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.
ok, I admit, I am from another generation. Actually, my grandma, a turn of the century girl, who saw it all, had more influence on me than my contemporaries. I just dont get this "me" generation stuff, the old farts in my generation adhered to. What a bunch.
Remember this poem?
by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
This is the attitude that sent men across an ocean to defend freedom from tyranny. Hmm, I thing I can cross the hall and toilet someone elses resident.
ok, I admit, I am from another generation. Actually, my grandma, a turn of the century girl, who saw it all, had more influence on me than my contemporaries. I just dont get this "me" generation stuff, the old farts in my generation adhered to. What a bunch.
Remember this poem?
by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
This is the attitude that sent men across an ocean to defend freedom from tyranny. Hmm, I thing I can cross the hall and toilet someone elses resident.
:thankya: Now if a few HUNDRED BILLION more people could really live their lives this way we may actually get somewhere.
OK...i guess i will post on this one...I am a "Male Nurse" and I've been working as a nursing assistant throughout school. I began my career as a cna as I thought it would help me get into nursing school, and make me a better nurse. I worked at a local "sweat shop" and finally earned my way up to the acute care hospital setting. Don't get me wrong, as a CNA in the hospital, we still work up a sweat...but it's not as overwhelming as the nursing home...(aka LTC)...I'll tell you what, I will never treat my mAIDS like some of the RN's have treated me...I think all LPN's and RN's should be an "AID" first. The way the management treats and pays CNA's is ridiculous. A CNA who works for minimal wage is fregin NUTS. We get paid pretty well here in central PA. The hospital obviously pays a little more, and the work is a little less strenious. My wife is also a CNA and in nursing school...the horror stories she tells me is NUTS....I have been trying to find her another job for 6 months...In LTC, the aids are treated like absolute ****!!! pardon my french, but it's getting a little bit ridiculous...18 residents for one aid? For 10 bucks an hour? HA! I am glad i'm going to be a nurse anesthetist or nurse practititioner, one of the two...I advise my wife every day to call the state, cuz the fregin staffing is ILLEGAL!!! But the administrator does NOT care, and everything is about "the budget:....let's see her come in and take care of a resident who realistically should be in the psch ward....UNBELIVeABLE...just so they get thier paycheck...I'm glad i've had this experience, and can relate to CNA's...They have it ROUGH....BIGTIME, esp in LTC. RN's are "busy" sitting on his/her butt, "charting"...I am an RN student, and I know and realize how much time it actually takes to chart and be responsible for all the patients/residents...Some RN's need to suck it up a bit i think...I am lucky, because I have BOTH perspectives, so I REFUSE to take laziness and "delegation" when it totally uncalled for. But I also it makes me a better "aid" in that i can recognize when immediate intervention is neccessary. Some or MOST aids have an attitude because is IS neccessary for survival...Some aids are definately territorial, which sometimes is not neccessary and often becomes annoying. But when an aid has such a high load of residents, why the hell should he/she go out of his/her way to help other residents who are not assigned to him/her. I am an advocate for teamwork, and shrill upon bad attitudes, but with the pay the way it is, what would possibly motivate a CNA to go above and beyond? Nothing...
Teamwork, I agree, is paramount in LTC. The LPN's who are passing meds should NOT delegate "petty work" to a CNA who is obviously BUSY. Passing meds is indeed stressful and full of responsibility. But there is a time and a place for delegation, and unfortunately some licensed staff abuse it. This is coming from a person who has BOTH perspectives.:angryfire :wink2:
I worked as an aide back in 1971-1972 in a nursing home, prior to my accceptance to nursing school. The pt. load was 12 on days. Bathe,dress, toilet; feed or present 2 meals; and deliver designated residents to OT, PT or Dr. appts?
ABSOLUTLEY impossible!
And you want the aide to take on someone else's work as well?
I'm not excusing it, I'm just pointing out where that attitude might spring from. Aides get paid a pittance to face grueling, non-stop, backbreaking work.
