Message from a CNA - part 2

[aspentree13]

Okay so I started a little bit of heat, and I'm sorry I wasn't more available to respond to the threads. Heres the thing, first off I don't think nurses are lazy. Second I don't think what nurses do is unimportant. Third I understand that your job requirements include charting and what not. Fourth and most important I give the nurses a lot of respect, their my superiors and they deserve it.

Let me explain that what I was trying to get across wasn't that all nurses do these things, its just that some do and thats what I was upset about. I have some nurses that I work with that will pick up CNA shifts because they like the patient interaction better, they are right there helping me wipe up BM. But I do have nurses who will go out of their way to get me to do something that if they would have just done it themselves it would have been quicker and better for the patient.

The main point of my thread wasn't that the nurses don't do anything, its that sometimes they don't listen. Granted a nurses job requires more paperwork, and less hands on patient care. But that means the CNA is the one who does the hands on patient care and knows the resident best. I work in an locked alzheimers unit, and I know these residents inside and out, I know their behavior, when their hurting, what to do to calm them down, what not to do, I know how they brush their teeth, I know what they wear to bed, I know why they cry and how to help them, I know how often they have BM's, I know their children, I know them! Thats what I was trying to express, these patients I take care of are not blurred faces that come and go in a couple of days. I take care of these residents from the day they arrive here till usually the day they die. I've held their hands as they took their last breath, and wished them into the hands of god. These people are my family and I love them just as much.

So all I was trying to say is that I would just like it if the nurses and the administration took my knowledge of these residents into account when I give advice. It hurts when what you say just gets brushed off because your just a CNA. Its a trade off being that I might not have your education, but you probably don't have my knowledge of the patient. So shouldn't we be able to work together to find the best solution as to how to best help the patient.

I also want to say I'm sorry, my words came out to harsh, and I made it sound as if I didn't think a nurses role was valuable. And that I did all the work, I know thats not the case I was just frustrated.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

Just lately, I've had a couple of nights when I ran my butt off, while the aides had time to sit around reading magazines and bs-ing. I have to admit, it rankles a little, but guess what--they were caught up, and I wasn't. And, really, there was nothing wrong with that, because a.) our jobs are different and b.) they've been at theirs longer and are more efficient than I am at mine. Mostly, though, I was just too darned busy to piss and moan about what anyone else was doing.

One of the nurses I sometimes follow is notorious for calling an aide to put a pt she just left on the bedpan. I can understand the aides' frustration, although this nurse is older and not in the best physical shape. Frankly, I think it would be a waste for the floor to lose her mind and her skills because her back isn't as strong as it once was, and in fact I've learned a lot from her that I needed to learn. I'll still get coffee for a patient, but when I'm pressed to get more important things done, I'll delegate.

Now, one morning, I did call an aide and ask her to have an orderly bring me a cup of coffee, but these were old friends who know my sense of humor...

Threads like this remind me how lucky I am. My patient load is usually busy, but manageable. Once in a while, I'll have a night that's pretty cake. Now and then, I'll get in over my head, especially if one patient starts to go bad, but my co-workers are generally good about helping out, and the charge nurse is always available to back me up when the circumstances exceed my skills (I'm a 6 mo RN). I've had aides who've gone well beyond the strict call of duty with me (staying within their scope, but spending more time helping me with a difficult patient than would normally be expected).

Also had possibly my highest compliment as a nurse the other night. You know, it's just swell when a patient or their family member tells you you're a good nurse. It's great to hear, and sometimes just the pick-up you need, but in the end, 90% of them don't really know what the heck they're talking about, and I can think of a number of nurses with way better skills who probably come across as brusque or impersonal.

But a couple of nights ago, I was working 7p-7a, and when the 11-7 aides came on, one told me she was glad I was going to be working with her--which means all the more because I was real glad she was working with me.

So, apart from some well-deserved self-congratulation, if I do say so myself, my point is that it doesn't have to be as the OP describes. Mutual help and respect are completely possible, and even nights-from-hell don't have to deteriorate into back-biting and recrimination. In fact, the opposite can be true. Some of us actually bond while we're up to our elbows in bloody stool. One of the things I like about night shift is that most of us have a sort of shell-shocked camaraderie, and the nights you pull your hair out are the nights you laugh about, next weekend.

Ah, well. Time to hit the shower, then once more, into the breach...