Nurses forced to work as aides

Red Kryptonite · Mar 28, 2015

Now, I hate the cleaning parts, but they are all part of my responsibilities as a nurse. So I suck it up and do it. Simple as that.

You sound like a grown up. ðŸ‘

MatrixRn · Mar 28, 2015

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.

As others have said, nursing has CNA work as part of its job description. The job is not unprofessional. It is part of nursing, and as an RN it is not beneath you.

It's confusing to the patients to have two RN's running around.

Uh, no. While patients love their CNAs, I have never had a patient tell me to go away. They are thrilled to have an RN in the room administering care.

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.

When you are in the role of CNA they should not ask you to medicate, for all the reasons that you stated.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2015

And what is so awful about being a sitter? I have many years of experience as a psych nurse and psych CNS, and I have done my share of "sitting." Are you too good to be a sitter? Too important?

I was floated as a sitter a lot while I was a CNA. It is absolutely the most grueling job out there for someone who needs to be busy like me. Had a guy who wanted to sleep, close his door, turn out all the lights and the TV one night. I had to sit still in perfect darkness for 12 hours. I would have not only forfeited the money, but I would have paid my job more than my wage to let me out of there that night. Not everybody has the personality to be a sitter. It's not anything about being better or worse than anyone else.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2015

I wonder if everybody bashing the OP would be just as okay with a NICU nurse being floated to psych, or a stepdown nurse floated to LTC and taking twelve patients instead of three. Would those people get bashed for being uncomfortable? If you are a nurse used to four or five patients suddenly doing personal care for ten or fifteen or more, that is an unfamiliar role. I very seriously doubt this hospital has nurses shadow CNAs when they are first hired, so these nurses are just having to wing it. Being a CNA for fifteen people is a lot different than assessing/medicating/etc five or six. The workflow and how your organize your shift are different. Are you all okay with a L&D nurse who has never worked anywhere else being floated into adult ICU?

Who cares that the ratios are different and the type of care you are providing is different? It's all nursing tasks, right?

Miley22 · Mar 28, 2015

I don't know that facility I currently work at is LTC and chronically understaffed. There are no nurse/patient ratios in LTC so RNs routinely have 15 to 25 patients. Last night we had 39 patients with me (RN) 1 LVN and 2 CNAs. So I had a full patient load of 18 did two admits, Passed meds for my 18 plus managed 4 IV's as only the RN does IV's. I felt bad for the two CNAs who were working their Asses off and even helped an patient or two to the toilet and made up a few beds. I didn't take a break last night and my relief showed up 25 minutes late. I will be looking for other employment soon but need this job right now.
hppy

This sounds exactly like the LTC facility that I worked for when I was a new grad. I think this sounds like any typical LTC facility. I worked at a LTC for 5 months and advanced to an acute care facility after that. I couldn't survive any day longer.

SWM2009 · Mar 28, 2015

I worked as a CNA for years. When I can at my present job, I will answer call lights, assist residents to the bathroom, do bed baths, clean incontinent residents, etc. That said, I really appreciate that my facility does not require nurses to work as CNAs.

ComeTogether, LPN · Mar 28, 2015

It is common practice around here. You aren't being asked to change light bulbs, you're being asked to care for patients in a capacity that you are qualified. The only problem I would see with it would be if you were getting paid the same as a CNA.

My tongue is bleeding now.

springchick1, ADN, RN · Mar 28, 2015

My boss asked one of our employees on a Monday afternoon (I'm in the OR) to go help the NAs clean the OR and turn it over. His response was, "That's not my job. That's what the nursing assistances are for." So for the next four days, his only responsibility was to work with the nursing assistants why they cleaned rooms, transported patients, went to the lab etc.

Nursing is a team effort. If you don't want to be part of the team, go home! There are 100s of people out there who would love your job and would be happy to do the hard, back breaking work you feel like is beneath you.

RescueNinjaKy · Mar 28, 2015

I wonder if everybody bashing the OP would be just as okay with a NICU nurse being floated to psych, or a stepdown nurse floated to LTC and taking twelve patients instead of three. Would those people get bashed for being uncomfortable? If you are a nurse used to four or five patients suddenly doing personal care for ten or fifteen or more, that is an unfamiliar role. I very seriously doubt this hospital has nurses shadow CNAs when they are first hired, so these nurses are just having to wing it. Being a CNA for fifteen people is a lot different than assessing/medicating/etc five or six. The workflow and how your organize your shift are different. Are you all okay with a L&D nurse who has never worked anywhere else being floated into adult ICU?
Who cares that the ratios are different and the type of care you are providing is different? It's all nursing tasks, right?

Apple's and oranges. The scope of practice for a cna is drastically lower than an rn, so the change in focus of tasks (not change in tasks because we do cna work anyways) Will not have much of an impact on patient safety. However a nurse floating to another unit is a complete different story. There is an issue with unfamiliar tasks, procedures, medications, parameters. This can cause issues in patient safety, which is why when someone is floated, they should be getting the lower case load or lower acuity and stable patients.

And once again, cna work and competency is something all rn should have and is a part of the job you signed up for. Where as say giving chemo is not part of my job description if I'm a L&D nurse. Also, icu is like one of those places that you won't get a float in unless they've had some sort of experience.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Mar 28, 2015

I worked 12 hours shifts at a hospital that at the time had both 8 hour and 12 hour floors/units. If I was floated to one that did 8 hours then I would usually be taken off my assignment for the last 4 hours of the day and floated the floor as aide/helper (basically VS, accuchecks, IVs, admissions, etc). I still got the same pay so I didn't care. Plus, many times I worked where we did not have an aide and as nurses we did primary care. It was actually kind of nice that way. By doing the basics, you can get a very good skin and mobility assessment while providing the necessary care at the same time.

MedSurgNurse723 · Mar 28, 2015

My hospital does this as well, most often on night shifts because that's usually when we're short on aides. I've been a sitter several times as well. I always kind of like getting to work as an aide for a few hours because sometimes it is a bit of a break from having a full team and running around trying to pass meds to everyone as an RN. I also think it really helps you to appreciate the aides on the floor because you see firsthand all the work they have to do and how hard it can be. I wouldn't consider any of it beneath me because as others have mentioned all the things an aide does are part of a nurses job description as well. Even on a busy day shift I always try and help out the aides or help clean my patients up, bring them water, etc, when I'm in the room with them and have the time. In return I think the aides are more willing to do things for me when I delegate to them.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Mar 28, 2015

I float to other floors when our census is low and do "cna" type work and patient sitting. Patient sitting is often PAINFULLY boring. I have no problem admitting that I groan internally when I get called to sit. But I sometimes enjoy the ability to take care of patients without the responsibility of being their nurse. But, then again I've never had a problem with body fluids (I work LDRP; we love body fluids over here lol), and we never get an actual assignment when we float (since we could be called back to L&D at any second). So we just help out as needed- very low stress. I don't think I would enjoy it NEARLY as much if I had to take on a full cna load.

But I agree with previous posters- there is no such thing as "cna" work. It seems like a terrible idea, financially, for hospitals to regularly be paying an RN to work as a CNA, but I'd rather be floated than sent home without pay!