LTC newbie.. CNA's hate me! help!

star.crush · Jun 8, 2009

Sounds like a good idea :) If you need someone to talk to feel free to contact me.

sasha2lady · Jul 30, 2009

hmm...well..i work in ltc also...and to be honest ...i started out as a bit of a pushover b/c i worked the floors with the cnas that i was now having to monitor. to my advantage...i knew which ones needed more supervision and which ones didnt b/c i had worked with them for so many years. However....it didnt stop some of them from testing me...when i was training on a med cart ..my 1st day...one of them kept telling me over and over every few mins..while she was behind the desk mind you.."go put her in the br.....go get those call lights...see what she wants...turn her over for me..."....and ok....one night of that was all it took for me. I was newly pregnant so my hormones were out of control and I was an A**hole for the whole 9 mos....it didnt take but a hot minute for them to find out that I wasnt going to do their job for them in order to get them to listen to me. I explained to the ones that I had to...that i was trying to learn a new job and I couldnt do their work for them...they are getting paid to do their job...so do it.....and if i said something to them then i expected it to be taken care of without an argument or attitude. I also told them "i can do your job with my eyes closed...can you do mine???"...and of course they said no. I had a bad bad run in with a cna that i really liked one time over the assignment sheet. I had to change their assignment b/c another aide had been put on one that he was not allowed to work on for very specific reasons....the only ones who knew why he couldnt work it was me, the don and the administrator...so they wanted him to work under me for close supervision..that was the only way he could keep his job.so ..i changed it and she got ****** and started cussing at me and said she was gonna quit....i told her that i had reasons to change it that didnt concern her or anybody else and that if she wanted to quit...go for it...go clock out..go home and you can take it up with the don on whether or not you still have a job. well....she ended up huffing and puffing but she stayed and after another aide talked to her later on...apparently she knew why he couldnt work that hall b/c he had told her....she came up and apologized to me. I told her i appreciated it but that she would never ever talk to me that way again for any reason and that when i do something it is for reasons...not for spite or for fun and games. she told me that she wouldnt have went off like that if she'd have known why....i replied back that why wasnt the issue....b/c it wasnt her concern or her problem...after that i havent had any more lip from her.. this was after she went to the administrator on me about changing the assignment....who just so happened to back me up 100%....the point is....right now...they might not "like" you or your style of doing things...but you will only get respect if you demand it....dont ask for it. You arent there to be their friend....you are there to work and so are they. think about it....you can do cna work all day long no problem..but can you do that plus any meds, tx's, orders, assessments, admissions, labs???? nope. I even had 2 new cnas tell me that the others had told them that i was a tough nurse and so forth...which made them scared to work under me on my hall. The aide that told me this also told me that i was the best nurse she'd ever worked with ...which was a huge compliment for me and totally unexpected. I just have high expectations of my aides...and they learned what I would and wouldnt put up with like...face hair on women, food on their clothes or face, messy rooms, smells, etc....those are all no nos that i wont have on my hall. we joke about it now..but at the time it was so not funny. and if all else fails...write them up!

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2009

i would like to help them but i dont think they need help most of the time. they only have 6 patients to take care of. i dont see them busy at all. most of the time they are just hangin out in an empty room, they would close the door and just talk. i have so many things going on with 47 patients that i have to give meds to and the least they can do is be helpful like the other CNA's in the other stations.

There is no reason why a CNA should be behind closed doors if they're done with all their work. What if they're needed to assist with a tx, or a new admit comes in. When I worked LTC, I wasn't done even if all my patients were done. I would clean up the clutter because there was always clutter, and then I would also go stock the rooms with linens because each resident had their own linen closet in their room where we could put briefs, wash cloths, their oral stuff etc. Those areas were always empty so there was always something for me to do. I wouldn't just do my patients linen closets, I'd do the whole floors linen closets. When the other CNA's would see me doing it, then some of them would come and help too.

dulcemorena · Aug 17, 2009

Thats why I think it helps to be a CNA before becoming a nurse because you know the workload and duties. It gives you an advantage for when they try to tell you they dont have time to do something and you will also be able to tell when they are behind and may need an extra hand. It sucks that you have to do things like buy donuts and do part of their jobs to get them to "like" you but I guess if all else fails then play the game so you can get through the day and that the residents receive the care they deserve. At the facility I would like to work, the RN's are charge during the day and LPN's are charge only at night and in the evenings which I think makes it a little easier because day shift is very chaotic when you have over 30 pts to pass meds to. Take it from a CNA, dont be a pushover because they will walk all over you if you let them.

