myree72

I don't agree with the usual griping that happens around the nurses station, but in this case I would hope that some visitors overhear what is being done to the nurses. I know I'm a bad girl, but we all know who fills out the surveys (family members) and we all know that is the feedback that means the most to the execs.

It took me a few years as well, but I finally learned. I don't know how many times I went to work on my days off because I didn't have any other plans. I now realize that is just the beauty of a day off, no plans, and that we need that downtime or we will burn out. This year I was on vacation to care for my boyfriend who had just had catheter ablation and work called me everyday to ask me to come in!! That sent me over the edge and really makes me want to say no automatically whenever they call to ask me to work! I love my job...I love my job...I love my job

Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry.

I'm pretty sure had I refused the assignment I would risk getting fired, since as it has been stated on these boards numerous times, you can get fired for any reason. Either way, not a chance I was willing to take. So, I went back to work Sunday night and they had me doing paperwork all night. I asked the 7p-7a charge nurse if that had anything to do with my doctor's note, which states that I can return to "full RN duty", she knew nothing about my dr's note but must have mentioned it to our scheduling secretary who seems to be running things in the absence of nursing management (not a nurse). I get a call first thing Monday morning from her telling me there is some confusion about my note and "full RN duty" and that maybe I need to take a copy of my job description to the doc. I read through the policy that states I should be able to lift, push, pull 30lbs and am comfortable with that so I called the HR director to whom I originally gave the note to see if there was a problem with the wording of my note and so far no reply. I think that they want to be able to use me for whatever they want whenever they want since I work 3-11 and all but 2 other nurse do 7a-7p or 7p-7a, which means the evening shift nurse is easy to plug into whatever empty slot they have on their assignment sheet. I totally agree with the poster who said that RNs can pick up the slack for every other position, we are expected to do those jobs plus our own and no one else can do ours!!

Yes I have 13 years experience, yes I know how to do CNA duties, yet I was still uncomfortable with the assignment as I am not familiar with the CNA routine on evening shift which involves meals and bedtime, and as I mentioned before all of these patients are OOB for meals and exhausted after 3 hours of therapy a day, and someone who might be a one person assist in the morning gets tired by then. My problem was the acuity of the team, the charge nurse should not give the "heaviest" team to someone working outside of their comfort zone. There were 5 teams due to a higher census than we normally have, extra nurses are scheduled extra CNAs are not. Each of the other 4 CNAs could have taken 2 extra patients and I could have helped with bells trays and baths. What my concern is, is that I was not given a choice about accepting the assignment, I received report over the phone from the previous CNA who had left because nurse and CNA shifts are staggered, and no management to go to with my concerns since it was a weekend. I love how everyone is eager to bash me without reading all of my posts. :)

I work with a nurse who, talking about a uvula a called it a vulva, after the confusion subsided we were all in tears laughing so hard.

I never said that I wasn't trained in patient care, or that I refuse to do CNA work. As I mentioned before the heavy transfers are what I was uncomfortable with, as well as the usual CNA routine. I know there are some nurses that will walk by a room with a lit call bell or even worse ring the call bell themselves for an aide to come toilet a patient they were just with, I am certainly not like that. Thanks for all of the replies and advice. I am going to address my concerns in writing to our CEO, because there is no nursing management at the moment, and see where it goes from there.

OMG that's why I can never get anyone at the board on the phone!!! They were all practicing for roles in that commercial, because I doubt nurses were lining up for that job.

Thanks for the replies, good or bad :) What I am struggling with more than anything is that I reported that I was uncomfortable with my given assignment and it was disregarded, resulting in an injury to myself and to a patient (an abrasion & pain). There really is no one to go to for support right now as the nurse manager and CNO positions are both vacant where I work.

Why does this sound fishy?

I need to clarify, I just didn't want my original post to be too lengthy. I provide patient care all of the time, I answer call bells, I toilet my patients when I am able to. Where I work (Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation) the patients are often times max assist, hemiplegic, non-weight bearing , you name it. And they are up and out of bed for three hours of therapy a day. The heavy transfers are what I am not comfortable with, and why I was uncomfortable with that particular assignment. I have worked as a CNA many times and have even enjoyed having the extra time to spend with my patients. That was the first time I had ever been uncomfortable. Out of 5 teams, that one was the heaviest, and for patient safety the charge nurse, in my opinion, could have changed the assignment. And since we are being sticklers, my job description states that the RN acts as a team player by assisting coworkers with direct patient care.

I am an RN at a Rehabilitation hospital and occasionally when I get to work I am assigned as a CNA on a team. Most recently when I worked as a CNA, which I have never trained to be, I suffered a back injury and missed 3 days of work, which in my state I won't get paid for. Also in this instance after receiving my assignment & report from the previous CNA over the phone while she was driving and listening to music, I told the charge nurse that I was uncomfortable with the assignment, to which she just said "what do you want me to do about it?" Furthermore, the assigned nurse for that team that shift was an LPN. I have been a nurse for 13 years and this is the only place I have ever seen RNs used as CNAs so I am just wondering how common the practice is. I am certainly not trying to start any kind of RN vs. LPN or nurse vs. CNA debate, because I have a lot of respect for everyone in the medical profession. I am just curious if others have been in the same position and how other hospitals use staff. Thanks!!