What if CNA won't work?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hello. I've had something on my mind for a while and I was wondering if anyone here could give me some input. I will be (God willing) an LPN in three months. I intend to work in long term care upon graduation. I have been working as a CNA for some time now and have come across other CNAs who couldn't care less about their work and are guilty of flat out neglect and abuse. Y'all certainly know what I'm talking about so I don't need to list examples (a CNA working 11-7 who makes his first round at 0530 would be a good one). I know this doesn't apply to all or even to most CNAs but I've seen enough of these types to make me worried about how to handle it when (if) I become an LPN. Is it possible for an LPN to get into legal trouble and even be barred from nursing if neglect by an aid on his/her shift is proven? How can you possibly keep up with 30 something residents being clean, dry, repositioned, etc. as well as pass meds, do treatments, and chart? Today I worked with an aid who sat and watched basketball while her resident's brief was falling to her knees. The nurse mentioned it to the aid and her response was that the resident belonged to another aid (not true) so the poor woman just stayed like that till shift change. If you had been this nurse what would you have done? How do y'all handle this type of thing? I dont want to be a hard a** but I more than that dont want to loose my liscense! Thanks for any responses.

When I was working as a house supervisor and an aid said to me "that's not my patient". I would reassign that patient to the aid for the rest of the night. It would make them mad but it is very effective. After I did it a few times I rarely ever heard that phrase again in that facility. If I tell an aid to take care of a resident they WILL get up and do it right away or they will punch out and go home.

When aids don't do their job it's a poor reflection on the nurse running the unit.

Just my .02

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I think a lot of CNA's suck even though I am one myself. I am a damn good worker as a CNA. Lots of CNA's don't do a damn thing. You are so right, they try their damnest to run things. The sad part is that a lot of nurses seems to be scared of them. Me myself, I always go that extra mile. I always think about if the patient was myself. I don't care what nationality they are or their religion, their background etc. I look at them as a human being. I always treat patients with much respect, make sure they are well taken care of so that when I go home in the evening, I can lay down at night and sleep peacefully. One time I was in my bed at night and I remembered that I didn't give a patient the box of tissues I promised to take them that day. I felt so bad. The next day I went to that patient and told them how sorry I was. They told me that it was OK because they knew I meant well. I do other CNA's work plus mine because I feel that why should I let the patient suffer just because someone don't want to do what they are supposed to do. It is very heartbreaking the way people treat others. I have told people that I work with that one day they will be a patient and every negitive thing they have done to patients in the past will come back to haunt them while they are laying on their backs. Honest to God, I just can't mistreat people cause I know what it feels like to be neglected. I even treat people nice that have been very mean to me. People call me a fool but I don't care. I have to remain who I am because it's me.

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Specializes in Nursing assistant.
I think a lot of CNA's suck even though I am one myself. I am a damn good worker as a CNA. Lots of CNA's don't do a damn thing. You are so right, they try their damnest to run things. The sad part is that a lot of nurses seems to be scared of them. Me myself, I always go that extra mile. I always think about if the patient was myself. I don't care what nationality they are or their religion, their background etc. I look at them as a human being. I always treat patients with much respect, make sure they are well taken care of so that when I go home in the evening, I can lay down at night and sleep peacefully. One time I was in my bed at night and I remembered that I didn't give a patient the box of tissues I promised to take them that day. I felt so bad. The next day I went to that patient and told them how sorry I was. They told me that it was OK because they knew I meant well. I do other CNA's work plus mine because I feel that why should I let the patient suffer just because someone don't want to do what they are supposed to do. It is very heartbreaking the way people treat others. I have told people that I work with that one day they will be a patient and every negitive thing they have done to patients in the past will come back to haunt them while they are laying on their backs. Honest to God, I just can't mistreat people cause I know what it feels like to be neglected. I even treat people nice that have been very mean to me. People call me a fool but I don't care. I have to remain who I am because it's me.

You are not a fool! you are doing the right thing. :balloons:

I agree, it seems that a lot of nurses are afraid of the nursing assistants. (but strangely, none of them were ever afraid of me, but I digress..:rolleyes: )

It was good an earlier post pointed out that management actually does the firing. I guess I believe some firing needs to be happening in these cases, and someone needs to stand up for the patient against abuse and neglect. I understand that tasks are not always done in a timely manner because of short staffing: been there done that! Shame on management for that. But deliberate neglect and laziness: this should be cause for dismissal. Again, shame on management if they don't! Unfortunately, it lays on the shoulders of the nursing staff to set the standard of care, and insist on it being implemented. Boy, LTC is a tough nut to crack.

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JKDON was right on the nail. I always try to teach first, even if I know that that aid should know what is to be done. A friendly asking/ reminder to start. After that, I mean business.

As far as firing them. Hah. It ain't that easy if it is a union facility. Don't get me wrong, some unions do good things, but come on!

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Specializes in Home Health, PDN, LTC, subacute.

Noryn: Thanks for the great advice! As a new LPN I can use all I can get!

