i work @ a snf/rehab facility and our stna's are lazy with a capital l!!!!!!
while in clinicals, i noticed that acute care aides seem to have more drive and they move when you tell them...
our aides sit around (i work night shift) and eat left over resident food, sleep and give you dirty looks when you tell them to do anything...
i have noticed this every day i have worked....
i'm ***** because im moving my behind constantly, not to mention the ridiculous documentation and when i see call lights constantly on and people on their i-phones... i get very:madface:
CNAs who have worked many years in the same facility always get away with not doing much work. The bosses get so paranoid that long term people will leave, they cut them too much slack IMO.
Well, all I can say is, if ur the RN in charge (or if ur a student when u become the charge RN), part of your job is to manage the staff and patients. Get them off their butt and get them working. Most people are not commenting on the way you practice, but you make more work for yourself if you can't control the shift - else it controls you.
Complain about it and initiate some positive action towards the CNAs, or brush up the CV, get another position and leave. I cannot handle lazy people at work, and I WILL tell them to stop texting, using the computer for non-work related stuff, and explain that they are at work to WORK. I don't make extra work for myself running around doing others work for them. If u do that, they will take advantage of you every single time.
Some of my NAs are great, some will lie right to my face about tasks they did or didn't do. With the latter, I send them back to the room after I've checked. It's like babysitting with some people. The worst part is my manager doesn't do very much to stop the unwanted behaviour.
My question is this: If I am doing your job, who is doing mine? I very rarely clean up patients, rarely do vitals, or anything really that the CNA can and should do. If a CNA is cleaning up a patient, I take that opportunity to look at the patient's butt for a skin assessment, then I leave the room. In defense of CNA's however, most of them are underpaid and over-worked. Sometimes the CNA simply needs someone to show them how to be more organized. If they paid them better, most would try harder to keep their job. I find just as many lazy nurses, too.
True, but the majority of our nurses do try to set a positive example. Where I live, NAs are paid 20.00 an hour....so the lazy ones really don't have much excuse.
I do MY job and i do it well which is why i CANNOT stand having to run after people to do theirs. I agree that sometimes its just a culture with the Long term employees as these people have been with the company for >5 years whereas i'm the newbie RN.
In the meantime i'll keep writing up the unacceptable behavior..
Are you an RN (I only ask because of your username stating studentRN)
If you are- time to pull rank. You can do it nicely, at first "Hey, Jane do you mind getting that call light while I deal with these meds". Get firmer as you go on- "Jane I need you to answer that call light, please".
If the laziness continues, then inform your supervisor, in writing. It's great when an RN helps out answering a light/getting a commode when we are busy, but I don't EXPECT it when I am free. The RNs have other stuff to do.
When I was in school we did LTC rotations. Our instructors warned us about what to expect from the aides but the realities were worse. The second the students hit the floor the aides all took "working vacations" in the outdoor smoking area or the employee breakroom (where we were not allowed to go.) So some student on their first clinical rotation would find themselves as the only person on a wing with 25 or 30 residents. The instructors would complain to the administrator who would tell the DON who would tell the charge nurse who would tell the other nurses who would eventually track down their aides and tell them to get to work. In the meantime you still had a bunch of students who had never actually cleaned up real poop or used a Hoyer or bathed a real live senior citizen doing all the work. Talk about baptism by fire.
When I was in school we did LTC rotations. Our instructors warned us about what to expect from the aides but the realities were worse. The second the students hit the floor the aides all took "working vacations" in the outdoor smoking area or the employee breakroom (where we were not allowed to go.) So some student on their first clinical rotation would find themselves as the only person on a wing with 25 or 30 residents. The instructors would complain to the administrator who would tell the DON who would tell the charge nurse who would tell the other nurses who would eventually track down their aides and tell them to get to work. In the meantime you still had a bunch of students who had never actually cleaned up real poop or used a Hoyer or bathed a real live senior citizen doing all the work. Talk about baptism by fire.
Behaviour like that would get us in DEEP trouble where I work. The students are not there to help us with our work. They are there to learn. Sure they can pitch in, and that is nice, but WE are still responsible for doing OUR work. This is made very clear to all of us whenever students are on the floor.
I've been a RN for just over 1 yr now so I consider myself to know enough to be dangerous, lol I have done so many duties that most nurses would have a cna do myself because I know the work will get done, I won't have to argue or feel like I'm asking someone to move a mountain just for little old me, and I'm usually able to do it right away. I am the only RN on my unit. That was how I used to do things.
Recently, I began delegating. My staff has seen me move my butt for just over a year now so they know I'm not lazy and they also know I wouldn't ask them to do anything I wouldn't do. I have a very few cna's who remain lazy, but I'm also getting more comfortable letting them know their job description and have had to write up one or two. I really try not to, but I'm only one person. It started to tick me off to see everyone leaving on time except me because I'm stuck doing paperwork that I could have gotten done if I would have stopped doing cna work and did the work only I could do.
