Problem CNAs on night shift

Kitkat23 · Feb 13, 2005

:balloons: Hi Gennaver. Yeah, I know I should have went to the supervisor, but being brand new, I didn't want to cause trouble and have the boss think I can't get along with others. I do volunteer at the hospital now as an escort and I help out a lot on the nursing floor.

I'm appreciated a lot for all the hard work I do and I'm working on getting a full-time CNA job there. My former CNA classmates and my instructor had warned me about that nursing home where I was let go from. The nursing home smelled really bad; you could smell it from the reception area and the visitors had complained about their loved ones sitting in their pee/poo and that their teeth are rotting. But I took the job because they were hiring and they paid the most in my area.

But I'd rather work in the hospital. It's not as depressing as LTC. But I'll never give up and I'm taking a PCT (Patient Care Technician) class this summer. Have a nice day. :balloons:

Kitkat23 · Feb 14, 2005

:wink2:

Holy crap! I'm stunned! We'd JUMP FOR JOY to have an aide like you!!

:cool: Thanks Angie, I sure love to work with you. Do you work in LTC or at a hospital? I've been told many times that there will be a bunch of CNAs who don't give a damn about the residents and are jealous of the caring ones who do the right thing. The aide who trained me was awful and I got along with the charge nurses. They've helped me more with callbells and rounds more than Aidefromhell. I did have a good aide who trained me on the second day, but she left for vacation the next day. She was saying stuff like "Keep up the good work!" and "You'll make a good aide!" and she never criticized. She helped me out with bells and the rounds and I helped her with her water pitchers and vitals. I wished she trained me the whole time instead of that aidefromhell, cause I wouldn't have lost my job for being "slow". I wished I brought that to the supervisor's or charge nurse's attention, but I didn't want to appear like a troublemaker/tattletale on my first week. But I do volunteer at the hospital as an escort and I help out on the nursing floors as well. I'm appreciated a lot for all the hard work and dedication with the patients. I'm working on getting a job there as an aide. Have a good day.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Feb 14, 2005

Thanks Angie, I sure love to work with you. Do you work in LTC or at a hospital?

I work in a great hospital on a tele floor in Florida. It's fast-paced and it's challenging because most of our patients are also elderly. We have great benefits like tuition reimbursement, earn-as-you-learn, and wonderful free clinical education programs for everyone, some online, some classroom.

Oh, and I work nights too. We always are a little short of PCTs because many we pick go to nursing school, and we just had a few graduate.

Blackcat99 · Feb 14, 2005

I really like the idea of giving out hand-outs and make them as specific as possible such as vital signs need to be done and turned into the nurse by 12 midnight etc. I would have a line on the hand-out where the CNA would write her signature signifying that she understands her job description. Make a copy of the hand-out with her signature on it and give the copy back to her. If she doesn't do her job as you specified you can then attach the hand-out with her signature and attach it to the official write-up form. Just keep writing her up everyday if necessary until she does her job. Good luck

Kitkat23 · Feb 14, 2005

:chuckle :balloons: Hi Angie. That's cool that you work in the hospital. My friend is a PCT on the telemetry wing at the hospital where I volunteer. We get a bunch of elderly patients and a bunch of middleaged and adult patients. Sometimes we use telemetry as overflow. Our hospital has only 213 beds and we've been getting a ton of patients.

We will be expanding the hospital again by adding more patient floors and making the ER bigger. No more long waits. I'm taking a PCT class this summer and I'm excited. It requires a lot of CNA hours and experience since the course is fast paced, but I want to take it.

In this PCT course, we'd learn to d/c foleys and IVs, do sterile dressing changes (simple), help set up sterile trays, use Dynamap, suction patients with the Yankaur catheter (spelled right?), use the JP/Hemovac, teach patients postop breathing techniques, suicide watches, applying oxygen equipment, wound care, and pulse oximetry.

Plus we do the basic ADL's and vital signs, collecting urine and stool specimens, colostomy care, decubitus care, collecting blood glucose results, and observing and reporting patient changes to charge nurse.

I'd be very nervous about d/c'ing the foley and iv, but I can do it. I know the way around the hospital, where the clinical will be held, and I hope to get a job as a CNA so I'd learn faster in the clinical site. :balloons: I'd love to work in telemetry, Med/surg, Pediatrics, or OB/GYN. But if they hire me in either oncology, ER, or CCU/ICU, I'd work there as well. Actually, I shouldn't be too picky, what counts is that I'll have my foot in the door as a paid CNA. :balloons: Have a nice day. :)

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Feb 14, 2005

Yankaur

Yankauer is correct. :)

You're going to love working as a PCT. If the nurses know you're in nursing school, there are always a few who are willing to teach you new things. You'll definitely have an edge when you go to nursing school.

So I'm glad that things are working out for you. Always remember, it's more important to do it right even if it takes a little more time, than to cut corners.

