pj_marie

I totally agree with you there johnson001. It doesn't stop with those things either, also includes WHO you are, WHO you're related to, and don't even get me started on the DON! LOL. Our DON is the most pathetic Nurse I have ever seen work the floor at our facility! When reminded that so-and-so hadn't received their 4p meds yet (and this was at 8p.) her reply was "Well as long as they get them sometime during this shift, does it really matter?" EXCUSE ME??!! If that had been any other nurse, she would have fired them right then and there, in fact, she has! When we punch out at 10, she is just finishing up med pass from 4/8p. Guess that is one of the "perks" of being the boss, who's gonna fire/write you up? And they wonder why I am leaving? :angryfire PJ

After reading this thread, I actually feel better! It really sucks when you feel like you are the only one this stuff happens to. I know not all nurses or even other CNAs are bad ones, they are actually the minority. I finally had enough though, and found another job. The final straw for me was when I went in, got my permanent group for once!, and worked it til 7p.... only to be told that I had to switch to another group because *precious* just had to leave early again! Fine! 26 residents down, only 22 more to go. Not to mention the 4 showers that *precious* hadn't done... she didn't have time with leaving early you know. Yeah! Whatever!! This wasn't the first time either but, you can only take so much before you just get p'oed and tell them to kiss your orifice! This followed the night that a fellow CNA told me flat out she "was too busy to be helping me with my 2-assists". OK. That's the thanks I get for running to everyone else's aid... whether I am busy or not. PJ

Now, that's a study I would love to be a part of!! LOL. I am sure the results would be interesting to say the least. The facility has been doing anything and everything to ensure that she is going home to the best environment possible. The MD even ordered that she hire HHAs to come in at least once a day to check on her and do what they do. That met with some resistance from the granddaughter though, was quite interesting to watch that little pow-wow. On paper, everything is in place and looks good, we are all still quite concerned though, I guess that is there with every resident that goes home though. I just hope it goes smooth and she does just fine. We had a resident that was on his way out the door to the parking lot a few months ago to go home for good when he fell, breaking his hip and busting his head open. Not a good outcome on that one, I hope to not ever see that again. It was so sad. Thanks for the support though, I appreciate it. PJ *Proud CNA*

Right now we have 83 of 95 beds filled. Maybe 5 of those beds are bed-bound. PJ

The staffing where I work looks like this: 6a-2p 4 nurses, 8-11 CNAs, 2-3 Restorative and 2 unit clerks 2p-10p 3 nurses, 6 CNAs 10p-6a 2 nurses, 4 CNAs and 6a-2p shift has to have everyone that is not bed-bound up and at breakfast by 7:15a. Damn near impossible to do too! PJ *Proud CNA*

In our facility it is not a lack of CNAs willing to work there, it is the scheduling of these CNAs that causes problem. On day shift there is always 8-11 CNAs with 2-3 Restorative CNAs and a shower aide. However on 2nd shift, we are lucky to have 6 CNAs scheduled, let alone come in. Our capacity is 95 residents. Right now, census is "low" which means we have 12 empty beds... 9 in the front, 3 in the back yet the whole count is what they base scheduling on. So, we are short in the back and they have too many in the front. This makes no sense to me and only hurts those residents that have the shortage of CNAs to take care of them. I think there should be more specifics as to the number of CNAs to residents. But, hey I don't know anything, I just work there. PJ *Proud CNA*

I can not believe this. I have a resident in my group that is going home Sunday to live with her grandaughter. My problem is this "grand"-daughter is the reason she came in in the first place. How can this happen?? This resident came to us with severe burns reaching across her thighs and groin from a heating pad... the scars are horrible!! She also had a stage IV decube on her coccyx that you could easily put your fist in. It took months and months for her to even begin healing. I don't understand why it was never reported or better yet, how the same person that put her here can now take her home. We are all so afraid that she will come back to us in far worse shape than when she came in a few years ago. We are all just sick about the whole situation. Thanks for letting me vent though. Have any of you ever had things like this? How do you cope with it?? On a lighter note, Here's a question for ya..... Is it just me or can you also tell when it is a full moon without looking at the sky? LOL. I knew tonight was a full moon before I ever saw it. The residents were all completely LOOPY!!!!!!!! Some of my best memories are from full moon nights though, really makes you laugh and picks you up on those nights when you need it. I have been reading all of the ER threads about "the funniest/wierdest/scariest things you have ever seen in the ED" and I tell ya, LTC has those moments too, with/without a full moon! LOL. PJ *Proud CNA*

I am a CNA in Illinois. I work in a LTC facility that has about 85 residents and never enough CNAs to go around! Same as everywhere. I have been a CNA since Jan. of this year and absolutely love it. I am not ready to go up the ladder, promised myself I would do this til I got burnt out. I hope that doesn't happen though, I am not ready to give up the meaningful one-on-one time I get with the residents. It seems the higher you go, the more time you lose with your patients to me. Nice to meet ya'll. PJ

:uhoh21: Not real sure if this counts here or not but, when I first started reading this thread, I surely thought that I would see things I thought I was anal about. Not so! Words/spellings/grammer, etc.., things like that don't really bother me. (If my post is horrible on any of those things, please forgive me in advance!) It's the things that happen on the floor that really drive me buggy!!! I am a fairly "green" CNA and have been at a LTC facility for almost 2 months now and can actually chew gum while cleaning up whatever bodily fluids happen to be around... LOL! Anywho, what really gets me goat is those that do NOT wear gloves.... EVER!!! EWWW! Or this one CNA that I worked with recently that has been at this facility for over 2 years and is asking ME what, when, and how to do almost everything! Not to mention her being up my butt for all 8 hrs. on top of it. Or the ones that can't remember a residents name that is on their group when they have had that same exact group for x-amount of time. UGH!!! My absolute biggest pet peeve has to be the question of "What do you want me to do with the urine I measured in the graduate?" HELLO!! What do you usually do with urine??? Maybe it's just me, who knows? LOL Thanks! PJ

