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

Nurses General Nursing

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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

I hope that I still have my job, I truly do. My parents will be dissappointed. And it will be hard for me to find another place who will compromise with my schedule.

It sound slike it would be a blessing if you didn't have this job and found another one. Your parents won't be disappointed in you for sticking up for yourself, taking yourself out of an abusive situation, working hard, being kind, etc. No good parent wants their child treated in this way. LEAVE regardless of the outcome. They have already cost you days of salary with this idiocy. It will only get worse from here.

You are a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Learn to draw boundaries now and you will be a happier and healthier woman in the long run. You WILL find another job. Trust me.

There are nasty mean manipulating troublemakers in the world, and it's too bad you had to work with one. It's probably better to find another job, and to watch your back, and keep a journal to document every interaction. (If she is doing anything that can be reported to the BON----I would report it sooo fast.)

Specializes in Nursing assistant.

In the past, a group of CNAs who had had plotted to kill her! .

Whoa there! wait a minute....REALLY?

Ah, just another day in the crazy, zany world of LTC...

When I posted here yesterday, I didn't have time to read much more than the original post. Now that I've read the rest, there is more I have to say, because I met a bully just as bad when I was in high school who made my life miserable before I changed schools.

That nurse is a sociopath and a nasty bully and it's not worth keeping that job, because she will do nothing but hassle you. She doesn't care who she hurts. Avoid her like the plague, because her behavior went to the point that she endangered her own life.

Here are a couple of links that I have found that may help.

http://www.answers.com/topic/bullying-1

http://www.kickbully.com/main.html

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

What you are experiencing is horrible, yes, but let me tell you that this goes on even with nurses. It is not new or different. Maybe what is happening is the domino effect, but, what is happening is not limited to CNAs, and most importantly, not all nurses are evil.

I would leave this place, yes, because it is toxic. But, all nurses are not the enemies of CNAs or each other.

Specializes in Nursing assistant.

again, the quote: this is a set-up. no one likes that nurse, she is loathed by too many. even when her mother died, many ppl did not sympathize with her, and said she got what was coming to her. in the past, a group of cnas who had had plotted to kill her! i doubt any cna would mention anything like that to her--except for two older women there who are her friends. i think she got one of them to lie for her. i was told that the day shift cna will be in the conference with the nurse when they hear the other side of the story.

end quote...

am i the only one here that finds this a bit shocking? i mean, would you work some place where the bad guys were mean and crazy, and the good guys had homicidal tendencies?

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I think that maybe, just maybe, this whole scenerio is a bit on the dramatic side. It possibly was blown out of proportion? I dont know, but it just seems "too much" . I can believe getting in trouble over something that didnt happen, I can believe a personality conflict between co-workers, BUT throw in some threats on life and non-caring of a parents death, etc.. and it becomes a tad on the unbelieveable side for me. Just my opinion. Also, if it is that horrible to work there- resign. find a different job. I am sure your parents would understand. I wouldnt want my daughter working where things are THAT awful.... again, just my opinion.

Specializes in Nursing assistant.
Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.
i think that maybe, just maybe, this whole scenerio is a bit on the dramatic side. it possibly was blown out of proportion? i dont know, but it just seems "too much" . i can believe getting in trouble over something that didnt happen, i can believe a personality conflict between co-workers, but throw in some threats on life and non-caring of a parents death, etc.. and it becomes a tad on the unbelieveable side for me. just my opinion. also, if it is that horrible to work there- resign. find a different job. i am sure your parents would understand. i wouldnt want my daughter working where things are that awful.... again, just my opinion.

i wouldn't be surprised if the attempted-hit was a bit of an exaggeration (on the part of the op's coworkers, more than on the part of the op), but the rest of it doesn't sound that far-fetched.

there are some really misguided (to be kind) people in this world.

a subordinate in her early 20's is a prime target for those who have fun messing with people. she's too old to be under her parent's wing, but yet too young to have a lot of real-world experiences to draw from.

i was "stalked" by someone when i was about that age. nothing "serious" -- just annoying stuff. my car was spray painted. my bike tires were slashed while on campus. lots of crank phone calls. my license plate (out of state) was stolen. that kind of stuff. and i never did anything to "wrong" this individual; i was just an easy target.

to the op: you have your na cert, so finding a job shouldn't be difficult. if you are willing to work your share of weekends and off shifts, then it really shouldn't be tough to find a new job. my advice (to echo some others), is to start looking now. unless michigan has an over-abundance of cnas, you should be in good shape.

and remember: when you interview for the next job, don't say anything negative about the current situation. if you do happen to get terminated, say something vague like "i was not a good fit for that job. however, i'm a hard worker and i have every confidence that i am the right person for this position." something like that. just don't tell them about being targeted, etc. even when it is true, it makes you look like you are making excuses.

good luck.

Well, I attended the conference today, and told my side of the story. I have to tell ya, that Nurse did not even acknowledge the confrontation that had occured. She tried to use the fact that I was late for my break etc things she can't prove. She doesn't know what time the CNAs come back..and then that I dressed a resident too early.

