Things NEVER to say to a CNA!

[LifesAJourney]

I have been working in a nursing home for almost 4 1/2 months. I absolutely love my resident :heartbeat, but the work environment is another story. Originally, they had me working in just one unit, but now I float between our two units in our facility. Since I work part-time, the condition I last saw my resident changes almost drastically from the time before. Which means, the care is also altered. Although I am constantly busy attending to my residents, I am always the last one to leave during my shift. I usually leave 15-20 mins after the time my schedule time off. Sometimes it is just I am finishing laying my last resident down, charting, etc. I work 2nd shift and my patient ratio ranges from 10-12 residents depending on what unit I am on. I've just come to terms with that. However, my co-workers still utter the words, "You're not done yet" as they are leaving to clock out since they were already done with their residents. With 3rd shift, it's more like "You're still here." Another thing that irks me is when a resident is a two-person assist and when you go to find someone to help, they comment that they usually take care of that resident themselves. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Okay, just had to vent. At least the residents appericate my work...

[1i1joe]

I would select a co-worker that seems to work quickly and smartly and tell them just that. Then ask him or her to show you how he or she takes care of somebody you believe needs two people (set aside for a moment whether the care plan specifies 1, 1-2, or 2 person assist).

It goes like this, "Wow, I can't believe how quickly you get everything done. You really know your stuff. You seem to be one of the best CNAs here. Can you show me how I can do X?"

Make sure X is something that takes a significant amount of time so what he or she can teach you really makes a difference in speeding up your shift.