Unhappy CNA on night shift. Help?

selenaaa · Nov 15, 2015

Honestly, I feel like nurses will not understand our point of view and us as CNAs will not understand theirs until we are actually RNs. I went through the exact same thing, except I was working days. I get nurses have their own shift duties to complete, however, when a patient call light is going off constantly, and the CNAs are busy in other rooms and RNs are sitting at their computer carelessly, that is NOT okay. This happened to me countless amount of times during my shifts. I remember one time I went to lunch, and when I came back, the secretary told me a patient had to go to the bathroom. I go into their room and they tell me they had been calling for the past 20 minutes, and no one had gone in to help. Literally every nurse on the floor was sitting down and could have helped that patient get up if they knew the CNA was at lunch. Another thing I remember was being in another room, my nurse in another patient's room, and the nurse calling me to go into her room to empty the bedside commode. Okay..if you're in there why don't you do it? ESPECIALLY if I was in another room helping another patient. I definitely know what you're going through. and it shouldn't be about being "entitled" to have downtime as another commenter has claimed. Patients are assigned to both a CNA and a Nurse, BOTH being caregivers. We are nurse assistants, shouldn't have to be feeling the way we do on most days when we should have the nurse's help if needed. Let's also keep in mind our patient ratios are way bigger. Just a thought.

I actually switched to the NICU after experiencing all of this (I worked in Med/Surg before). I went from days to nights, although I worked some night shifts on my med surg floor before, so I will tell you some stuff:

-Nights has way less of this drama going on, day shift is 100x worse in regards to nurses delegating everything and anything they can. It's quieter at night shift and I liked that.

-Now that I work in the NICU full time nights, I feel lonely like I don't talk to anyone either. It's kind of getting me depressed, too, I feel. However, I try to get over that because I know how much more stressful and tiring days can be. But in the end it is your decision and it is different for everyone.

Good luck!

selenaaa · Nov 15, 2015

PREACH JMED18

NanikRN · Nov 15, 2015

]QUOTE=JMed18;8784949]Haha what? I worked as a CNA after having a bachelor's in engineering, arguably many-fold more difficult than an RN or with.

And you would know this----how? You are a PRE- nursing student. At least have the humility to wait until youre in nursing school before you tell us how much harder you had it in school

dream'n, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2015

I always pitch in to bring the patient a glass of ice water or empty out a urinal. But many times I do not have the time to assist a patient to the restroom if they are going to take 20 minutes and it seems I hear "well since you're here I want walked to the bathroom to try and go" in every single room I enter. I DO NOT have the time. Because if I spend my day doing that and answering call lights, I never get to chart, review test results, round with the physician, talk to the family, pass medications, consult case management, complete admits and discharges, do change dressings, insert IVs, answer ancillary department phone calls, draw labs, review vital signs, make physician calls, obtain new orders, assess patients, hourly round, place specialty consults, give PRN medications for pain or nausea, provide patient education, and on and on and on. If I don't have the time to complete my tasks, the patients will suffer medically. I won't see the elevated temp and BP soon enough. Or another patient won't get assessed fast enough for me to head off a negative change of condition. The proof to me is in the pudding; the aides ALWAYS have lunch, breaks, and leave ontime. Me, I'm there two hours after shift completing my work. So do not preach to me that the nurse doesn't help the CNA enough, get a grip

