Sick of it!!!

vegnurse21 · Oct 3, 2005

I have no advice for you, but this post makes me so extremely sad. I hate that the elderly in LTC facilities are getting treated this way. And I can't imagine a supervisor worth a darn who'd back up CNA's who don't take care of patients. I wish so much that there was something I could do to help you and the poor people in this situation, but I don't know what could be done right now. I know that not ALL LTC places are like this, but I don't work in one and only did a clinical for 4 weeks in a mediocre nursing home. The CNAs did their jobs I think, but they weren't very sweet about it. There was a lot of eye-rolling and attitude. Blah, it's very sad.

sjb2005 · Oct 3, 2005

In acute care, you will find similar issues. You will have more personal control for your own shift though. We do not work in an industry that supplies us with enough and efficient man(woman) power to give good service. Even though our residents and patients deserve it. Shop around and ask around. There are a select few that do a better job than others.

:angryfire I am desperately trying to get a job in a hospital right now. I just can't stand the NH anymore! Every shift I work, I'm disgusted at the lack of care our residents get. If you get on to the CNA's, they go to the supervisor, who backs them up. I'm sorry, but if you had time to be on the phone every time I saw you during an 8 hour shift, you had time to get that brief out of the floor and/or at least return some of the 20+ resident trays that were left on the unit instead of going back to the kitchen after the meal like they were supposed to. Caked on dried up poop that I have to scrub off to change a dsg, residents left in the bed all weekend that normally are up in a chair qd, g tubes that obviously weren't flushed after meds given. Poop left in the shower floor until all showers are done, gracious the list goes on! Had a very lucid resident tell me that the cna's told him they couldn't put him back to bed because they were short. Excuse me? They were short the first 2 hours of the shift, not the whole thing. Not to mention one group of residents got no care at all for several hours because they had them broken up into 4 groups and the 4th person was coming in late. :angryfire Is it like this everywhere? I've considered applying at other LTC's, but I'm afraid it'll be the same.

Town & Country · Oct 3, 2005

A lot of NH are run by the CNAs.

The nurses ususally move onto hospitals or other jobs, so the "core staff" is the CNAs and management wants to keep them happy.

Run for your life.

If management is backing them, there is nothing you can do. Get out while you can.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Oct 3, 2005

Thanks for the replies y'all! I did med/surg for a year then office for 2 years and now this. I want the hospital back!! I have called a couple of local hospitals trying to get in, so pray for me y'all! I can't deal. There's not enough time in my day when I pass meds to provide adequate care for my residents and in the hospital, I usually could at least make sure my pt was clean.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2005

Not all places are like that. I would be horrified at a situation like that. I'm very fortunate to work with fellow CNAs who love their residents and care for them as if they were their own family members.

Just a suggestion. We used to have a night shift CNA who was HORRIBLE, would leave residents on rings of dried urine, BM that they'd fingerpainted and put on their faces at the beginning of her shift, leave residents on mattresses that had no linen, I could go on and on. The night nurse would just defend her, so the day shift nurses got the polaroid and took pictures to show the DON. Problem solved, CNA fired and reported to BON.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Oct 3, 2005

Not all places are like that. I would be horrified at a situation like that. I'm very fortunate to work with fellow CNAs who love their residents and care for them as if they were their own family members.
Just a suggestion. We used to have a night shift CNA who was HORRIBLE, would leave residents on rings of dried urine, BM that they'd fingerpainted and put on their faces at the beginning of her shift, leave residents on mattresses that had no linen, I could go on and on. The night nurse would just defend her, so the day shift nurses got the polaroid and took pictures to show the DON. Problem solved, CNA fired and reported to BON.

I was wondering if pictures would be ok to take? They do have problems with linens not being changed etc. I remember a few months back, I was repositioning a resident's pillow (under his head) and it was mildewed. Same CNA's that did this junk this weekend.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2005

I was wondering if pictures would be ok to take? I took two yesterday (on my camera phone) but thought better of it and deleted them (no pt in either picture). They do have problems with linens not being changed etc. I remember a few months back, I was repositioning a resident's pillow (under his head) and it was mildewed. Same CNA's that did this junk this weekend.

I wondered the same thing when the nurses did that, and I honestly don't know about residents being in pics as far as HIPAA is concerned, but I can't imagine there'd be a violation if the resident is not in the picture. Whatever it takes to make sure those people are given the care they deserve. What you are describing is not just neglect, it's abuse.

And for the record, good care CAN be given when short staffed. It's called busting your ass. At least those CNAs get to go HOME after their shift. Their residents can't.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Oct 3, 2005

And for the record, good care CAN be given when short staffed. It's called busting your ass. At least those CNAs get to go HOME after their shift. Their residents can't.

AMEN!! I've been a CNA, so I understand having to deal with being short-staffed, but that is NOT the resident's fault and they still deserve good care.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2005

They are human beings. God made them, they deserve love and respect and dignity. How many of them were teachers, veterans, docs, nurses, moms, dads, entrepreneurs, people who have contributed to society, and deserve to live their final days as comfortably as possible. I swear, I'm going to get a BSN just to teach a CNA class.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Oct 3, 2005

They are human beings. God made them, they deserve love and respect and dignity. How many of them were teachers, veterans, docs, nurses, moms, dads, entrepreneurs, people who have contributed to society, and deserve to live their final days as comfortably as possible. I swear, I'm going to get a BSN just to teach a CNA class.

Please don't ever lose sight of that. I think that the CNA hiring process ought to incorporate a personality test of some sort to help determine who's most fit for the job. I know it's a hard job, but they can't get by with just showing up and getting a check. At least they shouldn't be able to.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2005

Please don't ever lose sight of that. I think that the CNA hiring process ought to incorporate a personality test of some sort to help determine who's most fit for the job. I know it's a hard job, but they can't get by with just showing up and getting a check. At least they shouldn't be able to.

Oh, lord, I say all the time, that in AZ all it takes to be a CNA is a pulse and no felonies. And the felony thing is negotiable.