I too just wanted to thank you for this incredible story you have so eloquently shared. It is just what I needed to read. Very uplifting if I do say so myself! I have spent the last 2 days wrestling with the words of some of my co-workers about how "I spend too much time with the residents" or "how I am spoiling them and making the other CNAs jobs harder because of it". That sort of thing.... it is hard for me not to treat them with the respcet they so much deserve, even the ones who don't realize all they have to do is push the little red button one time, "yes dear, you can let go of it after that... I will still come." I manage to get everything done I am supossed to get done and still spend just a few extra minutes with these people, what is so wrong with that?? How am I spoiling them, because I try hard to get to know them or something about their lives? Think of all they have been through, and then they end up not being able to do much of anything, even what we consider simple things... especially their choices! That is a big pet peeve of mine, not even giving them a choice, just to walk in and say you are going to do this or that now, no question, no choice, no nothing. And my co-workers say I am too nice, just make them do it. OK, I understand some residents/patients have no clue about anything, let alone whether they need to pee or sleep but, that doesn't mean I can't let them know what is going on, I just can't work like that. I am one of the few that actually talk to and inform that one unresponsive/comatose individual of what I am doing, and why... Is this really wrong? I surely hope not. I honestly felt like this being a CNA was a calling, not a choice.... I view my job as more than a job, if I am the one person that can make them smile or feel better, than that is all that matters to me. I am the one that will answer a light on the next wing if that's what it takes to help someone. For that is what I am here for, to help people. After all, they are still people... they haven't lost that just because they don't/can't function like they used to. Twice in the last month I have heard the last words of 2 people and I took it extremely hard. I get very attached to my residents if you couldn't tell... lol. Both times I was commended on the quality of care I give and the love I show yet, I still hear negative things about how I am making things difficult for others on my days off. This thread just re-affirms why I got into this field to begin with.Again, thank you so much. PJ

As a CNA, I thank you TooBusyRN.... you sound like a few of the nurses I work with. Now, a question..... How do I as a CNA get my nurses to GIVE report?!?!? For that matter, even getting report from the 10-6 night shift would be a HUGE benefit!! But, as it turns out, when I clock-in at 6, there are no CNAs in sight from night shift to ask about resident status. I had a resident tell me half-way thru my shift today that "I am not to use my walker for a few days, just the wheelchair..... Dr. orders" Why did it have to come from the resident and not the floor nurse, especially after having her use the walker for 4 hrs.??? This can not be a good situation for either one of us, especially the resident! Sorry, I needed to vent about this..... I have been at this LTC facility for almost 2 weeks and of all the things I have seen/not seen, this one really irks the hell out of me, followed by the lack of using gloves to clean BMs by my trainers which, I am sorry, is gross beyond belief! Thanks for hearing me out.... any tips on how to "buck" the system to get report would be a benefit though. PJ

But, here goes....... lol I am a CNA, just passed the test actually on jan.15,04. WOO!HOO!! I relocated from Galesburg, IL to Princeton, IL on Feb. 7th. I now live out in the sticks which is quite a bit different than a city of 45,ooo+ !! I am trying to find a job....... very slow process though! I was at the Peru mall this weekend and totally loved it...... Galesburg's mall has hardly any stores, let alone people actually walking around it! lol. PJ

Sorry, I had to respond to this one!! :roll We are in the process of packing and I have said this many many times in the last week out of pure frustration at the amount of CRAP we have accumulated!!!!!! LMAO To psychrn03, Good luck in your new adventures..... I hope it is more than you could imagine it to be and I hope it turns out great for you. PJ

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I did in fact get 2 of the 3 interviews on Fri. I have the 3rd and final interview tomorrow(Tues.) with the surpervisor who hires/fires people. I took my time and asked a lot of questions which didn't seem to be a problem with the lady that interviewed me. I was not expecting that!! I have no experience in any of the healthcare fields, just normal jobs, ie., fast food, warehouse, factory, etc..., Asking questions was never really welcomed and really ruined your chances of actually getting hired. I continue to be totally amazed at all the "little" differences between this field and others. Why can't they all be this way? I will never understand it! My hubby works for CAT and has just under a month to go before he gets benefits, raise, etc..., and he has been to 'afraid' to ask any questions regarding how much he will be getting, what kind of benefits, etc..., I asked all of that stuff already and wasn't worried about how that "made me look", as it was welcomed and appreciated by the lady that interviewed me. Sorry for my ramble, I am so amazed and excited about this whole "career" thing I finally got going for me after many years of fighting and begging my hubby to do it. Thanks for listening though! PJ PS, I do have one itty bitty question though....... The HHA will hire me as a PA until I get State Exam results then, I will go up to CNA, including pay and more responsibilities. I know what CNA does in LTC, what's the difference in HH? Thanks again!

Hey all, I am relatively new posting here, so please bear with me. Thanks. I am not a nurse, just a new CNA- just finished classes Dec. 12th- so I am not sure I quite fit in with all of you wonderful nurses here. I do have some questions though, if anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it. After putting in applications weekly since 12/12, I finally got a call from one of the local HHA for a level 1 interview. What exactly is a level 1 interview?? What can I expect, if I get hired, in working for a HHA? I have heard pros and cons to this particular type of work but, with the only other job offer I had being withdrawn(due to recent sensus decrease, 15 since I finished clinicals there) I see no other choice right now. I will be taking the State Exam Jan.15th(next thurs. ) and will then have more opportunites available 50 miles away. Any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks so much for listening. PJ