michigan94 · Nov 15, 2015

I always pitch in to bring the patient a glass of ice water or empty out a urinal. But many times I do not have the time to assist a patient to the restroom if they are going to take 20 minutes and it seems I hear "well since you're here I want walked to the bathroom to try and go" in every single room I enter. I DO NOT have the time. Because if I spend my day doing that and answering call lights I never get to chart, review test results, round with the physician, talk to the family, pass medications, consult case management, complete admits and discharges, do change dressings, insert IVs, answer ancillary department phone calls, draw labs, review vital signs, make physician calls, obtain new orders, assess patients, hourly round, place specialty consults, give PRN medications for pain or nausea, provide patient education, and on and on and on. If I don't have the time to complete my tasks, the patients will suffer medically. I won't see the elevated temp and BP soon enough. Or another patient won't get assessed fast enough for me to head off a negative change of condition. The proof to me is in the pudding; the aides ALWAYS have lunch, breaks, and leave ontime. Me, I'm there two hours after shift completing my work. So do not preach to me that the nurse doesn't help the CNA enough, get a grip[/quote'] as I stated earlier, I did not make this post because I thought RN's don't work hard. The main reason I made this was because I was struggling with nights and school and was trying to figure out why I have been so irritable. YES I know RN's are very busy (which I stated earlier) but I've worked with some pretty careless ones too.For example: I work on a neuro floor so we get a lot of confused patients who we put bed alarms on. There are times when a bed alarm is going off and a nurse will be sitting there. I'm sorry, but I think a patient potentially falling and injuring them self is a little more important than whatever they are charting. Seriosusly I regret even making this post, thinking I could actually get some advice. Apparently not, it's just a chance for nurses to bash me and tell me I don't work hard because I'm a CNA and I don't have my degree yet. And you all act like I have no idea what a nurse does when I do, I work with them everyday and pay attention to what they do, and I'm in school for it. Sorry that I had a bad day at work and was seeking some help. Instead I get told by a bunch of nurses how much better they are then me and how much harder they work. I won't be posting on here again.

JMed18 · Nov 15, 2015

And you would know this----how? You are a PRE- nursing student. At least have the humility to wait until youre in nursing school before you tell us how much harder you had it in school

I'm pre-nursing? I come onto these forums occasionally just to see how I can better relate to nurses from the medical side and to understand how things I do on the floors may be misinterpreted.

NanikRN · Nov 15, 2015

I'm pre-nursing? I come onto these forums occasionally just to see how I can better relate to nurses from the medical side and to understand how things I do on the floors may be misinterpreted.

Your profile states pre nursing student. If that's incorrect, you might want to update it

JMed18 · Nov 15, 2015

Your profile states pre nursing student. If that's incorrect, you might want to update it

Absolutely, thank you. That must be the default setting.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2015

Michigan94, my post wasn't directed at you personally. I really am sorry if it seemed like it was, that was not my intention. I was directing it toward those that are always saying the nurses are lazy. The 'others' that will jump on the 'nurses never help' bandwagon. I actually understand what you're saying about night shift possibly making you miserable. I can't work nights; I turn into a mean, short-tempered zombie. I suggest trying day shift, it's more chaotic but my body and mind accept it much better. CNAs can make or break a nurses' shift and the good ones are worth so much more than they are paid and most nurses respect the **** out of them.

hookyarnandblanket · Nov 16, 2015

I will preface my response with this: I work in a small hospital so it's easier for me to observe what goes on with our staff than it would be if I worked in a large hospital.

That being said, I have no trouble knowing which nurses make the choice to be lazy about their job and those who might appear to be lazy but actually are working hard. To the casual observer, the nurses who are sitting there, fighting with the computer to get orders entered and meds scanned may appear to be lazy, but I know they would much rather be interacting with their patients.

I would say much of this is probably based on perception as it is reality. Yes, there are nurses who delegate much more than they should or micromanage everyone instead of doing their jobs. We have at least two at my hospital, and it is frustrating, but this sort of behavior isn't endemic to just night shift, or hospitals. It's everywhere.

Kystudentrn · Nov 18, 2015

Well I guess I can chip in on these two things. As far as the sleep issues goes I believe someone mentioned melatonin. I second this. It didn't leave me with the hangover effect that diphenhydramine did. The only downside I had was it gave me some wild dreams. I think the worst was that I was demonically possessed. That being said otherwise it's great stuff! Lol..

As far as the issue of Cna vs rn I'd say let it go. This argument goes on forever and the rns always hold their line and the cnas theirs. Nobody really wins. I'll agree for the most part most cnas don't know what nurses do. Now that I've finished my practicum I have a better understanding. That being said...yes some nurses view aid work as beneath them. Most However do not.

smartassmommy · Nov 20, 2015

I was a CNA, now an LPN in school for my RN. I currently work PRN in LTC. The way our set up is ( 1 CNA to 5 residents) the CNA's have way more down time than us and I still feel bad that I can't stop and take someoen to the bathroom. But if I do, patient X could get their insulin too late, or patient Y gets a dressing changed pushed to second shift because I didn't make it to her room. I am always running my whole shift, just did a 16 hour where I didnt sit down once. It's hard to see when your on the CNA side how busy the nurses really are.

one CNA to 5 residents? that would be heaven! the ltcf where I work is at least double that number of resident per CNA