I quit. I finally did it. I had been threatening to for months...but I finally did it. I have 2 weeks left on the job.
I hate my job. HATE it. I'm a nightshift CNA on a fairly busy stepdown / tele unit. I am the only CNA on at night. There are 38 patients when the unit is full, which it frequently is.
I am responsible for call lights, stat labs, stocking the unit, running labs downstairs, transporting patients, setting up new admits, fetching equipment, (with RN) q2 hour turns, AM accuchecks, breakfast tray setup, and any other various tasks including vital signs when needed, and everything else a cna can do.
FOR ALL 38 PATIENTS.
I started this job 2 years ago all happy about finally being able to work in a hospital and do some "nurse stuff." (I am trying to get into nursing school)
I was eager to do any and all tasks assigned to me. I begged nurses to let me watch procedures and explain exactly what they were doing. Everything was new and exciting.
The novelty wore off quickly.
Patients are so demanding and rude.
My chore list is incredible.
And many of the patients...I honestly wondered what we were doing for them?
Why did we code this 98 year old woman, break 2 ribs during CPR, and now she can only moan in pain and develop bed sores.
Why is the wife of the yellow, 100lb man (and not because of his ethnicity) who has oozing sores on every visible part of his body, no will to do anything (even eat, so he has a feeding tube) insisting on another round of chemo?
Why are we still accepting admission (3rd time in as many weeks) on this known drug addict who roundly abuses the staff and leaves AMA after 2 days? 2 other area hospitals refuse to admit her...
And then there are the nurses. Let me preface this by saying 90% of them are TERRIFIC, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, WONDERFUL individuals who I would not hesitate to ever have care for me or a loved one. They have been amazing about showing me things, and cheering me on in my schooling. :redbeathe
The new grads, however...
I know they just graduated. I know they are overwhelmed. I know they are doing so much more than me. But. I am not their personal slave. They seem to have the idea that because they now have that spiffy new RN after their name that it exempts them from doing "aide" work. 
They have me get ALL their vitals, call my phone when their patient needs to be changed/taken to the bathroom/turned etc. I find myself neglecting the other nurses because these nurses have me running crazy!
And then there are the Aide Hogs (Thanks Kylee...I think that was your phrase)
The ones that are always very, very, nice...but do not seem to realize that I have 8-10 other nurses to report to. They will catch me as soon as they get out of report, and give me a list of tasks a mile long. All things that are part of my job, but still...I cannot CANNOT empty everyones foleys and record i/o s and give baths in the AM as I am supposed to be doing accuchecks, setting trays up, and drawing any lipid panal labs (as phlebotomy doesn't show up until 8, but our trays arrive at 645)
I just cannot take it any more. I feel like I am turning into a mean, crabby, burnt-out mess. I have a very hard time responding graciously when a nurse asks me to "grab vitals while you are in there" or when a patient asks me to do some task she could easily do herself...i.e. grab a tissue, butter her toast, WIPE HER after she has peed -when she is fully able to do so herself!
I feel like I am getting lazier. I find myself looking for and taking shortcuts (not stocking diabetic supplies every night...just putting in LOTS of supplies every 3 nights or so.) or putting off going down and fetching a walker/pnemo pump/etc. until I have a lab to run down, or some other reason to go downstairs.
I hate this. I want to be more like the person I was...eager to work with patients and learn new things.
Now I am worried that this is reflective of what my nursing career might be like. Am I going to end up resenting my patients...the very people I am there to help?
(Of course, I want to work peds... so hopefully will not have to deal with snotty old women who want to be waited on like they are Queen. I know peds has its own set of problems, namely parents!, but ...)
Sorry this has been so long. I just was hoping someone has some encouragement for me. I am not going to work as a CNA anymore. I applied for a few jobs at Children's hospital, but did not get them, so will go back to my old standby...pharmacy tech. (have been doing it off and on for 8 years)
And fingers crossed for nursing school next year...(was put on the waiting list this year...but prob. won't get in.
)
