So I was orienting a new CNA the other day and as I was explaining our unit's routine and such, the ADON came in and needed to float one of our aides to another unit. This CNA said "Oh, I bet there's gonna be a battle over this!" I was confused until she told me that she "Don't float. I only work my hall. If they're short that's their problem." I was speechless. And an aide trotted right over to the other hall to work. Then, later, one of a coworker's residents was yelling that she had to pee. So I went to go toilet her, and this CNA said "That ain't our resident. Why don't her aide take her?" What the #%@#! Who cares? I guarantee the resident didn't care WHO her aide was. (her aide was with another resident at the moment) When I explained that in this facility, ALL the residents are ours and if the resident needs something that is in your scope of practice, um, you meet the need, the CNA was horrified. She made comments like this the whole shift. I guess I'll either break her or she'll quit, which may not be a bad thing. I'm just...that's just weird.
After 25 years in business and out of clinical-land, I am semi retired. I work a couple of days a month in a SNf and love it. Excellent care given there 100%, but a rather ( to me) weird cultural thing. It's funny how the old rhythms return and you just get back into it. Of course, when I wasnt doing specific skilled TX and meds, I jumped in and helped the aides with hoyer transfers, skin care,toileting, you know, all the usual. My first evening there, the aides looked at me like I was from another planet everytime I assisted them. Finally, I asked one of them what was so odd about me being on the floor with them when I can be? The facility is miraculously paperless charting and its very quick so no more long hours at the desk. Anyway, Nurses dont do hands on at all there, and I mean AT ALL!! When in orientation, the alternate nurse kept telling me to quit helping the aides, just sit up at the desk... Thats absurd. Needless to say, I have the most cooperative aide team around. All patients are everyones patients all the time.
Its sad that the CNA was ever even allowed to learn that kind of attitude. When I hire any one at our facility it is one of the first things we discuss. You may be assigned a hallway or a team but you are responsible for all the residents. Its really true the resident doesnt care who is caring for them as long as they are being cared for and their needs are being met.
After 25 years in business and out of clinical-land, I am semi retired. I work a couple of days a month in a SNf and love it. Excellent care given there 100%, but a rather ( to me) weird cultural thing. It's funny how the old rhythms return and you just get back into it. Of course, when I wasnt doing specific skilled TX and meds, I jumped in and helped the aides with hoyer transfers, skin care,toileting, you know, all the usual. My first evening there, the aides looked at me like I was from another planet everytime I assisted them. Finally, I asked one of them what was so odd about me being on the floor with them when I can be? The facility is miraculously paperless charting and its very quick so no more long hours at the desk. Anyway, Nurses dont do hands on at all there, and I mean AT ALL!! When in orientation, the alternate nurse kept telling me to quit helping the aides, just sit up at the desk... Thats absurd. Needless to say, I have the most cooperative aide team around. All patients are everyones patients all the time.
OOOOKKKKKKAAAAAYYYYY.... Wanna move to my state and work with me?
At the LTC facility where I work, I had 1 (ONE) lpn help out with vitals and rounds when we were short handed.. And believe me, I would rather bust my butt for her than any other "sitter":nono: I have worked with. I have been blessed with the resources of switching from working 2 jobs in elder care to only part-time work in LTC... I became this person who enjoys going to work now. I was totally burnt out and had visions of quitting until I went part time.
Tonight I went to an orientation meeting to become an Ombudsman in my county. I am soooo looking forward to continue doing useful work for the elderly. I have said many times, I could not have been a CNA and done a good job when I was younger. Now that I am 50+, I appreciate working with the elderly and enjoy working with people who enjoy their jobs.
I just have to share this: I am a CNA in a LTC. I feel every resident is my resident even when not on my hall. Yesterday I answered a call light for another aide. The woman and her husband (who was visiting) smiled big when I walked into the room. The hubby said, "I'm so glad it's YOU this time." That's probably one of the best compliments or feeling of praise I have gotten. When my residents are happy and comfortable, that's the best feeling in the world.
I do not have experience in CNA field, but i can say that i have seen both my grandparents in nursing home environment (unfortunately they have both passed on) but i can say from a visitor it is obvious that they are short staffed, overworked and most likely underpaid. I think its a shame really, the elderly deserve so much more care than they are able to receive under these conditions. Its a lose-lose situation for aides, health care workers and the patients too. There are supposed to be guidelines in place to protect both. WHy these are not enforced is ridiculous. Maybe talk to your representative, if we all did this, eventually, a change may come.
