubordinate. Unless you want to do her job, you may should tell her that if she doesnt start following instructions, you will have to write her up! I felt so guilty the first time i wrote someone up, but it gets easier on down the line. She is showing disrespect to you, the families, and the patients. If she doesnt like her job she should quit, but if she is going to keep showing up, she is going to have to do it right!
You asked her to do something for a patient, she walked away in the oppositie direction and proceeded to stand at the nurse's station? How disrespectful! Start the writeups with this incident. Write her up for each and every infraction. It may take you some time on a daily basis, but you will either get her attention or you will have built up a paper trail sufficient for the DON to make the personnel decision that looks obvious to me. If it were up to many managers, she wouldn't have received the second chance to be so disrespectful toward either a patient or a nurse.
What would you do...I am a fairly new charge nurse. One of my CNA's has been working extra on another floor. When I came on shift she was working with us (her home floor). I said Hi..you are working with us today ...implying good to see you. She came to me later and told me she didn't appreciate my sarcastic remark and that's was why she was picking up OT on other floors. I was stunned and told her I was sorry that I meant nothing other than to say Hi..... What am I missing here?
She came to me later and told me she didn't appreciate my sarcastic remark and that's was why she was picking up OT on other floors.
CNA's like to do things their way. So, when new nurses comes along, often they may try to intimidate them so that they will fear confrontation should the need ever arise. Once, i was orientating a new nurse to take my place on a night shift psych ward. The last night of her training (my last night on the unit), one of my CNA's actually pushed a chair from the nurse's station to the pt lounge and was watching TV. She was attempting to imply to the new nurse that this is how we behave on this unit. Of course i went to her and asked what she was doing and she blew up! Needless to say the new nurse knew better than that from then on. Since then, i have seen similar situations over and over. Some CNA's like to "feel out" new nurses to see how much they can get away with not doing. This may not be the case here but just remember, we arent charge nurses to be friends with the people that work under us. Any negligence perpetrated by any member of the team is the negligence of the charge nurse as well. From what i have read, this is a type of intimidation. Dont let it bother you...
what happened to the days when a cna just did his or her job and never complained? I was one of those cna's who did what the nurse told me to do and kept my mouth shut. I knew she was my direct supervisor and I had RESPECT for her position. Wish things were like they were back then, but then again...we can't all have what we want.
I would start doing some write ups. If she/he is insubordinate, that's a verbal reprimand and then start writing it up. I have always been told to send the cna home if they get smart or unruly with me or another nurse and I have done just that with the approval of the DON. If that cna is going to treat you like dirt, would you want them giving total care to a patient/resident? NO!
Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN
949 Posts
I believe the reason why CNA's do not band together in a united front to administration is because of the fear of being replaced rather easily.
If you are an older CNA making 16-18 dollars an hour and are complaining about patient load, chances are Admin would want you gone so they can have this fresh out of HS student who is willing to do the job for 10-11 dollars and hour.
I understand the concern for more CNA's in LTC and medical floors but reality is, our industry is plagued by cheap administrators who cut costs in any way shape or form possible