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

Very few things make me angrier than to hear, "That's not my patient." If a patient needs something within my scope of practice, I don't care who has been assigned to them. They're all "mine." And thank God I work with other aides who feel the same way.

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Specializes in Nursing assistant.
Very few things make me angrier than to hear, "That's not my patient." If a patient needs something within my scope of practice, I don't care who has been assigned to them. They're all "mine." And thank God I work with other aides who feel the same way.

That is so true! every resident and pt is the responsibility of every staff member. Why be a NA if you don't feel you have a "charge to keep"? I could make more money doing office work.

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:o :stone :crying2: This is how I be feeling lots of time about my patients when I see what they're going through. Some is really so helpless. No legs, paralyzed, aids, loss of memory, etc. I mean so many different ages. I always be wishing that they could just get up and be normal again and live a happy life.

But you know what, thank God for all the good employees that really have a true loving caring heart that we do make a big difference in their lives each and every day they see our face.

Whether some of these patients brains can still function or not, believe me they know who is really loving and sincere.

I REST MY CASE!

Forever Love to all the patients:)

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God knows I feel the same way you do. These patients didn't ask to be there. That could be us one day. Especially the way things are happening out here today. All it takes is one second to change a life. We see it every single day. A lot of people live from day to day so comfortable really thinking nothing can ever happen to them. They only worry about themselves. As long as they're fine, they don't care about no one else. I never thought that I would ever live to see the day when people really don't care any more. I used to always wonder why God keeps me here. For what reason. I never knew that I would be taking care of people one day and that's what I now do for a living. I guess he was preparing me all these years to do this job. Sometimes we wonder why our life is going the way it's going and I guess that's part of reaching every level that God has for us in our life.

I feel so happy that I can relate to anyone in this world no matter what race, religion, background, etc. I can never turn my back on people because they are all human beings.

People must remember also that they should never turn their nose up for having to do peri care on a patient because the patient may be cleaning them up one day.

Much Love for the patients:)

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People must remember also that they should never turn their nose up for having to do peri care on a patient because the patient may be cleaning them up one day.

Agree 100%.

There is no reason an RN cannot do peri care, unless she is involved elsewhere as in needing to give a pain pill, pass a med, call a MD, etc.

That is the reason there are nurse aides.

But...if there is time, there is no reason an RN cannot do it, peri care is an excellent way to assess and get something done for the patient at the same time.

Any RN who thinks they are above toileting a patient or just helping them in whatever way the patient needs, is due a serious reality check.

Our job is to take care of the patients, period. Whatever the patient needs at the time. If they need a drink of water and their water is stale, I go refill their pitcher so they don't have to drink stale water. It's about patient CARE and the patient being the priority. This whole customer service mentality is bunk, it's superfluous, phony, and a tacked-on thing hospitals do because THEY WON'T BUDGET FOR THE PROPER NURSING/AIDE STAFF to make sure the patient is taken care of.

Edited to add: I have been FIRED before for supposedly refusing to toilet a patient. It wasn't true....I was a traveller and dispensable and they needed a scapegoat, and I understood that. Know what? I not only focus on patient care and satisfaction, I'm even better than I was before. I'm still learning, always learning.

I always have a "personal" conversation with my patients....I start off talking about this area of the country, the town.....I get to know them. I establish a relationship with them and let them know that I CARE. Then, if and when something does happen, because you have a relationship with them, they are less likely to throw a fit.

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Hi, I know how u all feel. I recentaly graduated and am working LTC. I have had many run ins with my CNA's so far. Some are amazing and I never have to worry, others I might as well do all the work so I dont have to worry. One resident is bed ridden and is always taken a dinner tray. I knew no one had taken a dinner tray so i went and fed him. Then at report I was like so how much did so and so eat.. the one CNA is like I dontk now ask her I didn't feed him. The other ones response was ummm oh he eat 50%, I'm like hmm funny b/c i fed him and he actually ate 80% and she's like i'm really sorry i forgot to feed him, i'ml ike then why not just confess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also if someone has vommitted or has an open area, they wont let me know till like 10pm when I"ve told them numerous times to come and get me asap or page me if i can't be found. I dont know if it's b/c i'm so young they dont pay attention to me or what. I try to give them respect my helping them out as much as possible with toileting and putting people to bed, but obviously it's not enough.

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Specializes in Nursing assistant.

Off subject, but I am a CNA with a question. I do home health, and one of my pts has a foley. I had noticed that though her urine does not seem too concentrated, that the odor had changed and it smelled a bit suspicious to me. I got some reagents to test for WBC and Nitrites, and it came out clearly positive. I left a note for the agency nurse, but she did not follow up. I took it again today, and it was still clearly positive. Since I do not work fot the agency, (I am private duty) I can't talk to the nurse, so I was wondering if I tested properly. I took the urine directly from the foley it self, not through the bag, in a never before used plastic cup. The test strip turned bright pink and purple respectively. I left another message to please test for themselves. Did I do this right?

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