Bless all of you who care for all of those we love. i know it isnt easy.
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
a lot of the scenarios described in this thread tie right back to weak nursing management in the ltc industry.
yes yes yes!!!! my facilty has policy and procedures books out the ying yang-every so often the don has to send a memo around to remind the staff of our "pull" policy.....we often get new staff that just don't get it- our don's philosophy is we all work for her and the whole facility-not one particular unit. i've seen more then one argument escalate into a trip to her office between cna's and sometimes between 2 nurses....also-if you are more then 5 minutes late clocking in your are the first to be pulled.that has improved alot of the tardiness.....as for the "not my resident" thing-i can see both sides of that...you can spend so much time taking care of someone else's assignment that your assigned residents suffer and that is not fair..anyone can have a bad night-but if a cna is not seeing to the needs of his/her residents routinely then the charge nurse has to step in and start figuring out the problem-report it and work out some kind of action...maybe additional training/staff developement assistance for the cna....if they are just fluffing off that will become clear and disciplinary measures can be taken...
Specializes in Med Surg, ICU, Infection, Home Health, and LTC.
my daughter works as a cna in a nursing home facility. she is also in school for nursing. she tells me the "that's not my patient" horror stories everyday.
i used to do volunteer work three days a week at a nursing home for years before i ever decided to become a nurse.
i worked in ltc for about 3-4 years when i was staying up north with friends and i can tell you that the lowest paying job and the physically hardest job of all are the cna's in nursing homes.
they have the largest patient load of any medical facility (14 plus residents per shift) and the patients are almost all total care dependent.
most residents have to be fed, and you haven't tried juggling anything until you try to feed 3-5 residents at one time and make sure they each get something to eat and no one chokes. that does not count the fact that you also have to help wheel a-l-l- the residents to the dining room and back.
rare is the foley catheter and a full 99% of residents are incontinent and although there are supposed to be lifting techniques and machinery, rarely is it "available" or working.
the cna's in nursing homes do the hardest work that i have ever seen and do it with the least amount of equipment, staff, respect, and pay.
as bad as just the workload can be, i cannot count the times that families come in and throw 10 hissy-fits if momma or daddy doesn't have the right shirt on or has wet briefs (diapers) or hasn't been laid down for a nap to their liking.
not all, but few enough, family members come in and are ready for an attack. they diliberately look for something to be wrong or out of place and then cause all sorts of havoc, raise sand, and then split. they are not about to dirty their little hands helping their own mom or dad. but they will ream you a new you-know-what if things are not to their liking.
thank god not all the families are that way, but there are enough to where you never forget and it can make any day horrid. you can literally dread taking care of the patient because you know that no matter what you do, it will not be good enough or fast enough or right enough.
the government does not politically care for the elderly or provide enough monies to actually staff nursing homes half way decent or provide the monies to have the most basic and needed equipment.
I work in a rare LTC facility that actually allows for more than full staffing and above the minimum requirements. We have slots for more than enough aids on each hall to where the work is doable and doesn't kill our aids in the process.
In addition to this we have 2 full time shower aids 6 days a week.
We also have a hoyer lift and a sit to stand lift for each hall.
The problem: We can't fill the slots! If we ever had full staffing the workload would almost be a breeze. Our turnover is 130%!
We also pay better (although still not outstanding) than any facility in the area.
jsteine1
325 Posts
After 25 years in business and out of clinical-land, I am semi retired. I work a couple of days a month in a SNf and love it. Excellent care given there 100%, but a rather ( to me) weird cultural thing. It's funny how the old rhythms return and you just get back into it. Of course, when I wasnt doing specific skilled TX and meds, I jumped in and helped the aides with hoyer transfers, skin care,toileting, you know, all the usual. My first evening there, the aides looked at me like I was from another planet everytime I assisted them. Finally, I asked one of them what was so odd about me being on the floor with them when I can be? The facility is miraculously paperless charting and its very quick so no more long hours at the desk. Anyway, Nurses dont do hands on at all there, and I mean AT ALL!! When in orientation, the alternate nurse kept telling me to quit helping the aides, just sit up at the desk... Thats absurd. Needless to say, I have the most cooperative aide team around. All patients are everyones patients all the time.