RN-itis?

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So I asked a CNA friend of mine about working as a CNA where she works and if she thought it would help me get my foot in the door for when I become a RN. She said yes and it would prevent me from developing RN-itis .... when I asked her what she meant by that, she told me that I'd figure it out. Anyone know what RN-itis is?

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Never heard of that before but I think it probably has something to do with RN's who never worked as CNA's before they become nurses.

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RNs who have never been CNAs before rely too much on the CNA. There are LVNs who also have LVNitis. A pet peeve of mine is when you hear over the intercom " I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda, I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda now" and then you hear a big click over the intercom that's almost as annoying as the original page. When the CNA doesn't show up you hear the same thing again over the intercom but with a more deep stern voice, and the click at the end gets even louder. There are those nurses who feel it's beneath them to give a bed pan. That just annoys me, I give a bed pan to everyone, and I don't care that I'm a LVN. When the person has to go, they have to go. It will only take one minute to give them the bed pan and the call light to push once they are finished. I hate those nurses who are passing meds, and then the person asks for a bed pan and they say "I will get a CNA for you". That just floors me!!!!! Any nurse that does that is definately not a good nurse. When I was a CNA I had to go get my RN because one of my patients was complaining of feeling funny, very light headed, and wanting to pass out, and mind you she was post op! I found my RN with the other RN who I was working with, and I was also going to grab the BP machine to check her out. Anyway the other RN that I was working with asked me if I can change the patients peri-pad because it was "nasty". I told her that I am going to take a BP on my post op patient and that I needed the other RN to come with me. Hello, airway, breathing, circulating. My original patient needed me, and the RN. So that RN was ****** because she had to do it herself. I went with the other RN and the BP was 82/40. Yes, that was priority over the patient who needed her peri-pad changed, she was stable and didn't need me, the RN could change the peri-pad herself. So there are nurses who are like that who wont lift a finger if a CNA is around to do it.

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RNs who have never been CNAs before rely too much on the CNA. There are LVNs who also have LVNitis. A pet peeve of mine is when you hear over the intercom " I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda, I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda now" and then you hear a big click over the intercom that's almost as annoying as the original page. When the CNA doesn't show up you hear the same thing again over the intercom but with a more deep stern voice, and the click at the end gets even louder. There are those nurses who feel it's beneath them to give a bed pan. That just annoys me, I give a bed pan to everyone, and I don't care that I'm a LVN. When the person has to go, they have to go. It will only take one minute to give them the bed pan and the call light to push once they are finished. I hate those nurses who are passing meds, and then the person asks for a bed pan and they say "I will get a CNA for you". That just floors me!!!!! Any nurse that does that is definately not a good nurse. When I was a CNA I had to go get my RN because one of my patients was complaining of feeling funny, very light headed, and wanting to pass out, and mind you she was post op! I found my RN with the other RN who I was working with, and I was also going to grab the BP machine to check her out. Anyway the other RN that I was working with asked me if I can change the patients peri-pad because it was "nasty". I told her that I am going to take a BP on my post op patient and that I needed the other RN to come with me. Hello, airway, breathing, circulating. My original patient needed me, and the RN. So that RN was ****** because she had to do it herself. I went with the other RN and the BP was 82/40. Yes, that was priority over the patient who needed her peri-pad changed, she was stable and didn't need me, the RN could change the peri-pad herself. So there are nurses who are like that who wont lift a finger if a CNA is around to do it.

WOW!! Ok... now I get it. My CNA friend kinda acted ummm b***chy to me when I said I was going for my RN.. now I see why. I don't see why she would ever think I would be that way. I'm usually classified as too nice. But, I see what she's saying now.

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Specializes in LTC.

What I could never stand is the nurse wanting you to get someone's vitals and they stand there and watch you do it. It doesn't take one person to do it and another to stand there... either you are wasting my time, or you're wasting your own. One lady stroked out one night, I found her like that and ran to tell the nurse, who, as usual, stood there and watched me take the BP. I was having trouble with it because the woman was shaking her arm so much (and the roommate was yelling right next to me), and the nurse was getting all irritated but wouldn't do anything to quiet the roommate or hold the resident's arm still. This nurse wouldn't do *anything* that a CNA could do, on principle. Geeeeez!

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Ughhh. Nurses like that are the ones I do the bare minimum for. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. If you think you're above me, then I'm not going out of my way to make your job easier. Luckily most of the nurses I work with are awesome, several used to be aides there themselves...but there is one day shift nurse that is just like the nurse you described. I want to punch her in her glasses most of the time.

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Specializes in CNA.

