Mutual Respect

[mid2348]

I want to say all the nurses posting here sound like a great bunch! I'm a PCA and have worked in health care since the early 80's while still in high school. I've worked in LTC, home care, children's hospital. I've seen the good the bad the ugly lol. I'm now in CCU,CVU & TELE at our local hospital and I love my job! The nurses on my floor have respect for our job, we work as a team. It wasn't the same for me in LTC, it was more of an "us against them" attitude. A nurse once told me at the children's hospital, "Nurses aides are a dime a dozen." The worst part was that I liked her and looked up to her, she crushed my 16 year old heart saying that lol. I've since learned that good PCA's, CNA's, NA's or whatever the title are far from a dime a dozen. I guess my point is that having worked in both atmospheres hostile and friendly, it's clear to me that mutual respect between nurses and PCA's does wonders for morale. It creates a much needed harmony in a hectic, exciting, rewarding yet sometimes depressing work place.:)

[HonestRN]

CNA's, PCT's, NA's are a dime a dozen however good ones are priceless! I know my day is made so much easier when working with a good CNA. As stated above mutual respect indeed increases morale and improves working conditions immensely. I honestly could not do my job well without my good CNA's.

[CHATSDALE]

i believe that this attitude is more for the individual than in the type of facility they work in...

but mutual respect is an absolute necessity for a good working enviorment

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

Good CNA's not only make my life easier and more pleasant-I have seen patients' lives saved more than once by an observant CNA noticing that something was "off" about the patient. Thanks for all that you do- Chaya :loveya:

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

We have a great CNA who actually gives a true bath, lotion-back rub everything. She discovered a lump on a pts breast and reported it to RN-who reported it to Dr, it was Breast CA. Nursing would not have discovered that.

The good CNAs are worth thier weight in gold. I was a CNA during school and let me tell you I never worked so hard for such little money in my life. If I didnt want to become a Nurse I would have never done it.

I honestly believe CNA needs to be paid more and have a greater respect from the mgmt at the Hospital/LTC centers. If the job paid more we would be able to retain the really good CNAs and would not see the high turn over.

Technically CNAs are a "dime a dozen" and that is the quality you will get with that attitude, but the dedicated CNAs are worth oh so much more.

[JB2007, ASN, RN]

We have a great CNA who actually gives a true bath, lotion-back rub everything. She discovered a lump on a pts breast and reported it to RN-who reported it to Dr, it was Breast CA. Nursing would not have discovered that.

The good CNAs are worth thier weight in gold. I was a CNA during school and let me tell you I never worked so hard for such little money in my life. If I didnt want to become a Nurse I would have never done it.

I honestly believe CNA needs to be paid more and have a greater respect from the mgmt at the Hospital/LTC centers. If the job paid more we would be able to retain the really good CNAs and would not see the high turn over.

Technically CNAs are a "dime a dozen" and that is the quality you will get with that attitude, but the dedicated CNAs are worth oh so much more.

I totally agree with you. At the facility that I work at we have several CNAs that are dedicated and worth their weight in gold. I am always thanking them and telling them how much I appreciate all of their hard work. They work so hard to take good care of the residents and I wish there was more that I could do to show them how much I appreciate all of their hard work.

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I adore most of our CNA's! Totally awesome & vital members of the team. :dancgrp:

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I agree that CNAs, PCAs, and PCTs are valuable to healthcare delivery. I certainly wouldn't be able to do my job without their backbreaking efforts.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

They are the backbone of nursing. The good ones are as hard to come by as diamonds.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

I was a CNA for 5 years, through my last two years of high school and then in nursing school. I have definitely learned to appreciate the value of a great CNA! I treat the CNA's I work with with a lot of respect, and I value their input on our patients. If I delegate a task, I ask nicely, and thank them later. They will make or break your day!

[mid2348]

I agree and think they should make it more difficult (training and testing) to become a CNA. The course I took was for PCT and it was 8 months. The CNA test was a complete joke an insult to my intelligence. I read that the test is set at a sixth grade level and I believe that's true. The pay is ridiculous especially in LTC. I work in a hospital and the pay is better but we also have more responsibilities blood draws, EKG's, glucose monitoring, on top of patient care. I've read posts on different boards that hospital PCA's don't work as hard as CNA's in LTC and that is far from true. If they raised the pay and standards for nursing assistants it would help solve the staffing problems in addition to quality of care to the patients.

[JB2007, ASN, RN]

Great thought mid2348, but it will not happen in a million years. Management will not even treat nurses like intelligant human beings that are an important part of the healthcare team. The nurses have more education than the unlicensed personal. What on earth makes anyone think that they will treat the average CNA/PCT like they are a valued part of the team, let alone pay them more? According to management they think that CNAs are a dime a dozen. Yes, I was told this by a person in management when I was a CNA. Needless to say I went out of healthcare for several years after that.