LAZY CNA's!!

caliotter3 · May 7, 2012

They can only continue to be lazy if management allows this. I like the idea of writing up incident reports when they refuse to follow instructions. That puts the onus directly on management, where it belongs, in order to move out those who refuse to do their job. Believe it or not, there are people out there who are willing to do a job, if given a job.

caliotter3 · May 7, 2012

Another CNA we have does NOTHING. you can never find him, your blood sugars are never done, your vitals are never done, your patient's baths are never done, none of your patients have had a walk. Don't know where he goes or what he does his whole shift. If you call his phone another CNA answers "He is on break" my reply: "AGAIN!??" or, if he has his phone and he isn't on break he just doesn't answer.

We had a CNA like that. You couldn't find him because he chose a different non-patient room every night and went there to smoke marijuana. Yes, he smoked pot on the job. And when he did go on his rounds, he did everything possible not to lift a finger. A true gem of an employee.

Seas · May 7, 2012

If you have good management, it shouldn't be all that hard to solve this problem. I recently had an issue with a CNA on my floor; I first pulled her aside to talk. She took it personally, got attitude and did worse patient care on purpose. I reported her to my manager, and they had a talk. This CNA is now way better at her job. We're content. Problem solved.

JZ_RN · May 7, 2012

I love my aides first off and most of them are awesome, hardworking, and I appreciate everything they do.

I have problems with CNAs too. One will be sitting in a room hiding, I don't have time to check 50 rooms and I write that aide up every time I find them. The other aides are standing in the hall, chatting in some foreign language. I ask one to go do a fairly simple task because I am on a 4-hr med pass and don't have the time, otherwise I'd just do it myself. The answer I get- That's not my assignment! AGHHH I WANT TO PUNCH THESE PEOPLE when they tell me that. Oh really, 'cause I'm the supervisor and you do as I say.

Then I went to change a dressing the other night, took the aide for that assignment with me to assist. Afterwards she asked if I was doing "so and so's" dressing tonight too. I said yeah, but they have changed it so it's possible to do by myself now as long as the packing stays in or I need a 2nd finger to hold it. So she says, well I'll help. Sure. It saves me 3 minutes going down the hall to get the other aide who is resting for 2 minutes, no biggy. We do the dressing then she goes in her brief, so we change her, obviously, no big deal. Then the aide (not the aide for this assignment but another aide) comes in and starts YELLING at me for disrespecting the other aide and taking her patient with another aide like she doesn't do her job. YELLS at me to go get the other aide because it's her patient. Well I didn't really ask the first aide for a hand, and I would have done it myself had she not been standing right with me and offered. Second of all, I never accused any of my aides of not doing their job to management besides the one that sits and hides but that aide was not there that night anyways. Third, and finally, don't yell at me for caring for MY patient, they are ALL my responsibility. Don't yell at me period you have no freakin' right UGH.

JZ_RN · May 7, 2012

Not to mention the whole time I am trying to explain that to her she is getting huffy in some foreign language and won't let me get a word in edgewise.

RNBeauty23 · May 7, 2012

Wow all the replies have made me see that I don't have it so bad. At least the aide does do her assigned job. I see in some of the post that the aides are having to be hunted down or not even doing their assigned tasks. That would really flip me over the edge. I don't want this forum to turn into a cna bashing session because I know we all appreciate what they do but thanks for all the replies, let's me see I'm definitely not alone in my feelings.

OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2012

I've worked with CNA's as you described and sometimes there is NOTHING you can do. I have thanked CNA's, bought in food for them to eat, have shown them that I'm not above the "dirty work", I've talked to them to get the root of the problem, been polite and nice and nothing has worked. Some CNA's, just like nurses, docs, teachers and etc are just plain nasty.

Luckily,now I work in ICU and don't have to rely on CNA's. I love it!

chevyv, BSN, RN · May 7, 2012

I hear you loud and clear! If I hear one more complaint about the CNA assignment, I will run screaming and tearing my hair out (which may not be good as I work in psych, lol).

Actually asked a CNA to let family out as the CNA was wheeling the supper cart out and she turned and told me to tell the other nurse to do it. Mouth agape, I responded that she was already in the room and only had to open the door. The other nurse would have had to walk down the other hall, step past the CNA and food cart (and family) to get to the door. Seemed absolutely shameful to have that family hear that complaining.

So happy I'm off today and tomorrow!

IdianaCNA1993 · May 7, 2012

Im an aide and I have worked with an aide who found it nessicary to judge every little thing I did on every little mistake I made that wasnt even a big deal and didnt harm a resident or another aide, like I didnt snap the top arm sleave snap on a gown and she made a huge deal out of it. she also yelled at a few residences for being incontenet right after she had cleaned them up. she was also pregers and thought that because of that she didnt have to run around like the rest of us and that she could take a break when the other aides havent even had a chance to sit down. plus she never showered it seemed I mean she down right reaked and the residences complained about her all the time. then I have worked with aides that help one another out and traded things that they didnt want to do.

ScarryBear,RN · May 8, 2012

I have some wonderful CNA's but I have one that is my main midnight aid that infuriates me! She is a really nice person and we have worked together for 2 years on steady midnights. She is well intentioned but is absolutely tunnel visioned. There is no deviating her from the task she is on. She is very inefficient as well. For example she consistently fills water containers one at a time which takes almost an hour for her to complete all the pt rooms by walking back and forth from the ice machine. We have a cart on the unit that she could put them all on, as others do, fill them all at once and be done in 15 min. After suggesting and flat out telling her on multiple times to use the cart because while she is filling them one at a time she is ignoring call bells and it becomes difficult during med passes. Her response is always multiple excuses and ultimately telling me she prefers her method so she can keep the "cups strait" even though they are all labeled. I have tried for two years to get her to work more efficiently to no avail. This is just one example. During a particularly difficult shift she was in her water filling routine and I was on the phone with a doctor and a call light was going off. As she went past with water cups in hand, I asked her to please toilet the patient. She flat out said "no I'm busy doing this you'll have to take her". After getting off the phone and taking the patient to the bathroom I confronted her and it was a totally convoluted argument. I have tried going to supervisors and my nurse manager. They have also had repeated conversations with her but no luck. I feel bad because she has a difficult life at home and I think she feels work is the only place she can have order and control. However it makes me want to scream with frustration. I and our other midnight nurses have resigned ourselves to the fact that when she's there we basically have no aid.

aharris1 · May 8, 2012

I agree with some things in you all posts and some things i dont. I am a STNA and I am in nursing school. I believe there are some lazy STNA's and there are some lazy nurses. I think it goes both ways speaking from another point of view. Not makng any excuses for anyone I do my job and take pride in my work all the time. But sometimes it can be that one lazy nurse that thinks she can not help that makes you get an attitude. I would talk to the CNA and see whats the problem maybe it is with you. Maybe you did something in the past. However we need to remember to be adults and TAKE CARE OF THE PATIENTS. Also cleaning a patient is not out of your scope of practice.

chevyv, BSN, RN · May 8, 2012

Hmmm, so if the nurse gets nowhere with the CNA, it must be the lazy nurse? We all know that cleaning a pt isn't outside our scope of practice, but I see your a student so when you're running around like a chicken and your CNA is sitting on their orifice, please come back and tell us it might just be us!

Perhaps that one lazy nurse is really busy doing something that only the nurse can do. You may think she's being lazy, but until you're a nurse with a full pt load, you really have no idea. It's a group effort and we all need to be working together, but I should be able to trust that my CNA's can clean a pt up so I can call the doc about this very serious lab. I may look like I'm lounging, but I can assure you I am not.