Some of you are probably already familiar with the culture on my unit, where CNAs are permitted to perform abysmally with no consequences (this has been the culture for years). Float pool nurses and nurses from other floors have refused to float to our unit because of it. Good RNs have left the unit because of it.
Not very long ago, the aides made it clear that they expect RNs to *take turns* with the "toilet Q2s" and the "turn Q2s".
Well, now they're complaining that some RNs delegate all routine vitals to them, and we're going to reevaluate our VS protocol as a unit, and they're requesting that RNs help with passing and picking up meal trays.
It's one thing to help out with this stuff when I have time, and I totally don't mind, but this is getting ridiculous. It's not like I sit on my behind picking my nose while the aides scurry around. I have missed many a dinner break and have had to stay late to finish charting on many an occasion, yet the aides *always* get their breaks and get out on time.
They take a half an hour to give CNA to CNA report, while call lights go unanswered that entire time. What if the person is having chest pain? What if they are bleeding from their groin site?
I even recently overheard one CNA saying to another "We don't do VS. That's part of the RN's assessment."
Then, last night, while I was busy in a room with patient care, my wireless started ringing in the middle of what I was doing, so I looked at it before silencing it (instead of throwing it out the window, which is what I really wanted to do), and it was a text that read "Please help pass trays".
Is this normal? Am I crazy to think this is absurd?
I've met more bad CNAs than good ones, recently. It seems they are there for the paycheck and for nothing else. Some are barely trained, like the one who left VS on my cart, with 1 patient having a temp. of 107 (2 hours later). I asked the CNA (sarcastically) if the patient was still alive. She replied, "That's what the machine said", and walked away. I told the supervisor that she was too dangerous for my patients, and she was transferred. I worked once on an Alzheimer floor as an agency fill-in, 11-7. At 4am, after the cna did 2 rounds and slept the rest of the time, she announced to me that there were usually 2 CNAs and since there weren't that night, she just covered her own patients. Half the floor was never covered. I've been back there at nights, but noticed that she isn't around anymore. Some CNAs are the best, though. I worked with several, who really care about their patients and strive to be knowledgeable. Those are invaluable and more rare now. Training for CNAs used to be 6 months, back in the mid 80s, if I recall. Now they are taught the test and thrown onto a floor, as soon as possible.
Specializes in Wilderness Medicine, ICU, Adult Ed..
OP wrote, "Float pool nurses and nurses from other floors have refused to float to our unit because of it. Good RNs have left the unit because of it."
Maybe it is time for you to join them. If management will not support you by firing employees who refuse to do their jobs, then you are not going to be able to change the behavior of these bad actors. It is time to go.
I started my new job this week. They don't have CNAs in my new unit, only Techs. The Techs are awesome. Some of them are paramedics. They help with turning over rooms, patient transport, lab draws and a lot more. So far I have yet to meet one that doesn't work hard, but I've only been there a couple of days. From what I have seen though, the teamwork is outstanding and the charge nurse does not put up with slacking.
Specializes in ortho,med-surg,neuro,CQI\LTC,homehealth,.
It amazes me whenever I hear nurses complain about their CNA's. I have been a charge nurse,unit manager,ADON and a regional nurse and that is exactly how I ran my units (IN CHARGE!!!!) I also have a great respect for CNA's and had no problem working side by side with them when I needed to.Thus earning their respect as well. CNA's are also representive of nursing management. So instead of complaining about the CNA's maybe more nurses should re-evaluate their leadership skills.:typing
It amazes me whenever I hear nurses complain about their CNA's. I have been a charge nurse,unit manager,ADON and a regional nurse and that is exactly how I ran my units (IN CHARGE!!!!) I also have a great respect for CNA's and had no problem working side by side with them when I needed to.Thus earning their respect as well. CNA's are also representive of nursing management. So instead of complaining about the CNA's maybe more nurses should re-evaluate their leadership skills.:typing
Well, since the problem on my now ex-unit existed long before I came to work there, and undoubtedly continues now that I have gone, I don't feel it's fair to lay the culture that permits poor performance at my feet, as if it's just one more of my failures as a nurse that I couldn't single handedly swoop in and change the long standing culture of an entire inpatient unit because of my poor leadership skills. Sheesh. :typing
It amazes me whenever I hear nurses complain about their CNA's. I have been a charge nurse,unit manager,ADON and a regional nurse and that is exactly how I ran my units (IN CHARGE!!!!) I also have a great respect for CNA's and had no problem working side by side with them when I needed to.Thus earning their respect as well. CNA's are also representive of nursing management. So instead of complaining about the CNA's maybe more nurses should re-evaluate their leadership skills.:typing
I disagree. I think it's the management's lack of leadership skills that allows this noncompliant behavior of the CNAs to go on. If people are gonna come to work and not do their job then they shouldn't be there. They are a waste of space. They are more of a hinderance than they are help. This goes for both RNs and CNAs.
