WHY ARE NURSES SO RUDE to CNA's?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

It seems like i haven't met a nice nurse yet... They always seem to act stuck up,mad that they have to work, and take it out on there patients/residents or co-workers. I'm 18 and work as a CNA i am completing my pre-req courses for my RN. I've been promising myself i will never act like that once i get my RN! I feel that working as a CNA and seeing the other side to nursing is teaching me a life long lesson! Its like when im at work the Rn's/LPNs they act like there s$$$ don't stink!

:banghead: And treat me like im some uneducated scum of the earth! Not only me but when i see them assisting the residents at the nursing home, its with an attitude. I do understand LPNs in long term facilities have lots of work to do. But dont take it out on the patients! If they ring there light 6 times in a shift i do understand it can be frustrating. explain to them why they shouldn't do it if they don't need assistants. But when your dealing with Alzheimer's patients etc you MUST BE PATIENT! In my opinion if your not a truly caring,patient,nice person you shouldn't be in this field! I understand nurses have bad days, but dont take it out on everyone else it effects everyone else's day. Just my :twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.

I'm sorry that the nurses at your facility treat you rudely. Not all nurses are rude to CNA's. I personally treat mine with great respect because I couldn't do my job without them. Sounds like you are learning a great lesson on how not to be when you become a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/ER.

i AM so sorry your feeling that way, let me tell you not all nurses are rude to CNAs. Some people are just rude and it doesnt matter what initials are behind thier name. Unfortunatly rudness can be contagiouse, probably one or two bad apples have spoiled the bunch.

Try and do your best to get through your day, focus on your patients and keep busy, hopefully along the way you will find some employee with a good attitude, feed of the posistive and try to avoid the negative.

I was a CNA during school and encountered my fair share of rude nurses, and I too vowed I would never be like that~~so far I have not, it is good that you are seeing 1st hand how a bad attitude spreads.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 2 years as CNA.

I am sorry you are having a difficult time. I guess I was lucky because back when I worked as a CNA I never met a rude nurse. Everyone was always very helpful and just happy to have me there.

Try not to take it personally. The nurses are probably just stressed. Not that that is a vaild reason and I do agree that one needs to be caring to be in nursing.

Just know that there are nice and helpful nurses out there and strive to be one of them!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

I agree that all staff of a facility should treat res/pt with respect and kindness. The old golden rule will go a long way when dealing with both your co-workers and your clients. The nurses that you think are acting stuck up may just be trying to get his/her work done. I know at times my aids think that I am acting stuck up, but I can not pal around and goof off most of the time. I could very easily kill someone if I give the wrong med or miss something going wrong with a res.

Many times I would love to help my aids with the res ADLs, but it is not possible due to my work load. I am responsible for 30 res and I have 3 aids for those same 30 residents. Now who is more out numbered here? Also, I am having to stay late most days and none of my aids are having to stay late to complete there work ever. That is not saying that I will not help to potty people or whatever needs done. I am just saying look at it from the nurses view point because you will be there soon enough.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

You have ran into a bad batch of nurses!! I love CNA's and techs they make my job much easier and I am the first to thank them!! Maybe it is just the place you are working?? Good Luck!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
It seems like i haven't met a nice nurse yet... They always seem to act stuck up,mad that they have to work, and take it out on there patients/residents or co-workers. I'm 18 and work as a CNA i am completing my pre-req courses for my RN. I've been promising myself i will never act like that once i get my RN! I feel that working as a CNA and seeing the other side to nursing is teaching me a life long lesson! Its like when im at work the Rn's/LPNs they act like there s$$$ don't stink!

