WRONG CHOICE!!!!

[mejajo08]

I am a cna II and I left a horrific step down unit (not enought cnas, poor patient care etc...) in a hospital after 9 months so you can imagine i was excited when i got an offer in a cardiology unit. I was also offered an oncology unit job too, but chose to decline it. After a few months here, i am starting to believe that this is not the right fit for me and i am seeing things that I just don't like. On average on a good day we have 12 patients but the mangagement is piling on more and more things for the cnas to do, but some things just don't make sense. How do you have time to walk each patient 3-4 times a day, and also management is saying that we should "tell patients what they are going to do and not give them any choices" in regards to such things as walking and getting up for meals etc..... I just don't believe in telling grown people what they can and cannot do and not give some choices about what is comfortable for them. Something just doesn't feel right, I feel very uncomfortable. I am so tired of trying to find a decent place to work as a cna, that is why I am getting out of this field asap. I am going for my lpn next semester. I thought maybe if I join a float pool at another hospital or even did agency work maybe it could get better. Anyone got any advice!!!!!!

[ctmed]

Cardiology and telemetry is no joke! Those floors tend to get a lot of elderly patients. In fact, many facilities with those floors are almost like nursing homes.

First - As far as the walking - where the heck are the PTAs and PTs? Most hospitals that ask for that kind of therapy have guys that just do that.

Second off, all patients if they are in thier right mind have the right to refuse treatment with the reasonable exception of staying in a dirty diaper or not taking baths for extended periods.

Too bad many managers are more concerned with not hearing earfuls from overzealous family members or automatically considering a CNA "lazy" because a patient does not want to do this.

But hey, you now have hospital experience! If you have a good reputation, you can now take your resume and get hired many places you could not before. Sounds to me like you have one of those places with cheap and no-two-way-conversations-with -CNAs-cause Im a RN type management. It is common, but fortunately there are some better places.

[newway]

I actually disagree. you should not yank them out of bed and force them but at the same time, you are doing them no favors by letting them stay in bed. No one wants to get up after surgery, but it is important to prevent blood clotting. So I believe it is beneficial to be a little forceful on not taking no for an answer. It is an important step in their rehabilitation.

Its all in the wording, you can say “ would you like to get out of bed and walk?” the answer will probably be “no I am a little tire and sore right now”. Or you can say “ I am here to help you walk a little so we can get your strength back, and get you back home with your family” same thing with vitals. You can say” may I take your blood pressure now?” typical response “ no I am watching TV now maybe later” or you can walk in and say” I am here to take your blood pressure, or time for your blood pressure check” typical response will be them extending their arm. Now when the RN asks why weren’t the vitals done. Are you going to tell her, oh he was watching TV and didn’t want them done. Believe me after she rolls her eyes you are going to get a lecture.

In both scenarios they have the right to refuse; it is just much less likely in the second one. As far as too many patients and not enough time? I agree, but that seems to be everywhere.

[Beccasaur]

When I did clinicals, one of the first things we had to do for the day was get the patients up and awake for breakfast. We would set the trays out and set it up for them. We would also have to raise beds and feed some. If one of them didn't want to get up and eat then I would try to encourage them, but if that failed I would find the head CNA.

One thing that was always drilled into me in CNA training was that the patient ALWAYS has the right to refuse.