The field of Nursing is wicked to CENAs..the ugly side no one talks about

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

I have been a Nurse's Assistant for about 8 months. I am currently studying to be an RN. I am 23 year old female

In the beginning, the occupation as a Cena appeared to be a wonderful job to me and being that there are SO many opportunities to move up inside of the health care field itself, getting trained and finding a position in a hospital or Nursing home was a smart idea. RNs are in large demand right now.

I have worked at 2 nursing homes so far, and from my experience working as a CNA is one of the most risky jobs you can ever have. While I think the job itself can be relatively easy--especially if you work the midnight shift-- and it can be very challenging--the hectic day shift--it is a wonderful and rewarding job and I enjoy it when you are amongst ppl who are FAIR.

Unfortunately, from my recent experiences I think being a CNA is not a reliable job, and often you work at the mercy to some of the most wicked, scheming, prejudice, discrimanatory ppl in the industry. In this field it is VERY easy to get lied on, and get fired, there is absolutely nothing to protect us from the malicious ways that go on. We are pretty much disposable. It is very hard to keep a job in this field

I am working at a Nursing home with a LPN, who has an infamous reputation for firing Nurse's Assistants like its a sport. She is very manipulative--she has poured water in residents diapers in efforts to besmirch an employees reputation so they can get terminated. She will pick a target, and harass this person until they get fired or they quit.

I am her "target" I have been working there for almost 3 months. I have not yet reached my 90 days, and it's obvious she does not want me to. She has turned up the heat on her treacherous ways because I am getting close to my last days of probation.

Lately, this wicked LPN has been watching me--another employee confirmed this--I feel her eyes on me when I am working. Everytime I pass by I feel her eyes follow wherever I go. I am a very hardworker, I come to work everyday on time, never called off. I am somewhat of a fast worker--I simply cannot help this though once i get going it's like an andrenaline rush.

Since I work the midnight shift anywhere from 3-5 residents have to be up and in the dining room from 5-7am in the morning. I have found a routine that works for me to where I get most of them dressed and ready in the 5 hr bracket. Depending on the residents that I have for that night I get some dressed a bit early because they are my hardest patients. If you start them later then you will end up staying over your shift which will result in write ups. Many employees practice this as well.

The wicket LPN never had a problem with this until the past few weeks. She has noticed that I always have my residents up and dressed promptly and on time in the morning. I am about my business. She has confronted me about this and told me that I get them dressed too early and I explained to her why I have to with certain residents. She wants to make a Cenas job miserable and difficult by being against this.

Last night, the wicked LPN instigated a conflict. While, I was doing my rounds, she pops into the room and tells me that another resident needs to go to the bathroom while I am in the midst of changing someone's brief. (Lately, she has been making a habit of interrupting me in the middle of one thing, to tell me to do something else that really doesn't need to be done in any kind of urgency. This is her scheme to try to throw me off and cause work conflict. She wants me to fall behind) The resident that she "claimed" needed to go to the bathroom is continent and usually pulls her call light when she has to go...I am at this woman's mercy so after I finished changing the resident's brief I do what she says and go to the residents room to take her to the bathroom--only to find that this woman is in a deep sleep and is snoring--obviously she has been sleep for hours and does not need to go go the bathroom. She is continent and in her right mind--she let's you know when she has to go. Still, I tap the woman on the shoulder and wake her up, I ask her if she has to go. She replies that she doesn't. I make sure by asking her several times, she assures me that she doesn't have to pee. I try to encourage her to get up, but she refuses. The residents do have rights. Therefore, I tell her I will come back later and try again just in case.

I leave and assist another resident..the wicked LPN comes in after me as I am changing a brief..and asked me if I took the other resident to the bathroom..when I tried to explain to her what happened when I went in there--she cuts me off, and presumes that I "refused to take orders" and will write me up. I remained calm as I tried to defend myself then later realized its best to stay quiet. The wicked LPN was purposely being very quarrelsome and unprofessional. She left the room and said she will write me up.

Moments later she drags another Nurse from a different station brings her into the residents room while I am still working, points her fingers and says, "you see this GIRL, she will not do what i say. I told her to take a resident to the bathroom but she did not do it." She went on and I felt humilated and embarassed, felt like I was being bullied. The other Nurse had nothing to do with what was going on, and what she did was childish.

When the two left the room, I could hear the wicked LPN loudly saying in a nasty and harsh tone, "that girl i told her to take that resident to the room but she didn't want to do it..." and some other things. I felt belittled that a person in her position would stoop so low.

Now, I get a call today that I was taken off the schedule to work, and that I have to attend a meeting with the administrator and Charge Nurse Monday. I honestly feel like I do not stand a chance to keep my job and will be fired. I really liked my job but it was the wicked LPN who made things worse. This type of stuff has happened to me in the past where you get Nurse's who like to habitually LIE on Cenas because they think low of us.

I don't know what to do

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Honey, I'm an LPN who has had RN's, LPN's, and CNA's lie about me. It's a nasty business with a sneaky culture.

I'm sorry you're going through this.

[TazziRN, RN]

"i remained calm as i tried to defend myself then later realized its best to stay quiet. the wicked lpn was purposely being very quarrelsome and unprofessional. she left the room and said she will write me up.

moments later she drags another nurse from a different station brings her into the residents room while i am still working, points her fingers and says, "you see this girl, she will not do what i say. i told her to take a resident to the bathroom but she did not do it." she went on and i felt humilated and embarassed, felt like i was being bullied. the other nurse had nothing to do with what was going on, and what she did was childish.

when the two left the room, i could hear the wicked lpn loudly saying in a nasty and harsh tone, "that girl i told her to take that resident to the room but she didn't want to do it..." and some other things. i felt belittled that a person in her position would stoop so low. "

maybe i'm waaaaaay off base here, but it has been my experience that when the teller of the tale is the calm, rational, "good" person and the other one is the wicked, loud, rude one, there are things that are not being told.........

