I work as a CNA for a small hospice and really love my job. For the most part, it is a wonderful place to work. Except for one RN that the CNA's and even some RN's have a hard time working with.
Yesterday we had a resident that was actively dying but very restless. Nothing seemed to calm her, her relatives were there at her bed side, we kept her comfortable, she was even give some anxiety meds to help. Nothing seemed to help. I was sitting with the daughter, who was very distraught at seeing her mom like this. I asked her what would your mom do at home when she was feeling uneasy, she said her mom would light a scented candle and put on some soothing music. I told her that we have cd's there with nature sounds and asked it that would help, she said yes so I went and got one, popped it in then asked her what her moms favorite scent was. She said lilac or lavender. I then went to the RN that is a nightmare, to put it politely, and asked her if we had any lavender scent for aromatherapy. She just looked at me with the smuggest of looks and said it's not a priority. Well, to me, that was unacceptable, making a dying person comfortable IS a priority in our facility so I went through the cabinets, found some lavender/vanilla scented oil and proceeded to set up the aroma lamp. The nurse came into the room, stared me down and told me to come out into the hallway. She then told me that she was giving more meds to the patient and that she told me that the oil wasn't a priority and that I need to leave decision making up to the people that are EDUCATED to make those decisions, you are JUST a CNA! Um, wow. I just stood there for a minute, waited for her to leave the room and finished setting up the lamp. That is what the family wanted, so that is what I did.
I waited for about 20 minutes, then walked into the nurses station. The RN mentioned above was in there along with the charge nurse. I took a deep breath and it just poured out. I calmly told her that I didn't appreciate the condescending tone in which she used when speaking to me. I would appreciate it if when addressing a problem or situation with me, that she would treat me with the same respect that she wishes to be treated with. And furthermore, there is no such thing as just a CNA. I resent that you would think that we are the mat under your feet, you are no better than us, you just have a nursing license. Oh and by the way NURSE PEGGY (not her real name) compassion isn't learned with an education, if it were, you would have failed. Yes, I said all of that. She just stared at me with her beady little eyes and a frown. The charge nurse asked me to shut the door on the way out. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when I left. When I left the room, I was shaking like mad but felt very good that I said all of that. I also wondered if it would get me fired, especially with the CN being in there, but they haven't called me in yet. I am scheduled to work tonight so we will see if I am sent packing.
Thanks for reading, I just had to share my lovely day yesterday. Oh and by the way, the resident died about two hours later and the family thanked me for taking those extra measures to make her more comfortable.
