Kitsey

Um...no. I am a CNA and do not feel I need to be included on a forum for nurses. I am not a nurse. Not to be rude to anyone (and again, I AM a CNA) but we don't really have to know much at all to pass the simple tests to earn our certification. Nurses go through hell to earn their degrees. And I in no way feel like we are the backbone of nursing. O-o

If you work the holiday you get double time and a half. If you don't work it, you get paid based on your status. Full timers get paid 8 hours, 3/4 timers get 6 hours, 1/2 timers get 4 hours, etc.

I carry my phone because I use it instead of a watch. I suppose my LTC has no good staff then because all of us, including the nurses, have their phones on them. Today I used it to take photos of the baby birds outside our unit to show the residents who can't see up into the nest. The residents and their families enjoyed seeing that. As for vitals, I never asked why we don't. I was surprised when I started because during clinicals we of course took vitals quite often.

Nope, in my LTC we do not take vitals. I carry my phone, but I am not supposed too :*

Yup, our new plan is to go around with the nurse at bedcheck and just pick everyone up off the floor and tuck them back into bed right before nightshift comes. Also considering buying everyone those socks with little jingle bells on them, you know...as Christmas gifts... (I do hope everyone can note my sarcasm...)

lol-this is us just about every day. 1 dementia unit. 2 1:1's, and 3 aides. You do the math!

We are going through this at my facility as we speak. The goal is to be alarm free by the new year. They have started taking away alarms from the ones who are less of a risk. Now we have residents getting up and self transferring because we have no warning. I've worked with one woman for over 3.5 years and in that time she hasn't fallen once. Welp, guess who fell 2 weeks ago? Wonder how long she was on the floor before rounds were done and she was found? What we are being told, is that State knows and expects falls to increase...BUT, the facility will be fined less for those falls. And yes I am being serious. So I guess it doesn't matter that we are going to have a ton more falls, just as long as it costs the facility less. We are constantly running short, there is no way in hell we will be able to keep an eye on everyone. We *run* for alarms multiple times a shift, and have prevented many a fall because of it. Now I guess we'll just call the nurse to come asses everyone before we scoop them off the floor again.

We do have one of those residents in my nursing home. They are a family full of nurses who feel the need to police us daily. Nothing is good enough for them and we hear about it all the time. We are to do what they want, when they want it no matter if it means making others wait.

Wow-at my facility if you are mandated, you are not able to be mandated again for 3 months. My facility does not have my cell phone number, and my home phone has caller id. If I don't want to work I simply don't even answer the phone. If I am already there and they need somone, a simple (and firm) "No, thanks!" is all they need. If a supervisor hears even a tiny bit of 'caving in' in your voice, they see that as a "yes, I'll stay."

I work in the dementia/Alzheimer unit of a LTCF. The resident doesn't really even seem to know what we are doing. The one I was speaking of would not be able to hold a walker, his hands are contracted and he isn't able to understand us telling him to hold onto one. The other resident who is the main cause of the pain is also care planned as a stand. His family is rather...unaccepting... of his illness and shows up near daily on am and pm shifts. Once 3 people LIFT him into a standing position, he lifts his feet and tries to throw the walker out in front of him, he doesn't understand. But...if we do not go up and down that hall 2 to 3 times, his family complains and we get chewed out. Did I mention this is to be done every 2 hours? I understand how crazy this sounds, I really do. I just do as I am told :/

I use the lifts and stands, but that doesn't help when you are told you MUST walk certain residents, even if 'walking' them means 3 aides holding them up and dragging them down the hall. One of my residents is care planned as an Arjo out of bed, and a stand into bed. But we still have to walk him. O-o That is where my broken back comes from

I am in Western Wisconsin. Not sure about Medication Aides, my experience is limited to a single LTCF.

CNAs don't take vitals at my facility and we did not learn to take blood pressure in my class. I asked why we would not be learning that skill and the instructor said that since we don't take vitals on the job, they don't bother teaching it any more. Every once in a while I might grab a temp, but other than that, nothing. The nurses do vitals weekly I believe.

I would say yes, that is how it really is. Sometimes you just have to use what you've got (and I am not saying this is RIGHT, but I am saying this does happen in real life). In my unit we haven't had any male body wash to stock rooms all week, so we have been using baby shampoo or even hand soap, because that is ALL we have. Our facility doesn't even have conditioner, we aides buy it with our own money for the few residents with longer hair. You will see a lot of the 'just get it done' attitude because most of the time we are so rushed and frazzled we simply don't have time to do things the way they should be done. I never thought I could end up this cynical, but 2 years as a CNA in a LTC can totally break you.

My facility in Wisconsin also doesn't care if we have it or not.