Interesting Phenomenon

I'm in nursing school. If I could get a job as a tech at your hospital, I would follow you around like a little puppy dog, trying to absorb all the info you could throw at me Those techs don't know what they're missing. As it is now, I try to learn every little thing I can from the optometrists I work for! :redpinkhe

Talk is cheap and it is easy to say " I want to go to nursing school" Hopefully you will find a tech/CNA what ever they are called who is passionate about learning and will be eager to absorb what you give. Until then keep your passion, it is contagious. You never know you may inspire someone to enter the profession who never thought they could.

Some people are simply happy doing what they do. If you come to work, do a good job, then go home when you are done, you do what is required. Some people do not want to learn pathophysiology, medicine, or obtain additional nursing education. I can respect that and in a way understand where they are comming from. It is similar when people tell me I should get a premed degree and go to medical school or advance my nursing education. I am happy doing what I do however. (Well, for the moment.)

Wow, are they lucky! When I was a CNA (at the LTC from hell!) I was told by the nurses they did not have time to teach or explain things to me. I was there to do my job and that is all they wanted from me. I, too would have followed you around like a puppy!

Find the aide that is most receptive. Someone will be grateful to have you as a mentor!

I agree I would love to have a nurse mentor like that.

I'll be honest....I don't think they should be expected to.

First, is the hospital planning on paying them more money for taking the time to learn these extra skills?

Most likely not....if you want someone to do more, you need to pay them more.

They can easily say, and be 100% accurate in, "That's not my job, that's a nursing responsibility."

And it is.

I have worked with maybe a handful of CNA's and mental health techs that were interested in nursing issues and asked about meds or procedures, but they were either in school or planning on going soon.

I'm more than willing to impart some of my limited knowledge to them, but I don't necessarily expect UAP's to ask questions about things outside of their scope of practice. If someone wants to be a CNA all of their life, I don't really see a problem with it. If they do their job and they do it well, more power to them.

I'm not in the business of projecting my personal aspirations, goals, and dreams onto other folk. Where do you draw the line? Should all CNA's go on to be nurses? Should all LPN's go on to be RN's? Should all RN's go on to be APRN's? Should all APRN's go on to be MD's? Should all MD's go on to be God? :chuckle

Perhaps it is not disinterest in learning, but rather being focused on doing the job they there to do and a desire to do that well.

I know there are plenty of times when I would like to "pick the docs brain" or find out what's going on with a co-worker's "interesting" pt, but just do not have the time because I need to remain focused on my own duties/pts... even though I might be missing out on a learning experience.

I have also had the opposite experience with a tech that was "too interested" (for lack of better phrase). She was always asking a lot of questions and talking to every nurse about their pts...but not getting her work done in a timely manner.

Perhaps they are also not at a place in their life to go back to school. I would have liked to have gone back long before I did, but could not.

You have been caring towards them...but I would leave it at that for now. If they need/want any advice from you, I am sure they know they can count on you. As frustrating as it is for you to see them not working towards their dreams/goals, it is not your place to push the issue.

I worked as a CNA during NS, and I did not have time for anything but patient care. I was too busy running my butt off to be picking the nurses' brains.

I have a different perspective. It's the aide who already believes she is at least as knowledgable as the nurses (and probably moreso because she's been there longer). Or the aide who tells a patient what meds they should take, or shouldn't take, or whatever, and the poor schnook in the bed thinks she IS a nurse. And she doesn't correct that misconception.

I love teaching when the opportunity presents itself, and I LOVE the aide who asks questions and wants reasons to go with what they're asked to do. I too wish there were more of them, and less of the ones who are already darned sure they're 'mostly' nurses already

I'll be honest....I don't think they should be expected to.

First, is the hospital planning on paying them more money for taking the time to learn these extra skills?

Most likely not....if you want someone to do more, you need to pay them more.

They can easily say, and be 100% accurate in, "That's not my job, that's a nursing responsibility."

And it is.

Perhaps I misled you. I did not mean to say I wanted them to do more work or learn new skills. I meant to say that I was focusing on anatomy, physiology, perhaps microbiology, meds and the side effects we need to watch for. I don't expect any of that knowledge to translate into more work for the aides. Sorry for the confusion. Human communication is so fraught with it.