YeaH we have a few of those types of Nurses at our place. Never worked as an aide or swore once they passed boards they'd never wipe a butt again. They are not pleasant to work with at all, but then there are those nurses who DO understand an aide's job and help whenever they can, and it really helps the shift go well. Advice to Op, just never forget what its like to be an aide.

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My parents owned a small biz for a few years and I was a manager there, but I was taught that if you don't or won't do it... don't expect your employees to do it. Kind of a "lead by example" thing. So when it was time to mop floors or clean toilets, I was right there with them. I didn't just hangout in the office or stand by and watch. With that said... I'll definitely work as a CNA. After reading your replies I feel like it would help me have the respect and appreciation for all that CNA's do! When I was working for my parents, I didn't want our employees to view me as "daddy's little girl" and as a nurse I don't want to be viewed as "the b**ch with a degree". I like to earn my keep :)

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RNs who have never been CNAs before rely too much on the CNA. There are LVNs who also have LVNitis. A pet peeve of mine is when you hear over the intercom " I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda, I need a CNA to room yadda yadda yadda now" and then you hear a big click over the intercom that's almost as annoying as the original page. When the CNA doesn't show up you hear the same thing again over the intercom but with a more deep stern voice, and the click at the end gets even louder. There are those nurses who feel it's beneath them to give a bed pan. That just annoys me, I give a bed pan to everyone, and I don't care that I'm a LVN. When the person has to go, they have to go. It will only take one minute to give them the bed pan and the call light to push once they are finished. I hate those nurses who are passing meds, and then the person asks for a bed pan and they say "I will get a CNA for you". That just floors me!!!!! Any nurse that does that is definately not a good nurse. When I was a CNA I had to go get my RN because one of my patients was complaining of feeling funny, very light headed, and wanting to pass out, and mind you she was post op! I found my RN with the other RN who I was working with, and I was also going to grab the BP machine to check her out. Anyway the other RN that I was working with asked me if I can change the patients peri-pad because it was "nasty". I told her that I am going to take a BP on my post op patient and that I needed the other RN to come with me. Hello, airway, breathing, circulating. My original patient needed me, and the RN. So that RN was ****** because she had to do it herself. I went with the other RN and the BP was 82/40. Yes, that was priority over the patient who needed her peri-pad changed, she was stable and didn't need me, the RN could change the peri-pad herself. So there are nurses who are like that who wont lift a finger if a CNA is around to do it.

That's it. Some RNs actually develop this in an effort to show their former coworkers that they are really in a higher position now. There are CNAs out their who will not even listen to a coworker who took time to go to school and become a nurse, why? because they are jealous. LVN or RN comes with more responsiblity and no i can help out now as a nurse but i cannot babysit you and do my job as the same time. RN-itis is not to be confused with power struggles that new nurses face when they return to an old workplace.

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I was wondering about that.... would the CNA's automatically turn on me just because I was a RN? I guess it could go both ways... guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens where I decide to go to work.

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Aides are just like anyone else in the world - some are complete jerks, some are nice people, and everything in between. In my experience, I haven't seen many aides turn on someone just for being a nurse. I have seen aides turn on a nurse for being a bad nurse, and also for being one as described here with "RN-itis".

I personally have no issue with the majority of nurses I work with. The two I can't stand are just JERKS. I've been at my facility for 10 months now. One of them still looks at me nearly every day and says "Now who are YOU??" while peering over her glasses at me, looking like she smells something bad. I've told her my name more times than I can count. She also always finds something to pick at me about, like the blankets on top of the residents not being perfectly smooth, or one of their socks having fallen down. Meanwhile, the aides who leave their residents a mess all day get not a word said to them. If you report anything to her, she will either tell you "It's too close to the end of my shift, tell the night shift nurse, it's not my problem", even if there are 4 hours left in her shift. I imagine she was an unpleasant person BEFORE she was a nurse.

Just be the kind of nurse that you like to work with as an aide and you should have no problems!

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

I think a nurse is more qualified to be a CNA than a CNA is. Nurses have their own job to do so I don't expect them to do my job too. If I have 6 lights on and you're headed out to smoke, etc., then shame on you. You are just as capable of getting someone a glass of water as I am, and more than likely Ive got a lot more going on AND I'm under paid. No matter how high your education is, we are all a team and you are not above me.

I became a CNA first for two reasons:

1) I wanted to be sure nursing would be the right career choice for me (and it is).

2) I want to have walked in the shoes of the people that are working underneath me.

I want to know what to expect from my CNAs and appreciate the heavy load they carry. I refuse to be one of THOSE nurses.

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