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.

From ur post i get it that u are still working as a cna and worked with this other person who was watching basketball instead of doing her job.What i really dont understand is why couldnt you help the resident with the briefs instead of the resident having to wait till the next shift, just out of being responsible even though this wasnt ur resident i mean how long would that take. Am not saying that you take over her duties but this seemed like an isolated case at that moment assuming maybe the resident was in the hallway for eventhe nurse to comment.What if the resident had fallen would u have had to wait till the next shift?Excuse me but you dont appear to be any different from the other cna.

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.
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More often than not the person reporting the wrongdoings is the one to get in trouble. She should have brought the problem to the nurse's and the cna's attention and if they failed to respond she should change the brief and document what happened on black and white, and then give it to the DON.

From ur post i get it that u are still working as a cna and worked with this other person who was watching basketball instead of doing her job.What i really dont understand is why couldnt you help the resident with the briefs instead of the resident having to wait till the next shift, just out of being responsible even though this wasnt ur resident i mean how long would that take. Am not saying that you take over her duties but this seemed like an isolated case at that moment assuming maybe the resident was in the hallway for eventhe nurse to comment.What if the resident had fallen would u have had to wait till the next shift?Excuse me but you dont appear to be any different from the other cna.
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From ur post i get it that u are still working as a cna and worked with this other person who was watching basketball instead of doing her job.What i really dont understand is why couldnt you help the resident with the briefs instead of the resident having to wait till the next shift, just out of being responsible even though this wasnt ur resident i mean how long would that take. Am not saying that you take over her duties but this seemed like an isolated case at that moment assuming maybe the resident was in the hallway for eventhe nurse to comment.What if the resident had fallen would u have had to wait till the next shift?Excuse me but you dont appear to be any different from the other cna.

Thanks for all of y'all's posts. I do appreciate the advice. Anyalobiro, normally I would have been the one to change her as I was that particular shift the one to make sure the other aid's feeder residents get fed since they sometimes "forget" and I can't stand to see someone go without lunch. However, I overheard this convesation between the aid and the nurse as I was passing the TV lounge while making my final round at 1400. I didn't stay around to see what the nurse's response was and I figured being the nurse she would handle it. It wasn't until I was finishing up at 1500 and sitting down to document that I saw a second shift aid walking the particular resident down the hall to change her and then realised she had not been changed before. I certainly am not out to make myself out to be super aid #1 but I have changed my share of other CNAs' residents.

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Thank you Gloria the keywords being changed the briefs before taking further action.

More often than not the person reporting the wrongdoings is the one to get in trouble. She should have brought the problem to the nurse's and the cna's attention and if they failed to respond she should change the brief and document what happened on black and white, and then give it to the DON.
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you know the posts you are getting are all correct. as a cna who became and lpn and then rn then don in the same facility, this is the hardest way to grow up in nursing. people don't always forget your mistakes, and the "since when do we have to listen to you" mentality can be so hard. if you choose not to stay in the same facililty, follow the advice you saw here. ask the don how she want this kind of thing handled, make sure she is in sync with you. ask what kind of authority you have and how she wants you to follow up. give examples of how you think you would handle it. nursing school does not prepare us for this, i'm sorry. keep notes on what you did say to your aides and fellow nurses. keep your don informed and try to start with any aide by taking a teaching approach. assume they need training which may keep you from coming across too strongly. as much as you want to rip them out, it is not appropriate. at your nursing meetings express your concerns and see if your coworkers are on the same page. if the other nurses are letting things slide, you may have the loneliest job in the building. no matter where you go to work, walk in assuming it will be done the way it should be, then teach, teach teach, and if that doesn't work you have to take direct action. the worst is to say nothing. and last, you cannot expect things to change, or be done the way you want if you are sitting at a desk. let your staff see you out there. your example is vital. eventually, they will perform better just because you are there. who knows what happens when you are not, hopefully you find a few who care, who can motivate the others. keep your staff in on the successes and outcomes, praise them for that. good luck.