:banghead: And treat me like im some uneducated scum of the earth! Not only me but when i see them assisting the residents at the nursing home, its with an attitude. I do understand LPNs in long term facilities have lots of work to do. But dont take it out on the patients! If they ring there light 6 times in a shift i do understand it can be frustrating. explain to them why they shouldn't do it if they don't need assistants. But when your dealing with Alzheimer's patients etc you MUST BE PATIENT! In my opinion if your not a truly caring,patient,nice person you shouldn't be in this field! I understand nurses have bad days, but dont take it out on everyone else it effects everyone else's day. Just my :twocents:

I'll answer your question with a question: Why are CNAs so rude and non-helpful to nurses?

You probably don't like that question, and might well become defensive because YOU don't find yourself to fit into that category. Well, you're not likely to find nurses here who are going to tell you that THEY are rude and non-helpful either, right?

I'm not going to apologize for those lousy nurses any more than I expect you to apologize for the miserable excuses for aides I have had the misfortune of working with: workers are who they are, some of them good and some of them cruddy. Some people are team players and others stand on ceremony when it comes time to get a job done.

It isn't that nurses are rude to CNAs, or that CNAs are rude to nurses. Some people just never learned how to play well with others!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/ER.

Great point RNSrWE, it doesnt what initials are behind your name, some people are just plain ol rude!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

From what I can tell (through reading these boards and talking to nurses I know), everyone, on every level, gets crap from the level above them. Everyone thinks the "higher-ups" treat them like dirt. And maybe they do, I don't know, as I'm not yet working in health care. But I think the best way to handle it is to understand that when someone has authority over you, you just have to let the rudeness roll off your back and do what they say (as long as it is legal)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Biomedical, Hospice, LTC, Office.
From what I can tell (through reading these boards and talking to nurses I know), everyone, on every level, gets crap from the level above them. Everyone thinks the "higher-ups" treat them like dirt. And maybe they do, I don't know, as I'm not yet working in health care. But I think the best way to handle it is to understand that when someone has authority over you, you just have to let the rudeness roll off your back and do what they say (as long as it is legal)

There is no excuse for nurses to be ugly toward CNAs (and vice versa, see below). If you feel like you have a legitimate complain, you can go up the chain of command, and to HR if necessary. Unlike physicians (which isn't right, but there are already plenty of other threads dealing w/MD-to-nurse hostility), nurses do get disciplined for mistreating subordinate staff, and no one should have to take ugly behavior from anyone above or below them on the chain of command.

On that last note, respect is a two-way street, so make sure you're not guilty of the same behavior you don't like to receive from nurses, either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sorry the nurses are being so mean. I started as a CNA many many years ago. I know you give your heart and soul to the pt's. Sounds like "mean" may be the common mood of the facility. I don't work in an ECF, I have done critical care for almost 30 years now. I can only imagine that ECF nurses are overloaded with responsibility, very little resources and trying to maintain silly rules imposed by the state that take up time, resources and do little for the good of pts. So try to be pt with them. Maybe seeing a CNA with a good attitude and a smile is contagious. They may begin to develope some of those qualities. So keep on keepin on with the good attitude. It may be contagious. Go to school to become the RN that you want to be. Best of luck with your future. Sounds like you will make a good nurse !:heartbeat:redpinkhe:D:redbeathe:yeah::smokin:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If someone is repeatedly rude to you then my advice is to take it up with the DON. I had to do that years ago while working in LTC. This nurse just took an immediate disliking to me from her first day there. I had been working there for 2 years. I was filling out my report and she introduced herself by saying, "Excuse me if the other aides finished what they had to write so should you! Get to work!" Nice way to meet her huh lol! This went on every day till she finally went too far. I was sick, extremely sick and had to call in to work. She took it upon herself to show up at my door to see if I was really sick. I went to the DON and told her and she was shocked. I told her that I can't work like this anymore if things didn't change I would have to find another job. Well, I don't know what the DON said to her but she confronted me and apologized and then never said a word to me again. It's like the other poster said some people are just plain rude. Those same people are as rude to other nurses as they are to the aides. I've also heard aides tell nurses to "do it yourself" and other rude comments so it really does go both ways.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment