They perform manual labor jobs which involve tasks that much of the general public would consider too gross to do.
They provide one-on-one patient care and witness grief and death.
Why are they paid so little? Is it that the hospital administration does not want to pay employees adequately?
I did not work as a CNA before nursing school, but I have witnessed some disturbing attitudes toward assistants, and would like some perspective. Thanks!
it drives me crazy that CNA's go to school to get the education... Yet those who don't have an education,like telemarketers, get paid an exuberant amount of money to **** people off every day?
Let's not confuse an 50 hour long trade school class with education. The same goes for a 100 hour long EMT class.
Having been an EMT and a telemarketer, I can tell you they both take skill and experience, but only at one of the jobs does being *really* good drastically change your productivity.
The crappy telemarketers made what I made as a rookie EMT. The good telemarketers made what an average nurse makes.
There is a difference in measurable productivity. That metric is harder to come by in the medical profession, except that new grads apparently are measurably low enough in productivity that they are just not hired.
Seems to me like this is comparing apples and oranges. Yes, CNA work is hard work, but I'd be a CNA for $12 an hour and there's not ANY amount of money you could pay me to make phone calls and get screamed at and hung up on for my entire time at work. I'd rather wipe up 5 tons of **** than do that.
As someone else said, it's simply business. Telemarketers make money for the company, CNA's cost money. While a patient might choose a particular facility because of world-class (and often overrated doctors), have you ever heard of someone choosing one hospital or LTC over another because of some awsome CNAs?
For an excellent answer, take an economics class. For a short answer, telemarketers bring in money. CNA's, although they may be the hardest workers in the world, don't increase the money the company makes, so they get paid as little as the employer can get away with.
In fact, I don't even think it's a capitalist issue; people who use/reduce the company's resources get paid as little as possible; people who bring in customers/business/money get paid less.
CNAs or care aids as they are called here must attend a 6 month course. Their pay rate through the public (government) health authority is $21.94 /hour. New grad LPNs start at $24.01/hour. Only $2.07/hour difference! (the top rate for a non specialty LPN is $26.50.). I'm glad they get paid well as they work very hard, but it's sure not a far stretch from LPN pay!
The reasons are many...in my case, I work at an all-medicare facility. There are no private pay residents, so our budget is determined directly by the government, basically. There have been medicare cuts in recent years, which leads to cuts in what our facility gets paid, which leads to cuts in pay for employees. I make about what I'd make in fast food right now. It's a sad situation.
SummitRN, BSN, RN
2 Articles; 1,567 Posts
Let's not confuse an 50 hour long trade school class with education. The same goes for a 100 hour long EMT class.
Having been an EMT and a telemarketer, I can tell you they both take skill and experience, but only at one of the jobs does being *really* good drastically change your productivity.
The crappy telemarketers made what I made as a rookie EMT. The good telemarketers made what an average nurse makes.
There is a difference in measurable productivity. That metric is harder to come by in the medical profession, except that new grads apparently are measurably low enough in productivity that they are just not hired.