Now, I do help out but I also am starting to do my own work instead. My staff continues to see me toilet pts, help with meals, change linens, etc. They seem to have come to the realization that it's okay to work with me (most of them). I always thank my staff at the end of the evening and I also tell them to let me know if they need help or an extra break (if they're working a double or doing a sitter case). I'm still learning and don't always do what my staff thinks I should, but that's on me to figure out. I feel like I've proven myself and I'm attempting to bring some teamwork to my shift.
I also tell newbies that they will see me doing tasks that some RN's may not do on other units, but we work together when I'm here. Most are fine once they know I'm not going to throw them under a bus. I still struggle a lot, but I'm getting there. Allnurses helps me more than I can say. There is so much great advice here not to mention a place to come when you just need to vent a little. I'm so grateful to have this site! :redbeathe
There are so many reasons why NA's are lazy but you have to speak up if you want anything to improve. At my facility, few minutes after NA left her assignment and went home, a nurse saw a wet pad under the resident, she complained to the administrator and the NA is no longer working at this facility (there is a story to this and NA shouldn't have been fired but oh well).
The biggest problem is that these are nights. There is not much you can do sometimes BUT this is no excuse since you can always find something to do. I find it odd that nurses complement me on my work (I work the night shift) because I do what I'm suppose to do. It just makes me think what other aides are doing and I've seen my fair share of laziness. Some nurses will complain to me about other aides but they don't say anything to the DON.
Another problem is that there are no bosses at nights. When once the DON and ADON stayed for the whole night at my facility, every single aide was moving. There needs to be someone who will tell the aides to move and do their jobs. We have a supervising CNA so nurses don't have to deal with us.
time to pull rank. You can do it nicely, at first "Hey, Jane do you mind getting that call light while I deal with these meds". Get firmer as you go on- "Jane I need you to answer that call light, please".
It's great when an RN helps out answering a light/getting a commode when we are busy, but I don't EXPECT it when I am free. The RNs have other stuff to do.
Ive had to resort to saying 'will you get the light as im doing med rounds' I shouldnt have to say this,i mean the big silver trolley in front of me at medication time should be a big enough clue as to what im doing.
I think the worse time was when the Aide came looking for me to demand that i get a commode for a patient. I wouldnt have minded but i was actually cath'ing a patient at that exact second in time. Ive got an Aide who is very very good at appearing to be busy but actually gets nothing done.
It started to tick me off to see everyone leaving on time except me because I'm stuck doing paperwork that I could have gotten done if I would have stopped doing cna work and did the work only I could do.
Snap, im often still at work writing up after the Aides have gone home after having all their breaks and ive not had one.
There are some amazing, caring hard working aides out there and luckily I get to work with them at my facility and always will thank them and remind them/myself how fortunate we are to have them. Unfortunately there are a few bad apples that get into the bunch. The pet peeve of mine is talking back to us, which is so annoying. They will ask "why" as if an answer is owed when something needs to get done "why do I have to do it that should have been done by the prev shift?. All I can say is it needs to be done now. Or they stare at me when asking for an oxygen tank. Now I just laugh and say it needs to get done now. period, don't like it ask the boss. Laughter is great. I have resorted to making fun of it to get me through the day and also to point out to them how immature they can be. Come into work and take a break within 15 minutes after arriving 15 min late. Oh, taking a break in the back without telling me when I've been scouring the whole unit looking for you? I guess that pt will think twice before falling cuz you need to eat. Think their god's gift to the rn. If they look at me like I'm an idiot for asking them to toilet patients I say " not asking you clean me, it's for the pt!!" " "are you getting paid to sit in that chair today? Should we turn and position you, wouldn't want you to get a pressure sore?" or the ever present "sorry can't lift" excuse from them that you hear all too often. My reply " thanks for saying it in front of the pt. I'm sure that makes them feel better" And you're paycheck should be docked. It's always done with a joke but it is the truth and they know it. Otherwise it would come out pretty harsh
.thumb.jpg.421493329dd1f136a4222fe8e9399213.jpg){kind=small}
I have done so many duties that most nurses would have a cna do myself because I know the work will get done, I won't have to argue or feel like I'm asking someone to move a mountain just for little old me, and I'm usually able to do it right away. I am the only RN on my unit. That was how I used to do things.
carolmaccas66, BSN, RN
2,212 Posts
CNAs who have worked many years in the same facility always get away with not doing much work. The bosses get so paranoid that long term people will leave, they cut them too much slack IMO.
Well, all I can say is, if ur the RN in charge (or if ur a student when u become the charge RN), part of your job is to manage the staff and patients. Get them off their butt and get them working. Most people are not commenting on the way you practice, but you make more work for yourself if you can't control the shift - else it controls you.
Complain about it and initiate some positive action towards the CNAs, or brush up the CV, get another position and leave. I cannot handle lazy people at work, and I WILL tell them to stop texting, using the computer for non-work related stuff, and explain that they are at work to WORK. I don't make extra work for myself running around doing others work for them. If u do that, they will take advantage of you every single time.