Kitkat23 · Feb 15, 2005

Yankauer is correct. :)
You're going to love working as a PCT. If the nurses know you're in nursing school, there are always a few who are willing to teach you new things. You'll definitely have an edge when you go to nursing school.
So I'm glad that things are working out for you. Always remember, it's more important to do it right even if it takes a little more time, than to cut corners.

:rolleyes: Oops, my bad. I guess I can't spell today. I guess my petpeeve is that how the CNAs I've worked with during my short week in the nursing home and the homes I've pooled in during the summer say that shortcuts are the fastest way to get your work done. And they say if you do everything your instructor taught you, you'll never get your patients done.

Aides earn their speed by experience, teamwork, and continous quality care; not taking shortcuts. Shortcuts can hurt the patients. For example, that witchy cna expected me to leave patients covered in pee and poo so I could speed on my rounds. What a way to get pressure sores. I've seen a picture of a type 4 pressure sore. NASTY and PAINFUL! I could see a bone sticking out. These aides don't realize about nasty sores and how a resident could get hurt if they don't receive proper pericare. They'll be in hot water someday when the state observers come visiting the nursing homes and slapping them with heavy fines. :coollook:

closatssl1 · Feb 15, 2005

:chuckle :balloons: Hi Angie. That's cool that you work in the hospital. My friend is a PCT on the telemetry wing at the hospital where I volunteer. We get a bunch of elderly patients and a bunch of middleaged and adult patients. Sometimes we use telemetry as overflow. Our hospital has only 213 beds and we've been getting a ton of patients.
We will be expanding the hospital again by adding more patient floors and making the ER bigger. No more long waits. I'm taking a PCT class this summer and I'm excited. It requires a lot of CNA hours and experience since the course is fast paced, but I want to take it.
In this PCT course, we'd learn to d/c foleys and IVs, do sterile dressing changes (simple), help set up sterile trays, use Dynamap, suction patients with the Yankaur catheter (spelled right?), use the JP/Hemovac, teach patients postop breathing techniques, suicide watches, applying oxygen equipment, wound care, and pulse oximetry.
Plus we do the basic ADL's and vital signs, collecting urine and stool specimens, colostomy care, decubitus care, collecting blood glucose results, and observing and reporting patient changes to charge nurse.
I'd be very nervous about d/c'ing the foley and iv, but I can do it. I know the way around the hospital, where the clinical will be held, and I hope to get a job as a CNA so I'd learn faster in the clinical site. :balloons: I'd love to work in telemetry, Med/surg, Pediatrics, or OB/GYN. But if they hire me in either oncology, ER, or CCU/ICU, I'd work there as well. Actually, I shouldn't be too picky, what counts is that I'll have my foot in the door as a paid CNA. :balloons: Have a nice day. :)

What is a PCT CLASS???

Does Anybody know?

graysonret · Feb 15, 2005

I know who I work for, sleeping on the shift, is grounds for immediate dismissal. No appeal. A few months ago, the staff at a nursing home floor nearby, decided to snooze for awhile. During that time, a patient fell, and another patient had a catheter fall out. Police responded to the "911" call from a patient and found the 2 staff members sound asleep...once they found a way to get into the building. They won't be working in healthcare anymore...that is, after they finish their 6 month jail sentences. The court was properly hard on them. I don't tolerate it at all. If workers want to sleep, stay home. Endangering patients can be endangering themselves.

Kitkat23 · Feb 17, 2005

I know who I work for, sleeping on the shift, is grounds for immediate dismissal. No appeal. A few months ago, the staff at a nursing home floor nearby, decided to snooze for awhile. During that time, a patient fell, and another patient had a catheter fall out. Police responded to the "911" call from a patient and found the 2 staff members sound asleep...once they found a way to get into the building. They won't be working in healthcare anymore...that is, after they finish their 6 month jail sentences. The court was properly hard on them. I don't tolerate it at all. If workers want to sleep, stay home. Endangering patients can be endangering themselves.

That's terrible. You could get fired at other jobs for sleeping as well. It doesn't look good on your resume when you've been let go for sleeping on the job. Especially when you're going for nursing. It's a hazard to sleep in LTC or a hospital when there's a code blue or something going on. These staff members deserved getting the boot. :angryfire

Kitkat23 · Feb 17, 2005

What is a PCT CLASS???
Does Anybody know?

Hi there. Did you get my private message? Anyway PCT stands for Patient Care Technician. It's a multiskilled nurses aides at hospitals and according to the state rules they can do skills that RN's normally do. Such as removing Foleys and IV's. Some states let PCT's insert IV's, Foleys, and feeding tubes. :rolleyes:

Blackcat99 · Feb 18, 2005

I use to work at the state hospital. There was a staff member assigned to a one to one with a suicidal patient. He fell asleep in his chair and the woman hung herself and died. :crying2: