Unhappy CNA on night shift. Help?

NOADLS · Nov 13, 2015

RN's have 2-4 years worth of education at the minimum while CNA's will have a few months of education.

Education = entitlement. Expect the RN's to have more downtime.

If you're in school to become a RN, then you'll eventually get the perks that we're already getting.

Mrokayrn · Nov 13, 2015

Some of my classmates became CNAs during nursing school. I never had any desire. I can see the benefit in learning how to interact with your patients and how being familiar with the CNAs scope can help you as an RN, but it sounds to me like you've gotten all that you can out of the job. Nursing school is stressful, I found a job that I actually really enjoyed while I was in school (working in a hotel bar/cafe if you're interested- got awesome hotel discounts too!) You've got the rest of your career to do 12 hours shifts and take care of people, I'd say find a new job until you graduate. CNAs are overworked and underpaid.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2015

Being a CNA is very back-breaking work, but the nurses are likely not slacking. Nursing is HARD and the responsibility is great. As a nurse since the early '90s, I have very, very seldom seen a nurse not working their behind off. If I were you I would try dayshift because you need to figure out if it's the nightshift or if nursing is perhaps not right for you. As a nurse you will continue to do many CNA duties in addition to your nursing responsibilities. Nursing looks much different from the outside looking in, than it really is as a profession.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2015

RN's have 2-4 years worth of education at the minimum while CNA's will have a few months of education.
Education = entitlement. Expect the RN's to have more downtime.
If you're in school to become a RN, then you'll eventually get the perks that we're already getting.

No ADLs, just no. I like ya, but nurses do not have entitlements and perks. When a nurse is sitting she is probably reviewing labs/tests and determining which results are abnormal enough to call the Dr about. Or the nurse is charting the 1,000,000 forms that need done every shift.

NOADLS · Nov 13, 2015

dream said:

No ADLs just no. I like ya, but nurses do not have entitlements and perks. When a nurse is sitting she is probably reviewing labs/tests and determining which results are abnormal enough to call the Dr about. Or the nurse is charting the 1,000,000 forms that need done every shift.

Before I started my masters, I was playing candycrush for a good portion of the shift. Now I am doing my coursework during my downtime.

I realize I might sound like a waste of space, but I always finish my job before sidetracking into my own personal business. There is at least 1 floor nurse on each wing and at the very least a pair of CNA's on the floor (per wing), so I am rarely needed.

The entitlement I have over the floor nurse is quite substantial while the floor nurse enjoys a few perks that the CNA's don't receive.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Nov 13, 2015

RN's have 2-4 years worth of education at the minimum while CNA's will have a few months of education.
Education = entitlement. Expect the RN's to have more downtime.
If you're in school to become a RN, then you'll eventually get the perks that we're already getting.

Where do you work? As a tech, at least I get my lunches. The nurses I work with barely even get a bathroom break.

michigan94 · Nov 13, 2015

dream said:

Being a CNA is very back-breaking work but the nurses are likely not slacking. Nursing is HARD and the responsibility is great. As a nurse since the early '90s, I have very, very seldom seen a nurse not working their behind off. If I were you I would try dayshift because you need to figure out if it's the nightshift or if nursing is perhaps not right for you. As a nurse you will continue to do many CNA duties in addition to your nursing responsibilities. Nursing looks much different from the outside looking in, than it really is as a profession.

I feel as if people are taking my post the wrong way.. I most definitely know that nurses work hard and admire all of them and respect them all no matter how they treat me. And I don't mind cleaning up patients at all and will still have no issue with doing CNA work when I do graduate. But at least at my hospital there are some nurses who are far from helpful, obviously I know they are busy. It's just very irritating when some RN's won't touch the call light. EVER. But I know that most RN's are not like this and definitely work hard and have way more responsibility than I do. Maybe it's just my floor, I just wish there was a little more teamwork is all..

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Nov 13, 2015

I feel as if people are taking my post the wrong way.. I most definitely know that nurses work hard and admire all of them and respect them all no matter how they treat me. And I don't mind cleaning up patients at all and will still have no issue with doing CNA work when I do graduate. But at least at my hospital there are some nurses who are far from helpful, obviously I know they are busy. It's just very irritating when some RN's won't touch the call light. EVER. But I know that most RN's are not like this and definitely work hard and have way more responsibility than I do. Maybe it's just my floor, I just wish there was a little more teamwork is all..

I get where you're coming from but there's nothing you can do to change how they are. I worked as a CNA in a nursing home and it was so bad, I would take care of 20 patients (including about 7 lifts) by myself without the help of the nurse. And she made it even harder for me by telling me that I needed to do this and do that. If I were you I would get off night shift and move to a different unit.

stephalina6, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2015

I'm an RN that is now working day shift from working 8 months on nights.... From my own personal experience, you may be better off working day shift. I was loosing so much sleep during the day in between shifts that I felt irritable like you mentioned, and depressed. I just could not stop crying some days! Now that I switched to day shift I feel so much better, there is a lot more help during the day than night, and your day will just fly. Day shift is a whole lot busier than nights sometimes, but ask your director if you can have a "trial run" for a couple weeks and see if that gets better for you. :)

brownbook · Nov 13, 2015

Since you had almost 20 months of CNA experience prior to this job, and I assume you did not have this problem at your other jobs, I think your complaint is very justified and you work with a bad group of nurses. Maybe you can transfer to a different floor or unit. I apologize for the nurses you work with.

NOADLS · Nov 13, 2015

Where do you work? As a tech, at least I get my lunches. The nurses I work with barely even get a bathroom break.

LTC. For the CNA's, they always receive their breaks. For nurses, it can vary from either having an excessive amount of extra time to not even being able to take a break. For the majority of my shifts, I get a lot of extra time to myself. It is rare for me to go from start to finish without my break.