saintplatypus · Aug 18, 2009

Call the CNAs together and talk to them. Explain to them that you are sorry they lost their previous charge nurse and that you understand their loss. Let them know that you are aware that you do things differently but that all nurses have different ways of doing things. That it doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, just differently. Let them know that you are open to ideas of how to do a particular task in a way that makes your patient more comfortable or cooperative, and that you would appreciate their input but that doing so in front of the patient is inappropriate. And let them know that you understand that respect is earned and not an automatic right, but ask they give you the opportunity to earn that respect, and that you will also for them likewise. And as has been said, helping them whenever possible goes a long way toward gaining respect.

Above all be confident in your self and your nursing abilities. Good Luck

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2009

Call the CNAs together and talk to them. Explain to them that you are sorry they lost their previous charge nurse and that you understand their loss. Let them know that you are aware that you do things differently but that all nurses have different ways of doing things. That it doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, just differently. Let them know that you are open to ideas of how to do a particular task in a way that makes your patient more comfortable or cooperative, and that you would appreciate their input but that doing so in front of the patient is inappropriate. And let them know that you understand that respect is earned and not an automatic right, but ask they give you the opportunity to earn that respect, and that you will also for them likewise. And as has been said, helping them whenever possible goes a long way toward gaining respect.
Above all be confident in your self and your nursing abilities. Good Luck

I see things a bit different, I believe that respect should be given from day 1 period plain and simple. I don't think on the first day that a nurse should have to earn a CNA's respect, and a CNA shouldn't have to earn the respect of the Charge Nurse. I believe respect should be given whether the person deserves it or not. It's the workforce and the bottom line is the patient comes first. I've worked with plenty of people who I gave them the benefit of the doubt from day one, and if they lost my respect then they lost it. But I would never show them disrespect on the floor. I never deny a person a greeting even if I don't like them. I will always offer them my help because in the end, it's the patient who we're there to care for. If we were outside the workforce then the story changes. But as long as it comes to work, respect should be given. You don't have to be fake, just be professional about it.

tattooednursie, LVN · Aug 21, 2009

When I first started out as an LVN (in the same place where I had worked as a CNA the 6 years before) There was a lot of resentment toward me, and no respect at all. I hated comming to work. It was heading to the point where some would deliberatly not do what I asked. I did have to put my foot down in a professional way, in a moment of time where I could speak to the unruly CNA's all at once. All I said was, "I have worked hard to get where I am, I deserve to be where I am. I'm not going anywhere but up. While you are trying to make my job harder, remember that I am your supervisor when you are working on my hall, and I can make those tables turn."

They started listening after that. Now I do feel like I no longer lack the respect. They have already learned with me, they get what they give. Do your job, and show me decent respect, and I will happily give that respect to you.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2009

Tattooed it's because they were jealous of you, now you're the one in charge. They can only wish they could be where you were. That's why there was lack of respect. Keep going up!

sasha2lady · Aug 27, 2009

after re reading this post it reminds me of something that I saw last night when i was at work...I get there and we have to sign in at the desk (why? I dunno.)...and I make the assignment sheets b/c the DON and ADON wont do it.....they do as little as possible. Anyways....we have a big issue with a few aides on 2nd that never get their vitals when they are supposed to...now...they all know to do them and that they are due by 4 pm which is fair since they have different hours that the nurses...they come in and leave an hour earlier than we do. Soo...I have been writing on the sheets for them to get their vs for 2 yrs now....and if something comes up that I might forget to tell them (an appt or something) Ill write it on there so we can all be on the same page hopefully....well...I found a note on their yesterday that said "to 2nd shift charge nurse (thats me)..dont leave any notes for the cnas per DON/ADMIN."....which....irked me since NONE of mgmt deals with the slack that some of the aides do....so I was like..Ok....fine w/ me...no notes....no nothing....Ill just go back to having to ask them only 100 x before it gets done again. I even had them some nice sheets to write the vs on...but oh well...thats what I get for trying to get them to actually work. I went through and redid all the sheets last night that had my notes on them and my reminders for them...so now its just blank with their names on it and what unit they go to. I am so aggravated with that place that I just dont care anymore if they get this piddly stuff done or not..I will just do it myself..at least it will be right. I plan on quitting hopefully by December anyways....but not til I use up my vacation time first. Trying to do my job plus everybody elses is a waste of my time and I refuse to do it anymore....if they dont do what I ask of them....its write up time from here on out. .......