OK...i guess i will post on this one...I am a "Male Nurse" and I've been working as a nursing assistant throughout school. I began my career as a cna as I thought it would help me get into nursing school, and make me a better nurse. I worked at a local "sweat shop" and finally earned my way up to the acute care hospital setting. Don't get me wrong, as a CNA in the hospital, we still work up a sweat...but it's not as overwhelming as the nursing home...(aka LTC)...I'll tell you what, I will never treat my mAIDS like some of the RN's have treated me...I think all LPN's and RN's should be an "AID" first. The way the management treats and pays CNA's is ridiculous. A CNA who works for minimal wage is fregin NUTS. We get paid pretty well here in central PA. The hospital obviously pays a little more, and the work is a little less strenious. My wife is also a CNA and in nursing school...the horror stories she tells me is NUTS....I have been trying to find her another job for 6 months...In LTC, the aids are treated like absolute ****!!! pardon my french, but it's getting a little bit ridiculous...18 residents for one aid? For 10 bucks an hour? HA! I am glad i'm going to be a nurse anesthetist or nurse practititioner, one of the two...I advise my wife every day to call the state, cuz the fregin staffing is ILLEGAL!!! But the administrator does NOT care, and everything is about "the budget:....let's see her come in and take care of a resident who realistically should be in the psch ward....UNBELIVeABLE...just so they get thier paycheck...I'm glad i've had this experience, and can relate to CNA's...They have it ROUGH....BIGTIME, esp in LTC. RN's are "busy" sitting on his/her butt, "charting"...I am an RN student, and I know and realize how much time it actually takes to chart and be responsible for all the patients/residents...Some RN's need to suck it up a bit i think...I am lucky, because I have BOTH perspectives, so I REFUSE to take laziness and "delegation" when it totally uncalled for. But I also it makes me a better "aid" in that i can recognize when immediate intervention is neccessary. Some or MOST aids have an attitude because is IS neccessary for survival...Some aids are definately territorial, which sometimes is not neccessary and often becomes annoying. But when an aid has such a high load of residents, why the hell should he/she go out of his/her way to help other residents who are not assigned to him/her. I am an advocate for teamwork, and shrill upon bad attitudes, but with the pay the way it is, what would possibly motivate a CNA to go above and beyond? Nothing...
Teamwork, I agree, is paramount in LTC. The LPN's who are passing meds should NOT delegate "petty work" to a CNA who is obviously BUSY. Passing meds is indeed stressful and full of responsibility. But there is a time and a place for delegation, and unfortunately some licensed staff abuse it. This is coming from a person who has BOTH perspectives.:angryfire :wink2:
Your post hit a nerve for several reasons:
1. If you are not a licensed nurse, you are not a nurse.
2. I agree. CNAs do have it rough in some nursing homes. The workload is impossible and unhealthy for both client and aide alike.
3. Sitting on my butt charting is work. It's exhausting in a different way, but it is fully as exhausting as doing CNA work. It is not just the CNAs who are stressed out, overworked, and understaffed, especially in LTC. Hard to believe, but so are the nurses.
So while I completely agree with you about the tough job that CNAs do, please don't pass judgment on the nurses' jobs and workloads until you are a nurse yourself.
Oh does that ever happen. I'm weekend option (as an aide) but we are a close bunch that help each other out. When I work during the week, there is one aide that will only pass breakfast and lunch trays to HER patients. She will only answer her call lights - if then. I'm busy with my pts and answering her call lights because she will ignore them, even if she's right outside their room. She's been disciplined several times but nothing comes of it. I've come to a point that I don't care if she hates me or b****** if I ask for her help. We are supposed to work together to help the patient.
This isn't just an aide problem. I've seen nurse's do it also. Walked by a room when I noticed the pt. was blue (not my pt, ha ha). She was having an asthma attack. I yelled for the nearest nurse to get in there and yelled for someone to call cardio stat. The nurse's response? Not my patient. Luckily someone else stepped in. And the nurses and aides who sit on their butts while the hall looks like a Christmas tree with all the lights lit up, but those aren't their pts call lights. :angryfire Every pt is every nurse's and aides responsibility, IMHO.
1. If you are not a licensed nurse, you are not a nurse.
2. I agree. CNAs do have it rough in some nursing homes. The workload is impossible and unhealthy for both client and aide alike.
3. Sitting on my butt charting is work. It's exhausting in a different way, but it is fully as exhausting as doing CNA work. It is not just the CNAs who are stressed out, overworked, and understaffed, especially in LTC. Hard to believe, but so are the nurses.