I live in Michigan, and a lot of the nursing homes are always firing and hiring CNAs every 2-6 months. They don't keep us long. That's why I decided to go to school fulltime to get my RN, so I can hold onto a job.
Again,CNA's are representative of nursing management.
Do you mean nurse managers? Or staff nurses managing them because you also said "So instead of complaining about the CNA's maybe more nurses should re-evaluate their leadership skills.:typing"....So how are we suppose to reevaluate our leadership skills if the CNA we are working with is insubordinate?
Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
Some of you are probably already familiar with the culture on my unit, where CNAs are permitted to perform abysmally with no consequences (this has been the culture for years). Float pool nurses and nurses from other floors have refused to float to our unit because of it. Good RNs have left the unit because of it.
Not very long ago, the aides made it clear that they expect RNs to *take turns* with the "toilet Q2s" and the "turn Q2s".
Well, now they're complaining that some RNs delegate all routine vitals to them, and we're going to reevaluate our VS protocol as a unit, and they're requesting that RNs help with passing and picking up meal trays.
It's one thing to help out with this stuff when I have time, and I totally don't mind, but this is getting ridiculous. It's not like I sit on my behind picking my nose while the aides scurry around. I have missed many a dinner break and have had to stay late to finish charting on many an occasion, yet the aides *always* get their breaks and get out on time.
They take a half an hour to give CNA to CNA report, while call lights go unanswered that entire time. What if the person is having chest pain? What if they are bleeding from their groin site?
I even recently overheard one CNA saying to another "We don't do VS. That's part of the RN's assessment."
Then, last night, while I was busy in a room with patient care, my wireless started ringing in the middle of what I was doing, so I looked at it before silencing it (instead of throwing it out the window, which is what I really wanted to do), and it was a text that read "Please help pass trays".
Is this normal? Am I crazy to think this is absurd?
It is amazing that your unit is having this problem . This is not usually the case in other places that I have been to. Nurses help when they can but that is not their primary responsibility..... the nurses are trained to provide the services needed that they have been schooled and train to do more complex and needed critical thinking. The aides are hired to assist and do services that is not life threatening but very important. For them to demand "equal" Q2's as mandatory is crazy since they could not do anything to help do the real nurses job !!! I can see the q2's to be tight, so maybe staff it evenly among the CNA's so not only one or two have a very busy q2,s? But to expect the nurses on a regular basis is ridiculous......maybe the total primary care is not so bad after all , if you just staff the floor w/ nurses and just give them less patients or assign according the the acuity of the patient.
I used to work in a psych lock up unit -----we can not afford to have lazy CNA's or we will all get hurt. We help what we can w/ the CNA's , when we have the time, but definitely not a must !
I have been a manager for 20+ years in a variety of settings. This behavior is appalling. So where are your managers? I would love to meet them and give them some hints about how to deal with this surly bunch of aides. If I were in your shoes, I would start looking elsewhere. This is probably going to sound biased but I think those aides could be more easily replaced than you. Shame on your administration for allowing this behavior.:typing
graysonret
155 Posts
I've met more bad CNAs than good ones, recently. It seems they are there for the paycheck and for nothing else. Some are barely trained, like the one who left VS on my cart, with 1 patient having a temp. of 107 (2 hours later). I asked the CNA (sarcastically) if the patient was still alive. She replied, "That's what the machine said", and walked away. I told the supervisor that she was too dangerous for my patients, and she was transferred. I worked once on an Alzheimer floor as an agency fill-in, 11-7. At 4am, after the cna did 2 rounds and slept the rest of the time, she announced to me that there were usually 2 CNAs and since there weren't that night, she just covered her own patients. Half the floor was never covered. I've been back there at nights, but noticed that she isn't around anymore. Some CNAs are the best, though. I worked with several, who really care about their patients and strive to be knowledgeable. Those are invaluable and more rare now. Training for CNAs used to be 6 months, back in the mid 80s, if I recall. Now they are taught the test and thrown onto a floor, as soon as possible.