I am frustrated with my hospital. We have a shortage of aides, and no wonder because they have a hard, backbreaking job for measly pay. As a result, sometimes when we nurses show up to work, we're made to work as aides. No notice, just here: you're an aide today.
This seems really unprofessional to me. I signed up to be a nurse. I never worked as an aide because I know how difficult that job is, and I don't want it. It's confusing to the patients to have two RN's running around. Thankfully, the other nurses haven't asked me to medicate a patient, because I'd have to say no since I didn't get a nursing report, nor did I look up the patients to a sufficient level to be able to take full-on nursing care for them nor did I assess them, but I can see how this could set up a problem in the future for a med error.
It just seems wrong on several levels. I guess this is what happens when you work in a hospital with no union. At least I still get my nursing pay, but I still feel that this is inappropriate.
I consider being a physician (I assume that's the kind of doctor you're referring to?)
a respectable way to make a living. It's a hard and demanding job in its own right
and I would have been proud to do it, should I've desired to pursue that career.
I think that it might be you who's missing the point. If no one was available to make my patient's bed and it needed doing, of course I'd do it. I won't let my patients suffer due to inadequate staffing. The point I'm making is that I wouldn't remain in a job where this was regularly occurring.
As a 6'1'' 152 lbs gymrat with very little body fat I'm likely highly physically suited to lift, clean and make beds all day long. It's just that I don't want it to be the main feature of my work day. If I did I would have chosen my career accordingly. Contrary to what you and others might believe, this hasn't been a problem for me. It hasn't gotten me in trouble with the people I work with, including CNA's. The floors I've worked were adequately staffed and as I said previously the CNA's would have more frequent and longer breaks throughout the day than I would. There was plenty to keep me busy. If this rubs someone the wrong way, so be it.
You replied to my general comment as if I was speaking directly to/about you, and I wasn't. If you don't fall into the category of which my response would fall then clearly my comments were not meant for you.
I didn't say that there was anything wrong with being a doctor, indeed it's a great career for many and a noble profession.
Listen people, the alternative is to have ZERO CNAs and less patients. Would that still be working beneath your licence? Honestly, I wish all nursing was primary care.
The reason this kind of thing happens to begin with is so that they can avoid calling nurses off for low census, so that would be another alternative.
Its pretty common in our area but then again I have always held the belief that I am never to good to do a job Even if I am assigned to work as a nurse that day. Sounds like you might have a hard building a good report with your aids if you feel like you shouldn't be asked to do their work. They are the backbone
I wish my work would let me pick up shifts to cover as an aide! I am an LPN but there aren't many overtime shifts available right now for nurses. We are really short staffed with aides though. They don't want to pay me my lpn wage to do the CNA job. I loved being a cna and still help out while working as an lpn (when I have time).
I work in a hospital in Miami. We are short staffed and thus we get to work as sitters, techs, nurses, etc. also we still get paid the nurses salary! There is not one day that goes by where I don't get a call if I like to come in. Also if you call the nursing office, you can ask to be put in a certain amount of hours and specific positions! For example I can ask to be a sitter for 4 hours after I do a shift. OVERTIME OVERTIME OVERTIME!!!!
We are really short staffed with aides though. They don't want to pay me my lpn wage to do the CNA job.
Here's what I still don't understand, though: why not just assign more nurses to the shift, give them each a smaller assignment, and have them do total care? Then they aren't paying nurse wages to someone acting as a CNA and all the work is still getting done. Can a nurse manager please explain this?
When I was a staff person in OB, I often had to work on a med-surg floor. It was usually as a sitter or NA. We were not trained nor expected to take a med-surg assignment or give a team full of unfamiliar meds by our own management. However, once when pulled to ortho, I thought an elderly man I was feeding, was not just confused but was sweaty and agitated. He was Type II DM on po meds. I suggested checking a blood sugar. The 20 something med-surg RN rolled her eyes and told me "He is fine. He is kooky and always acts like that. " The LPN agreed wuth me and suggested I go ahead check a BS. I did and it was in the 40's. You do have to recognize and act on what you know, but you cannot know what you do not. I would never expect a med-surg nurse to interpret and manage a fetal monitor strip. No one likes to be on a different unit or do things they are not used to.
Its pretty common in our area but then again I have always held the belief that I am never to good to do a job Even if I am assigned to work as a nurse that day. Sounds like you might have a hard building a good report with your aids if you feel like you shouldn't be asked to do their work. They are the backbone
Yes, that's true. Legally, you are held to the standards of your highest level of education and licensure, regardless of the job title and description under which you're working at that particular time.
Not everywhere. In NY, according to the NYSED, you are not held to the level of your education or licensure. You are held to the responsibility of the job you were hired for. With that being said, RN's in my institution are NOT told that they will be working as aides/CNA's/PCT's. If I walked in one day and was told that I would be working as an aide, I would be looking for a new job since I didn't spend all of this money and time to be doing a job which requires none of the education that I have.
I just think a lot of you are missing the point, and are focusing on what your job title is and not what your patients need. If your patent needs their bed made or their toilet unclogged, why not just do it if the appropriate personnel isn't available? Why worry about who's job it is or what scope it falls under, provided you're qualified?
Working 12 hours in a CNA capacity is back breaking and many nurses can't physically do it more than once in awhile, I will absolutely give you that.
I swear some of you should just be doctors, and thats not a compliment. ;-)
Well I'm sure that I'll be in the minority here, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have no use for CNA's or PCT's. I do total care for all of my patients, draw their blood, change linens, clean them up, do BG's & EKG's, etc... One of the primary reasons is the attitude and pushback you get from them when you ask them to do something, as evidenced by the comments the aides have posted here. They're often upset when you ask them to do their jobs and they seem more worried about what others are doing than focusing on their own responsibilities.
Thank you for the kind thought about being a doctor, but I will actually be a nurse practitioner in less than a year so I guess I will be doing similar work to my physician colleagues at that point. And I did take it as a compliment.
In terms of the OP, having a RN work as an aide is a poor management decision and a bad idea. The potential for role confusion can cause problems. Imagine that one day you are working as an aide and the next day as a RN, you know your role that day but the patient doesn't. You don't get a new ID badge when you work as an aide. All the patient sees on your badge is RN.
That would be equivalent to someone being a NP and a RN on the same unit. One day they are wearing a white coat and the next day they're not. This will undoubtedly cause confusion for patients and, thus, why it shouldn't happen.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Listen people, the alternative is to have ZERO CNAs and less patients. Would that still be working beneath your licence? Honestly, I wish all nursing was primary care.
Me too. My favorite was 1:3 total care in what they called DOU. My understanding is that most nurses hate it now because management adds more patients without adding more help.
Glycerine82, LPN
1 Article; 2,188 Posts
You replied to my general comment as if I was speaking directly to/about you, and I wasn't. If you don't fall into the category of which my response would fall then clearly my comments were not meant for you.
I didn't say that there was anything wrong with being a doctor, indeed it's a great career for many and a noble profession.