Also the Nurse says in her write-up that the night I went home, a Nurse's Assistant from the day shift confided in her how a resident said that 'some girl' was mean to her earlier, and took her to the bathroom, then sat her down and instantly got her up without letting her urinate. And that she was not washed up or anything before her brief was placed on her. When they asked the lady who 'this girl' was, she said she didn't know.

Honestly, this is bogus. The woman is obese, there is no way in hell that I am going to go through all that effort it takes to assist her into the wheelchair and toilet then immediately pick her up without barely letting her sit down for long. Yeah right. I want to rest and don't mind how long she sits! You can't even get her up that easily if you tried, it takes her awhile to pull herself up and that's just from the toilet seat. As for washing her up, I wiped her with tissue.

This is a set-up. No one likes that Nurse, she is loathed by too many. Even when her mother died, many ppl did not sympathize with her, and said she got what was coming to her. In the past, a group of CNAs who had had plotted to kill her! I doubt any CNA would mention anything like that to her--except for two older women there who are her friends. I think she got one of them to lie for her. I was told that the day shift CNA will be in the conference with the Nurse when they hear the other side of the story.

How convienient for something like that to occur the same day so she can use it to her advantage.

I was told they will call me and let me know their decision once they hear both sides of the story. The Nurse was scheduled to come in after me. I am not so sure about this one, because the Nurse used some really good shady tactics against me to get me out of there. I will hope that they will look at the whole picture, at how she has 3 CNAs who have written letters and specfically requested that they do not work with her anymore. And they don't.

I am very disappointed that they do not seem at all concerned by their employees well-being. I explained to them how the Nurse was very disrespectful and talked down to me. She was quarrelsome, and was one step away from going into a rage. How do they expect the residents to be treated well if the CNAs are not with a nurse like this??? If I were older, I don't think she would have talked to me like that at all. This woman is going around making ppl miserable and they don't seem to care at all. She has gotten many complaints from other employees. I truly hope they will finally see the light.

I hope that I still have my job, I truly do. My parents will be dissappointed. And it will be hard for me to find another place who will compromise with my schedule.

ok I was keeping an open mind until this post came up. WHY, WHY, WHY do you want to work with people who gloat over someone's mother dying simply because "they had it coming"? Peopl who were plotting to KILL another staff member?!!! Get out of there. I can't believe this is quite real...

Update:

Bad news they called me and left a message on my voicemail saying that I was "still off the schedule" and to call back when I get a chance. Well, I called back and spoke with one of the RN's who told me that they are going to have to keep me "off the schedule" because I have too many issues and it hasn't even been 90 days. It would have been 90 days on the 14 of this month.:crying2: The RN was hasty to get off the phone with me and I figured once they make up their mind that is it. I've been let go from jobs before and there is no turning back. I just took what she said and politely said goodbye.

The weird thing is is that someone called me yesterday asking me if I could work the afternoon shift which I declined, then they call me today to fire me?? That is so bizarre.

Since I have allowed things to sink in I am very upset and no longer have the desire to work as a CNA anymore. I might work in retail while I puruse my career in Nursing. It seems that being a CNA is a very powerless position, and there is nothing you can do to protect you from unfair treatment.

I seriously think that the LPN was out to sabotage my job, and she succeeded. Whatever "test" she put me up to I must have failed miserably and as a result I ended up terminated. The real reason why the LPN was out to get me was purely personal, I happen to think that people who are young are often easy targets IMO. They tend to pick on ppl who are in the 18-25 bracket because they figure we are young, stupid, and powerless. When I heard about her repuation of firing ppl I had a gut feeling that I would be the type to get caught up and let go. I just knew it. She probably sensed some kind of weakness in me. Not trying to sound paranoid but that LPN was watching me moreso than any other CNAs. And I know it's their job--but you know when someone has a very watchful eye on you. Anytime I walked pass her she would always look to see what I was doing, her eyes would just always follow me and I did not understand why. She never did this to other people as much because I watched her.

Whatever it is this LPN is doing, the nursing home must like it. Because they did not care at all about how disrespected me and referred to me as "that girl" in a derrogatory term, nor did they seem at all concerned at how she uses intimidation to get CNAs to do what she says. If I were older, she would have NEVER spoke to me like that.

The last day that I worked, I was in the midst of getting towels and cleaning up a resident, she asked me if I was going to take another resident to the bathroom, and I calmy replied, "as soon as I get finished with Ms. Johnson". And she gave me this evil glare like she was up to something wicked. I will never foget that look she gave me. I knew my fate was sealed after that day.

My mother told me to contact the labor relations for unfair termination, so that is what I am going to do. And I will also call the job tomorrow to get a better explanation as to why I was let go. In fact, I will basically give them a piece of my mind because I feel like I was taken advantage of. I don't know, maybe they save money when axe people before their 90s are up...i'm not sure..

Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

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

Haha I'm an RN and believe me it isn't that much different as you move up the ladder (I was a CNA for a couple of years at a nursing home too). What you wrote could easily apply to some RN positions as well.

It sounds like your workplace is the problem and you haven't found employment that matches you yet.

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