Unhappy CNA on night shift. Help?

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I've worked as a CNA at a hospital on a neuro telemetry med/surg floor for about 8 months and worked about 1 yr at a LTC facility prior. I am in school for my RN which was a main reason why I came to the hospital, to learn and get my foot in the door. I have learned a lot and have really learned how to communicate with my patients well and how to use time management. However lately I have been feeling SO irritable and unhappy at work at times. i feel like I'm the only aide who answers call lights half the time (RN's never do), the nurses are nice for the most part but I just feel like they are constantly asking me to do things, which I always act happy to do, but they are staffed much better than aides so I can be running around busy and they will tell me someone needs to be cleaned up or something. I enjoy talking to and getting to know my patients but there are always those ones who I just cannot stand and who I literally break my back for trying to help them and they don't even appreciate it. I also work night, 3 7p-7a shifts a week. I usually do my days back to back so I can get long stretches off but during my work days I feel miserable. I wake up around 3:30 and feel exhausted like I never even slept. And waiting around to work all day makes me so depressed. I also feel disconnected from the world and like I talk to no one. I truly can't figure out what's making me so unhappy. I still want to be an RN so far. I do love the hospital atmosphere, getting to know patients, etc. it's just all the BS that CNA's have to go through and night shift. I have considered trying days however I don't know if it's even worse for a CNA. Or if it would help me, I don't know if I'm irritable because of nights or what.. Help :(

your an evil RN i can tell just by this comment

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night shift is definely depressing

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Specializes in Hospice.
your an evil RN i can tell just by this comment

If you use the quote feature we'll be able to tell who you think is evil...

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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.

Melatonin really does work well. There is a drinkable version now - Emergenzzzz. I have been on night shifts for 1.5 years and love it (although it is difficult adjusting to a normal schedule when I am not working).

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, Peds.
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.

Wow! I do witness this sort of behavior time and time again but I have never had someone come out and own it.

Working as a CNA is difficult enough without having to see your patients' nurse sitting there playing candy crush after s/he has gone into a room only to come out and ask the CNA to clean up the patient.

I hope to never cross paths with you because I always speak up and address your sort of holier-than-thou attitude. We are a valuable part of the team and I feel sorry for your co-workers.

To the OP, perhaps it is time to looks for a new job, one that you will enjoy. Best of luck!

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Specializes in Hospice.
Wow! I do witness this sort of behavior time and time again but I have never had someone come out and own it.

Working as a CNA is difficult enough without having to see your patients' nurse sitting there playing candy crush after s/he has gone into a room only to come out and ask the CNA to clean up the patient.

I hope to never cross paths with you because I always speak up and address your sort of holier-than-thou attitude. We are a valuable part of the team and I feel sorry for your co-workers.

To the OP, perhaps it is time to looks for a new job, one that you will enjoy. Best of luck!

K I've got the popcorn and the comfy sofa. Anyone else want??

Chazzie, you evidently have never come across NOADLS before. Hopefully you'll get a free pass on this one lol.

Anyhoo, to stay on topic. OP, if you were just working nights, or just going to school, you might not be so stressed. The combination sounds like your reserves are getting depleted quickly.

Are you financially able to go PT or even PRN? PRN might be more beneficial as YOU get to pick when you work-say, a few Friday nights, maybe a Saturday or Sunday day shift, etc.

Night shift isn't for everyone. I've done it a few times over the past 36 years, out of necessity, and was pretty much low-grade sick the whole time. My immune system just kind of laughs weakly and rolls over.

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Specializes in Nurse's Aide.

Working the night shift is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time and effort to adjust and create a routine that is do-able. I've worked it for 5 and a half years now at a nursing home. Took me so long to find a rhythm and it can be hard because you miss out on so much during the day because you need to sleep. I would recommend trying day shift or evening shift, it'll be a much different pace and experience. I will be cutting down hours in january to only 2 nights a week so I can go to nursing school. I can't wait for the change and a more normal schedule. Try day shift and see how you like it.

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I think the night shift may be the issue, especially since you work three days back to back. Some people can do it and not feel stressed but personally, by the second day I am cranky from sleep deprivation. My hospital recommends that we do two days and take a day in between to rest/sleep and then work your third day. For many night shift first timers, we also assume that working nights means that we will get our days free. Nope, in real life it feels like two days of work each shift (at least it did for me). When I did three nights back to back, I would need twenty four hours to recover. Even though I couldn't sleep I was a useless zombie for the whole day and night afterwards.

As for the RN - CNA issue, it depends on the facility. I worked at a hospital where the call lights were the CNAs' responsibility and we had a situation where there were two patient falls, and one of them fractured a hip. All the CNA's were accounted for, helping other patients while the fallen patients had called for help. Their call lights were on for over ten minutes and the nurses at the nursing station were talking about men/women matters and nobody thought that it was necessary to find out what the matter was. Needless to say we all got chewed out and some nurses were suspended. New policies were put in place but guess what? We went back to our old routine weeks later where nurses ignored patient lights. On the other hand, at a hospital I worked, the nurses did the lights while the CNAs basically disappeared. Honestly, regardless of the "culture" where you find yourself, there will be some lazy nurses and lazy CNAs you just have to keep your goal in mind (paycheck, future job prospect, the feeling that you made a difference, or whatever it is) and keep it moving. It is one reason why there seems to be a lot of back biting in nursing.

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Wow! I do witness this sort of behavior time and time again but I have never had someone come out and own it.

Working as a CNA is difficult enough without having to see your patients' nurse sitting there playing candy crush after s/he has gone into a room only to come out and ask the CNA to clean up the patient.

I hope to never cross paths with you because I always speak up and address your sort of holier-than-thou attitude. We are a valuable part of the team and I feel sorry for your co-workers.

To the OP, perhaps it is time to looks for a new job, one that you will enjoy. Best of luck!

I speak from experience. Before you start calling out a nurse you had better make sure you are 1000% right or you will probably get yourself in some trouble. Nurses have a tendency to "circle the wagons" when under attack. Yes absolutely there are nurses out there that will delegate everything that can be delegated. Yes they can make your night suck. However please know there is a much bigger picture that you as a UAP may not be aware of.

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There are some people who naturally are more suited to working 3rd shift; their circadian rhythms are tuned differently than those who are more suited to working during the day or evening. It doesn't mean that morning people can't work night shift, it just means they have to work at it a little harder.

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I used to think I'd want to do a bunch of days in a row (like five to seven) and then have a really long weekend (then I could go out of town!). But when I tried that, I found it was really really hard to keep up and my tiredness just grew and grew as each shift passed. Nothing got done at home, I could barely keep my scrubs washed, I was eating lots of junk food because I had no time to prep or cook.

So, maybe try easing up on your schedule? I find it so much easier physically and psychologically to be able to "rest and reset".

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