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You're a CNA (certified nursing assistant), and not a 'CENA.'

I couldn't help myself regarding that.

[Batman24]

I wouldn't judge all nurses on the behavior of one or two bad apples. There are bad employees in every field. My personal experience (not in nursing as I am a student) is that often it is based on jealousy. It's also because they are miserable people who like to make kind and helpful miserable along with them.

Go into the meeting calm and professional. How long has this LPN worked for the facility?! Have you made a complaint against her in the past?! If they fire you it is their loss.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

I do not know if I still want to work as a Cena, I am considering changing occupations to something else in the medical field. This malicious behavior has happened on both nursing jobs, and what I learned is that there is absolutely nothing some ppl can do to protect themselves from this abuse of power that goes on. You have these Nurse's who are lying on the Cenas, and putting them in compromising positions. Nurse's Assistants clearly are not respected even though we are just as esstential to RNs/LPNs for keeping the Nursing home running.

What I leanred is that If the Nurse's really like you, you will stay, but if they don't for whatever reason it may be you will go. When your number is up it is up. Sadly, many ppl cannot afford to take gambles like this, like me, I need my job to support myself and get through college.

On my job, there is an older lady who is a Cena she is in her late 50s early 60s. She is being discriminated against because of her age. There is a group of Nurse's who were all laughing about how they are trying to get her fired, one said, "I tried to fire her yesterday but I couldn't find an opportunity to write her up for anything." There was about 5 of them laughing about this. They know by the job not having a union and being an "at will" place of employment, we have far too much to risk. And they get a thrill out being downright wicked and evil to Cenas. I cannot believe how miserable these women have to be to partake in such evilness.

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

"i remained calm as i tried to defend myself then later realized its best to stay quiet. the wicked lpn was purposely being very quarrelsome and unprofessional. she left the room and said she will write me up.

moments later she drags another nurse from a different station brings her into the residents room while i am still working, points her fingers and says, "you see this girl, she will not do what i say. i told her to take a resident to the bathroom but she did not do it." she went on and i felt humilated and embarassed, felt like i was being bullied. the other nurse had nothing to do with what was going on, and what she did was childish.

when the two left the room, i could hear the wicked lpn loudly saying in a nasty and harsh tone, "that girl i told her to take that resident to the room but she didn't want to do it..." and some other things. i felt belittled that a person in her position would stoop so low. "

maybe i'm waaaaaay off base here, but it has been my experience that when the teller of the tale is the calm, rational, "good" person and the other one is the wicked, loud, rude one, there are things that are not being told.........

when dealing with someone like her, you have to be calm, quiet and not say anything...because if you argue with that woman or caught aruging with her if there are witnesses around you lose all crediblity.

besides, i am a very quiet person, and i usually keep to myself anyway. i am not confrontational, especially in a work environment. i have too much to risk and i take my job seriously.

but even the most hard working, civil employee cannot go through this unscathed. no matter how much hard work and effort i put into my job, she will always find something wrong, and even try to provoke conflict.

this woman is loathed by many, she even has a bad reputation stemming from a past nursing home she worked at. a few cenas have either requested they not work the same station as this woman, or be scheduled on the days that she is off.

the only reason she is still employed there is because she is "friends" with the head administrator. and she does work more than any other nurse. she will work 7 straight 12 hr working days.

go into the meeting calm and professional. how long has this lpn worked for the facility?! have you made a complaint against her in the past?! if they fire you it is their loss.

the lpn has worked there for some years..i am new so i don't know how many years she has been there. i made a complaint about her the night the incident happened. before then, i never made any complaints about her because she had not done anything horrific enough for me to write a complaint about besides being a pain is the a$$

however, she did lie & write me up saying all of my residents were wet..when she clearly saw me do my last rounds before i went home she watches me like a hawk. she got me good with that one because i never wrote the date and time on my briefs. i guess i was being naive. the last few weeks, i have put the date and time on each and every brief to provide some sort of proof that i did my last rounds and the residents were clean and dry when i left my shift.

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

It sounds like your place of employment is not at all what you hoped it to be. You speak repeatedly of the wickedness and evil of the licensed personnel there. I cannot imagine why you would stay in such a toxic environment.

People who lie at work are everywhere; I can assure you that it is not only RN's to CNA's, but also CEO's to managers, hairdressers to clients, doctors to patients, moms to kids... people everywhere. Please find a more suitable work environment.

And study hard in school. Much luck to you.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

not to be stupid, but what is a CENA? is that another abbrev. for CNA?

[leslie :-D]

first and foremost:

it is CNA, CNA, CNA, CNA. Certified Nursing Assistant

secondly, nurses cannot fire anyone.

they can grieve their concerns, and bring it up the chain of command, but they cannot fire.

third, if a nurse is trying to sabotage your job, it is up to you in trying to protect it.

this includes saving a water-soaked diaper to the charge nurse:

or reporting this nurse to the charge, about how you awoke the pt to see if she had to go to the bathroom.

you need to be proactive in standing up for yourself.

and finally, please do not get into the habit of stereotyping.

not all nurses are malicious.

people are people-regardless of their profession.

best of everything.

leslie

[jojotoo, RN]

Since nurses depend on CNAs and techs to help them and lighten their load, why would a nurse want to get a CNA (that was doing her job) fired? And you state that this nurse has done that repeatedly. Doesn't that just make more work for the nurse?

[SharonH, RN]

I believe you.