What do your CNAs do and do they do it without being told?

[lleppell]

I've only worked at one hospital. I'm told by our travelers and those who have worked in multiple locations that our CNAs/aides are the laziest they've ever seen...and that's our norm. There are a couple of good ones but over all they can't/don't work independently. They have to be told/asked to help. Is this your norm or just ours?

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

Where I am now, it's more of a "there's one in every crowd" situation. Most of our techs are great with rounding, vitals, and ADLs, keep us informed, etc. My last job was more like what you're describing. In that situation, the bad behavior was never addressed and good behavior was never rewarded. I'm not sure what can even change something like this once it's part of the unit culture.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I work in a big hospital ICU, we have a couple of nursing assistants who are crosstrained to unit clerk work each shift. My hospital quit hiring unit clerks years ago and had CNAs crosstrained to cover phones, answer the door(locked unit) and order supplies.

Unlike my med-surg days, I have never had any trouble with CNAs in ICU. As an ICU nurse, the nurse patient ratios leave me less dependent on CNAs to get my work done.

Many of our CNAs are nursing students who want to make a good impression.

[Sour Lemon]

The CNAs I work with now are unbelievably wonderful. They'll come across me cleaning a patient and take over, although I assure them that I have plenty of time. They are very self-directed and personable. On the rare occasion that something is overlooked, I just do it and don't bother to say anything because I am totally spoiled 99.9% of the time.

At my first job, I was always "drowning" and had to look for the CNAs. They (all of them together) were usually in the break room watching TV and responded with, "Why don't you just do it yourself?".

[RNperdiem, RN]

I think I worked with a few of the TV watches long ago. The absentee CNAs were the most frustrating. After breakfast break would be smoke break, long lunch, another smoke break and so on all shift.

[Caffeine_IV]

I've met great and lazy techs same with nurses. I can easily remember the worst ones that take multiple smoke breaks, ignore call lights, take 3 hours to bath a patient or even sleep!

Most do the job they are meant to do. No more no less. Some can be really in sync with you and do what you or the patient needs before you ask.