What to do???

Don't be so quick to turn it over to the DON. You will have to learn how to deal with this at some point in your career so why not now?! One thing I have always liked to do to get a "difficult" CNA to cooperate is to let them see me on the floor helping, going above and beyond my duties shows them I don't think I'm better than them and teaches them teamwork by example. Once they start respecting you they will do everything for you from giving a extra shower to buying you a pop when your thirsty and broke. Seriously they will. There is usually one CNA who is riling up everyone else....this is the one I write up so the others will see this and know that I'm serious. After I write the one CNA up I am still friendly and professional with her to show her we are putting this behind us and moving on. It's all about respect and showing them you are not above doing what you are asking them to do. Good Luck!

"Don't be so quick to turn it over to the DON. You will have to learn how to deal with this at some point in your career so why not now?! One thing I have always liked to do to get a "difficult" CNA to cooperate is to let them see me on the floor helping, going above and beyond my duties shows them I don't think I'm better than them and teaches them teamwork by example. Once they start respecting you they will do everything for you from giving a extra shower to buying you a pop when your thirsty and broke. Seriously they will. There is usually one CNA who is riling up everyone else....this is the one I write up so the others will see this and know that I'm serious. After I write the one CNA up I am still friendly and professional with her to show her we are putting this behind us and moving on. It's all about respect and showing them you are not above doing what you are asking them to do. Good Luck!"

Well said. No one has to respect you because you have a title. This is something you have to earn. If you turn this over to the DON then she has the power and you will still not have any. She can not make them respect you. Just continue to give report and set expectations. I am impressed that you want to give report to the aides. Maybe you are the first nurse who has felt this is necessary and the aides do not know how to respond to it. Try doing an in-service and explain that you want to give the report because you respect them as aides and the more information you give them the more information they can give you.

It's odd though because there is NO RN on the shift that I am handing off too. So if I can't get the CNA's to listen to me then there is no one else over seeing the care of the patients and I find that to be unsafe.

Only 7 states require 24 hour RN coverage in LTC -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island. Although outcomes for the residents are better with more RNs it is not mandatory.

I have many LVNs/LPNs who are much better supervisors than the RNs. Just because you give report to a nurse who is not an RN does not mean the CNAs do not listen to her.

Sorry you are having difficulty but the more fixated you are on the fact that you are the RN the less the staff will care.

As the saying goes:

"People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." ~John Maxwell

I agree with the poster who said you need to deal with this yourself. If you go to the DNS with every problem, YOU will never get the respect you need to run the unit.

Only 7 states require 24 hour RN coverage in LTC -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island. Although outcomes for the residents are better with more RNs it is not mandatory.

I have many LVNs/LPNs who are much better supervisors than the RNs. Just because you give report to a nurse who is not an RN does not mean the CNAs do not listen to her.

Sorry you are having difficulty but the more fixated you are on the fact that you are the RN the less the staff will care.

As the saying goes:

"People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." ~John Maxwell

I should have clarified. There is NO RN OR LPN on staff after my shift, so its the CNA that I'm reporting to.

What kind of place is this? Certainly not a skilled facility if there aren't licensed people there 24/7.