hey guys. I am new, this is actually my first post! I have been browsing for a few days. Well, I graduated in April, immediately began working as a graduate-charge nurse for LTC. The facility currently as only 16 res, but can hold 40, all PRIVATE pay. The CNA's that I have scheduled with me have been here since we opened, (just over 6 months). They have basically had the run of the house. Well, I noticed that they will go behind my back and not finish, or begin assignments that I have requested. (full set of vitals, ect.) I am swamped in paper work so do not think about it until they have gone. I started an assignment sheet that lets them know what assignments they have from the beginning of the shift. The female CNA is very close to my age (she is 24 and I am 26). She told me she does not like the fact we are so close in age. It makes her feel bad she has not finished school. I DO NOT HOLD SCHOOL against her. I will wipe my res butt just as fast as the CNA's. I was a CNA for a while. I do not sit on my butt behind the desk, I get up and spend time with my res, dress, feed, ect. I am a little intimided to let it go because I do not want to cause a fight. I work with her every shift. The male CNA and her have been working together for over 3 years, so I realize they know how to "work the system". I am getting fustrated. How do I set rules, get the respect I need, ensure they get their job done, without making them feel like crap and me turning out to be the bad-guy? The female as stated she is bi-polar. I know this is not an excuse to treat your boss like crap. HELP!
Thank you to all who replied. I agree that respect should be earned, but there must be some to begin with. That is how you earn it, and maintain it. I can not see myself not doing an assignment and expecting my nurse not to say anything. I respect them for being CNA's. When I entered this facility, I go went in respecting people until they show they can not be respected. If they do something more for respect, then I admire them. When I am speaking of respect, I am wanting my CNA's to do the job they are paid for. They know they need to do the assignments, but refuse. I agree that they are "testing the water". Thank you to all who posted. I'll keep you updated. I am going to talk to my DON and let her know that I will be speaking with my CNAs that way if they go tell her she will be expecting it.
Just my input as a former CNA studying to be LPN. First of all, that female CNAs remark about your age was inappropriate. Second, I have worked with some excellent nurses (some of whom happened to be screamers) and had tremendous respect for them. It was part of my job to keep them up to date on any changes in the resident's status and I think there was maybe one case where I told them something they didn't know about. They were really on the ball. But, I have also worked with some really lousy nurses, who had no clue what was going on with the residents and if you told them something they would say, "um OK, I'll leave a note in the chart." These were nurses that drove me to utter frustration. I remember locking myself in the med supply room with another CNA and just trying to figure out how we were going to advocate for these pts. -- which was really putting us in a very sticky political situation and we ended up doing nothing.
I'm not saying you are that kind of nurse, just that CNAs watch what you're doing, they really do, and some of them are dolts that you really need to be on top of because they'll try to get away with anything, but others are really invested in things and they will be taking their cues from you. Some of the things the nurses did that kept us on our toes was making rounds at the beginning and end of each shift (one nurse would call aides who had already clocked out and left that they had to come back because they hadn't done something -- a little extreme), sitting down at a specific time (rather then nagging about it over the course of the shift) and going over our paper work, baths, vs, bowels, I&O and politely telling us at first and then after a few times really getting on our case about getting it done. And heaven help the aides that didn't have things done! We all learned when to do things and ended up pushing and each other (that takes a load off the nurse's back).
texas_lvn
427 Posts
Thank you to all who replied. I agree that respect should be earned, but there must be some to begin with. That is how you earn it, and maintain it. I can not see myself not doing an assignment and expecting my nurse not to say anything. I respect them for being CNA's. When I entered this facility, I go went in respecting people until they show they can not be respected. If they do something more for respect, then I admire them. When I am speaking of respect, I am wanting my CNA's to do the job they are paid for. They know they need to do the assignments, but refuse. I agree that they are "testing the water". Thank you to all who posted. I'll keep you updated. I am going to talk to my DON and let her know that I will be speaking with my CNAs that way if they go tell her she will be expecting it.