applause.....very well put!!! i have not been in the nurse position but when i work on the floor as a aide i try to do my best but nothing makes me more upset then when a nurse is sitting on there buns doing nothing then tells you so and so has there light on when your rushing to answer the other five lights that are on. a friend of mine just got out of nrsg school and she said there instructor told all of them (lpns) you are a aide as well as a nurse your there for the residents to meet there needs. i understand that ultimetly pardon sp. it is the aides jobs sometimes the aides are so overwhelmed and as you said praise is so important we get told all the time the neg and what we need to do differently but how about telling us what were doing right. god bless tiffany

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I've been a aide, a staff nurse, a supervisor, and am now the assistant director of nurses. I still pass trays, feed patients, and help them to the bathroom if I'm in the vicinity when they have to go.

BUT-just because one of the licensed nurses is "sitting on her butt" doesn't mean she isn't working. We all understand that the patients have to be taken care of, but all y'all have to understand that the documentation is hugely important to the health of the facility. There are regulations and regulations and MORE regulations. The paperwork has to be done to satisfy all these regs.

PS I really don't understand all these postings about people who don't do their jobs. Don't you all have counselling forms? write ups? what ever you call them? Ultimately the NURSE is responsible for running the unit, and while it is never pleasant to write someone up, it has to be done to ensure all the residents are getting quality care.

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Specializes in Nursing assistant.

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Wow....that CNA was guilty of neglect. I would have written him/her up under employee code of conduct. If you are a unionized facility, there is a protocol to follow and whomever is allowed to discipline should have taken the bull by the horns. I always think of it as "if that were my parent". Also there should be rules with regards to TV's, cellphones and anything else that may draw your attention away from you job. If they have time to sit down on nights and watch tv, I am sure I could find many other duties that they could do to keep them busy. Hopefully you did report it!

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I think that it is terrible when someone doesn't do their work, but I can only imagine that I wouldn't feel very enthusiastic about my job if I was underpaid and had to do the work that the CNA's do. This is not an excuse for completely ignoring your job responsibilities. Have you all read the book "Nobody's Home, Candid Reflections of a Nursing Home Aide"? It really is a wonderful book. It is written from the CNA's perspective.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.
I think that it is terrible when someone doesn't do their work, but I can only imagine that I wouldn't feel very enthusiastic about my job if I was underpaid and had to do the work that the CNA's do. This is not an excuse for completely ignoring your job responsibilities. Have you all read the book "Nobody's Home, Candid Reflections of a Nursing Home Aide"? It really is a wonderful book. It is written from the CNA's perspective.

Enthusiastic or not, they chose that job. Neglect is neglect is neglect, whether you make $7 and hour or $70.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
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.

AMEN TO THAT! I couldn't agree more! "that's not my patient" was my BIGGEST pet peeve when I worked in LTC. :angryfire My comeback to any aide who said that was: "We are all a TEAM here. I don't want to hear "my patients, your patients". If another nurse needs my help with one of "her" patients down the hall, I will give it and I expect you to do the same!!!"

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
applause.....VERY WELL PUT!!! I have not been in the nurse position but when i work on the floor as a aide i try to do my best but NOTHING makes me more upset then when a nurse is sitting on there buns doing nothing then tells you so and so has there light on when your rushing to answer the other five lights that are on.

I'm sorry that there are nurses in your facility "sitting on their buns"---perhaps there were indeed some doing that. On the flip side however, sometimes we're seen as "sitting" when in fact it is NOT relaxing; we are really multi-tasking: taking off orders, waiting for an MD to return a call, doing some quick documentation, etc. I have answered my share of call lights as a nurse while trying to get treatments done, toilet patients (whose aides are taking a break or smoking), getting paged to answer the phone, etc. We don't much, if any, positive feedback either--everyone needs that; I did try often however to give my aides kind words and thank them for jobs well done.

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