lazy cnas

marielina85 · Mar 13, 2010

Seriously lets not argue we all can admit that there are lazy people in the job place PERIOD regardless of title. I have had cna's ignore call lights and not turn patients when I am extremely busy and overwhelmed (i worked on a stepdown unit for awhile) Instead they are socializing or complaining but I have also known nurses who sit at the nurses station playing on facebook and expecting others to do all their work. and leaving all the turns to cna's or other nurses. We have to work as a team in order to get the best patient care. However there is a heirachy because I am the one who has a license and am untimately responsible for the safety and well being of my pt. I have never delegated a task that I am not willing or have not done myself but when I do delegate its because I am not able to do it at the moment and it needs to be done. We all need to learn to work to work together and stop bickering like we are in highschool because ultimately it is the patient who suffers...and I am just not ok with that/
Off my soapbox now :)

AMEN AMEN THIS IS WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY ALL ALONG!!!! but some people just do not get it.....thank u thank u thank u

LPNsizz · Mar 14, 2010

I can relate to what you are saying. I have been in the health field since 1991. At my present job I come home exhausted. Every day I am making my own beds, passing ice water, administering meds, ADL's, showers, oral care, transferring from w/c to bed, checking the oxygen tanks, and ambulating the patient, etc....

The nursing assistant either can't be found or acting as if their busy. I am a proactive LPN and the patients stated "she's a good one; she'll brush your teeth and wash you up." It is sad to say that this particular nursing assistant continues to get away with his poorly work habits. Then train in new nursing assistant and have the nerve to complain if they are not pulling their weight. Now majority of the RN at my work place are fresh from out of school and are doing the same as I such as making beds, ADL's, showers, oral care, passing ice water etc.... I feel since theyr'e in charge "OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IF YOU ARE GETTING BURNED OUT." Because I am getting burned out especially when you have to care for five patients as a LPN.

I am not saying all nursing assistants are not proactive. But when you have a group of nurses that are not super glued to a chair and doing it all something is wrong.

marielina85 · Mar 14, 2010

i can relate to what you are saying. I have been in the health field since 1991. At my present job i come home exhausted. Every day i am making my own beds, passing ice water, administering meds, adl's, showers, oral care, transferring from w/c to bed, checking the oxygen tanks, and ambulating the patient, etc....
The nursing assistant either can't be found or acting as if their busy. I am a proactive lpn and the patients stated "she's a good one; she'll brush your teeth and wash you up." it is sad to say that this particular nursing assistant continues to get away with his poorly work habits. Then train in new nursing assistant and have the nerve to complain if they are not pulling their weight. Now majority of the rn at my work place are fresh from out of school and are doing the same as i such as making beds, adl's, showers, oral care, passing ice water etc.... I feel since theyr'e in charge "open up your mouth and address this issue if you are getting burned out." because i am getting burned out especially when you have to care for five patients as a lpn.
I am not saying all nursing assistants are not proactive. But when you have a group of nurses that are not super glued to a chair and doing it all something is wrong.

yayyy finally someone that understands...the only time i sit down is at the end of my shift when i have a few minutes to do my charting.

allnurses Guide · Mar 14, 2010

Sounds like you are trying your best marielina, and that it's probably true that they are testing you because you are new and possibly because you are young.

I've heard so many similar stories, and sometimes it's obvious that a new nurse is coming off as rude and controlling, and wants to change the whole place from day one to be exactly like he or she learned in nursing school. Those types offend veteran CNAs who may have been on her side with a different approach.

