Working in a nasty nursing home

Poi Dog · Dec 25, 2010

It depends on how hungry you are to improve/ change your current situation. Get your foot in the door, rack up some hours under your certification and be the best dang worker they have. You don't have to retire with this nursing home - lol. Just look at it as a stepping stone.

I have stayed at sucktastic jobs because I kept my goals in sight. Was I miserable? Yes. Did I want to quit? ALL THE TIME. A job is a job.

I guarantee you that the majority of jobs will have some element of suck to them. There is no perfect place out there but you'll be grateful when that paycheck comes in and you can get that car and an apartment. It takes blood, sweat, and tears.

Best wishes to you!

2ndyearstudent, CNA · Dec 25, 2010

My first job was at one of the worst nursing home in my state. I worked my butt off, learned a heck of a lot, and got the heck out of there when a hospital finally hired me.

We had two aides fired for getting into a fistfight on the floor one day. That was not the worst that went on there by far.

I am actually really glad I worked there and really glad I don't anymore. If I show up with an RN license, they would hire me on the spot. I really hope it doesn't come to that.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2010

Ditto. I worked at a nursing home that received 1 star out of 5 from medicare.gov. It was pure hell, but definitely a learning experience. And once I did a few months, I started applying like crazy & got a better job. I say just go & work @ the crappy place for a few months, get some experience then move on. Trust me, once you get experience, finding another job won't be that hard. I had three interviews & three job offers after I did a few months @ the crappy place :)

northernguy · Dec 26, 2010

I work at a nursing home that has a great reputation. You cant find a better place to live if your someone that needs round the clock care. BUT as far as working there as a CNA, its extremely demanding. I was advised by my CNA instructor that its not a place you want to work if its your first CNA job as they expect a lot of their aides and if you arent measuring up they will fire you in a heartbeat, and this has certainly turned out to be true. We cant even get people to make it through orientation.

When I hear all these horror stories about how residents are neglected or mistreated or how the staff are incompetent, it seems amazing to me, because where I work the residents rule the roost, at least the ones that are lucid, and for the ones that arent the familys rule. They are pretty demanding, and wont hesitate to complain about an aide they dont like, and if you arent keeping them healthy and happy you will lose your job. Its nice working some place where the residents arent living in squalor or misery, and we get paid better than most CNAs, but there are times when I wonder if all the stress and hard work is worth it and if it wouldnt have been better to start out some place that didnt have such high standards. I hate to admit it, but as an aide life sounds like it would be a lot easier at a facility where no one gave a ****.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Dec 26, 2010

Do we work at the same place, northernguy? I always wonder if it would be easier to work in a total hellhole than my place, because at least then no one would be up my butt all the time.

We have the same problem- families practically live there and they ring every 10 minutes just to get attention for their family member. And the other residents are allowed to scream and yell to get what they want... if their meal isn't coming fast enough or they want a shower some people literally come out into the hallway and start screaming "I want my lunch NOW!!!" over and over again until it comes. If they were being taken care of at home by the families would that be tolerated? Sheesh.

yousoldtheworld · Dec 26, 2010

I too started out in a horrible, horrible facility. And to be honest, I'm glad I did. I learned really quickly how to deal with being insanely shortstaffed (I would normally have 22 residents to put to bed, most of whom were total care). I learned time management and I also learned what is NOT acceptable to me. It served me well when I got hired at a 5 star facility...the other girls would complain about their workload at 8 residents each...it felt like a cakewalk after my previous job!

The other thing I always mention is that, if every good worker who walks into a bad place leaves, that place will never get better.

favthing, APRN · Dec 26, 2010

You can learn a lot from seeing the "negative". Just be certain to remember who you are, and keep your values intact. It's amazing the power of one positive person, too. Whatever you do, show by action, not by verbally judging. And remember, management is well-aware of what's going on, and you'll likely be hurting only yourself by bringing to their attention what is new to you.

I say go for it! Focus on the residents, on providing the kind of humane care that they need.

UpstateNyDollCna · Dec 28, 2010

Thanks for your responses, I plan to speak with a person at the nursing home I was referring to this week, I also have a job interview for another nursing home, its not too far, but it is one of the lowest paying in my area, so we'll see.

WickedRedRN, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2010

Many years ago when I was a CNA, I worked in a good LTC, just on a horrible unit. One of the nurses I worked with was the bomb, always took the time to talk to me, answer my questions and show me things. She knew I was in school at the time and always tried to find out what we were studying so she could find things to correlate with my learning. Awesome lady and I think of her fondly to this day.

Now, the other charge nurse was awful. Lazy to the hilt, mean and condescending to everyone. But, she was tight with management so no recourse here at all. I dreaded the shifts I walked in and she was on.

The good of this job far outweighed the bad, and I even learned from the bad. My fav nurse asked me on my last day what had I learned while I was there. I said I learned how "NOT" to treat my CNA's, techs, or other people. She just laughed and said I had probably learned the most important thing of all then.

You will learn there, and experience is a great teacher. Don't stop looking for another position while you are there, but any opportunity can provide you with a wealth of knowledge. It's all in the perspective.

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · Dec 28, 2010

I say go for it. It'll be some money in your pocket and a learning experience. Keep looking for another job and when it rolls around, you won't be brand new anymore and will probably have enough experience to land a new job.

It may be rough, but take what you can from it. Good luck!