So while I completely agree with you about the tough job that CNAs do, please don't pass judgment on the nurses' jobs and workloads until you are a nurse yourself.
I'm not a nurse but I agree with your post. CNA's don't have near the charting to do as nurses. Plus you are responsible for us. I've seen nurses stay over 2 hours to get their charting done because they were just too busy passing meds, dealing with doctors, new orders, etc to get it done.
1. If you are not a licensed nurse, you are not a nurse.
2. I agree. CNAs do have it rough in some nursing homes. The workload is impossible and unhealthy for both client and aide alike.
3. Sitting on my butt charting is work. It's exhausting in a different way, but it is fully as exhausting as doing CNA work. It is not just the CNAs who are stressed out, overworked, and understaffed, especially in LTC. Hard to believe, but so are the nurses.
So while I completely agree with you about the tough job that CNAs do, please don't pass judgment on the nurses' jobs and workloads until you are a nurse yourself.
As usual, what you have clearly stated is absolutely true.
But, I have seen what Brad RN student is describing here. LTC can be a real snake pitt. This is not a knock on the nurses or the NAs out there who have worked it, I have worked LTC myself. This is not all nurses, or all aides. You try to ignore it when you are working there, just to get along, but I have seen some real bad stuff.
["That ain't our resident. Why don't her aide take her?" What the #%@#! Who cares?
This is just such a sad attitude. That, "This is not my job," attitude is always somewhere in the hospital setting. I wish that there was some prevalent standards in place to eliminate just such an attitude.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Brad_RN_Student_PA. . .I'm going to hold my tongue with regard to your post as I see you don't post that often and you are still in school. Your post, however, made me awfully angry. I worked as a nursing assistant in LTC as a nursing student and saw a lot of terrible things. I kept going back with the intention of doing some small part to help make things better, one patient, one CNA at a time. I think I did as good as I could with the education and experience I brought with me. I'm proud to stand up and say that at least I didn't turn my back on the problems. In return, I got a dandy of a practical education as a supervisor and manager. I understand that LTC isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there's no need to trash it to pieces to get your point across. Some of us are trying to make it better, but people with angry attitudes against nursing homes make things so much harder for us to get good people in there to work with.
At one facility I worked we were all required to wear a button that said "All patients are MY patients". Teamwork starts with each of us. A good supervisor can sometimes help to bring out the motivation in the people who work with them. Then, there are times when a good supervisor knows when it's time to cut the bad ones from the herd. Just like there are substandard CNAs, there are also substandard supervisors and managers.
Brad_RN_Student_PA. . .I'm going to hold my tongue with regard to your post as I see you don't post that often and you are still in school. Your post, however, made me awfully angry. I worked as a nursing assistant in LTC as a nursing student and saw a lot of terrible things. I kept going back with the intention of doing some small part to help make things better, one patient, one CNA at a time. I think I did as good as I could with the education and experience I brought with me. I'm proud to stand up and say that at least I didn't turn my back on the problems. In return, I got a dandy of a practical education as a supervisor and manager. I understand that LTC isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there's no need to trash it to pieces to get your point across. Some of us are trying to make it better, but people with angry attitudes against nursing homes make things so much harder for us to get good people in there to work with.
At one facility I worked we were all required to wear a button that said "All patients are MY patients". Teamwork starts with each of us. A good supervisor can sometimes help to bring out the motivation in the people who work with them. Then, there are times when a good supervisor knows when it's time to cut the bad ones from the herd. Just like there are substandard CNAs, there are also substandard supervisors and managers.
It is great to know that there are people devoted to making LTC work. Our geriatric population is so vulnerable to the substandard circumstances in so many nursing homes. They just don't have their own voice, we need to speak up on their behalf and insist on adequate staffing and quality workers.
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chadash
1,429 Posts
ok, I admit, I am from another generation. Actually, my grandma, a turn of the century girl, who saw it all, had more influence on me than my contemporaries. I just dont get this "me" generation stuff, the old farts in my generation adhered to. What a bunch.
Remember this poem?
by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
This is the attitude that sent men across an ocean to defend freedom from tyranny. Hmm, I thing I can cross the hall and toilet someone elses resident.