It doesn't sound to me like you are like that. What is the attitude of your administration? This seems to be a critical factor in changing the culture of a facility. It often will be able to tell you if things will ever get better or not. If you aren't supported, nothing will change. I wish you the best. It's just darn hard to delegate and supervise other people and I give kudos to everyone who does it successfully!! :)

marielina85 · Mar 15, 2010

Sounds like you are trying your best marielina, and that it's probably true that they are testing you because you are new and possibly because you are young.
I've heard so many similar stories, and sometimes it's obvious that a new nurse is coming off as rude and controlling, and wants to change the whole place from day one to be exactly like he or she learned in nursing school. Those types offend veteran CNAs who may have been on her side with a different approach.
It doesn't sound to me like you are like that. What is the attitude of your administration? This seems to be a critical factor in changing the culture of a facility. It often will be able to tell you if things will ever get better or not. If you aren't supported, nothing will change. I wish you the best. It's just darn hard to delegate and supervise other people and I give kudos to everyone who does it successfully!! :)

Yes i am trying very hard...i just wanna give the pts the best of care and care for them like if i was caring for one of my loved ones.and with adm u know the drill...they try and get away with having the least amount of staff they can so ehh idk what to say about that...but thanks for your wonderful advice i really appreciate it=D

topic · Apr 30, 2010

HA! There it is again, that corporate phrase that means, "just shut the hell up and do what you're told, I don't care how".

"Shut up and do what your told" is a dismissive command that would be given to someone considered unimportant. Clearly CNA's are important. I am a CNA and would take great offense to a superior believing I should be supervised in that fashion.

"Work smarter, not harder" simply means utilizing your skills and intelligence in order to complete your tasks effectively and efficiently.

annaRNC · Apr 30, 2010

I'm a nurse that was a tech before. There are lazy nurses (which I cannot stand) and lazy techs. However the hands-off of direct patient care that I've seen as a nurse disgusts me. Yes, critical thinking, passing meds, starting IVs, chemo, blood (basically everything I get to do daily) etc. require a basic (hopefully high) level of care but seeing other nurses sitting on their butt while some of the techs run all day is awful. Everyone asks why I'm always running around -- I think it's the nurse's job too to do direct care. It's probably really hard in LTC because of the ratios. I have 6-7 peds patients which is doable although lots have no family or need complete care. This is in an inpatient environment. You need to make clear what the tech needs to do. If the patient needed something right then you might want to say to the tech I need you to do x for Mr. Jones now and you can finish passing drinks after. You have to set the expectations. Also as a tech I had 10 trauma patients with some nurses that did absolutely no direct care. Please help your techs if you can because they can make or break your experiences. Don't ask one who is running around to do something you could easily get off of your butt and do yourself. I still get ****** at how badly some nurses treat techs/CNAs/PCTs. Nursing is a team sport and everyone needs to get it there or get the heck out.

Peds_Nurse · Apr 30, 2010

I was a CNA and now I'm an LVN working in a rehab facility. I have anywhere from 25 - 30 patients and I have 3 CNAs on my shift. Most of them really kick A** and work very, very hard. I know how hard this work is, I used to do it also. I always take call lights and if it's something I can do during a med pass to this patient, then I get their meds and do the CNA job at the same time. It really doesn't take that long to complete. If it's toileting, I tell the CNA that the patient is on the commode and to watch for the bathroom light. If it's meal time, while in the room giving meds or treatment to another patient in the room, I'll ask the person if they need help with their meal or feed a little to them. Again, I always tell my aides what I've done so they know what they need to do next. Communication seems to be the key and we communicate between us continuously. It's always 2 way communication and I always remember to Thank them for a Job Well Done at the end of the shift.

Of course, there are a few CNAs and Nurses that are lazy, chatty, neglectful, etc. Document, document, document these behaviors. I did recently, thanks to the wonderful advice from my fellow nurses on allnurses.com and the CNA that was an issue was indeed suspended for 3 days. Boy, did her attitude change! She was very attentive to the patients when she came back, maybe she just needed a wake up call.

Good luck and remember, we all have the same focus...The Safety and Care of our patients!

a.cna · Jul 21, 2010

Perhaps you should do like some of the others suggested. and help the cnas. we may be under you, but there is no reason we have to do everything. i know your busy, but so are we!! and writing them up wont do anything, except make them resent you for ''throwing your weight around''. also if you do feel the need to talk to him, do it in a respectable manner, not accusingly. i know how that feels and it does no good.