Read the whole article, then tell me what you think. I think the points made are quite good: High risk, demand for CNAs at nursing homes - LeaderHerald.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community - The Leader Herald
Local nursing home officials agree while certified nursing assistants can be at high risk for job frustration and burnout, they also are the backbone of a home's operation.
Last month, Mt. Loretto Nursing Home in Amsterdam was fined more than $70,000 for a number of deficiencies related to care of its residents, including several that state health officials said could result in immediate harm of more than one resident. Several of the deficiencies stemmed from resident complaints about CNA care. In the state Department of Health's investigation of the home, investigators interviewed CNAs who were frustrated with staffing levels, high staff turnover and quick burnout rates.
It's a situation not unique to Mt. Loretto. CNAs do the hands-on work with residents, including assisting them in and out of their beds, helping them bathe and helping them use the bathroom. They are with the residents for hours at a time. It's stressful, difficult work, but that hasn't stopped people from seeking jobs in the field, said Mary Lou Roux, coordinator for the certified nursing assistant and home health aide programs at Fulton-Montgomery Community College.
"They are at the bottom of the totem pole. They clean up body excrement and do the intimate care and are on the receiving end of whatever words or attitude the patient extends to them," Roux said.
Still, demand for education in the field is booming, Roux said. She said her classes for CNA certification have grown from five classes of 18 to eight classes of 30.
"The jobs are always there, and that's a huge factor in this economy," she said.
Roux said given the high level of stress in the job, it is important for CNAs to be properly trained and prepared before given a full workload of patients. She said at nursing homes with high numbers of deficiencies, a lot of the CNAs are thrown into the work without proper training first.
"They should be with a mentor until they can handle a full work load," she said. "But at some of these places they're so short staffed there's a one or two day orientation and then they get a full work load. They can't handle it. They have this base skill but no one to help them expand it. It's not done right and then it just perpetuates itself."
Roux said the most successful homes with the highest ratings are those that institute mentoring programs in which a new CNA is paired with a veteran one for an extended period to help them learn how the facility is run and how each patient is handled.
Without those programs, the new CNAs are being set up to burn out very quickly, she said.
At Nathan Littauer Nursing Home, Administrator Leslie Beadle said a mentoring program is in place and has been very effective in properly training and retaining CNAs. She said the facility, which has about 85 residents, has 86 full- and part-time CNAs.
"In our mentoring program, we handpick people who have the experience and are able to train [the new CNA]," she said. "It's really important to get the right person in the job."
Nathan Littauer Nursing Home CNAs Melissa LaGreca and Sherry Boop said they have seen an influx of more people into the field. Some may not know what they are getting into though, they said.
"You have to love the job," Boop said. "You have to like working with people. It seems like some younger people get into it and are not sure what it is."
Boop said she has been a CNA for 16 years and loves her job. She loves interacting with the residents, she said, and has become very close with her colleagues, the residents and the residents' families. She said of all the difficult parts of her job, dealing with the death of a resident is the hardest.
LaGreca said she was a hair stylist for 20 years before becoming a CNA 1 1/2 years ago. She said she is glad she made the career switch.
"I'm glad I stuck with it," she said.
Nathan Littauer Vice President of Development Sue Kiernan said given the economy, many people are considering jobs they may have not considered in the past. Being a CNA, though, is definitely not for everyone, she said.
"Your heart has to be in the right place," she said.
Beadle said a good home works like a well-oiled machine, with management communicating well with CNAs and other nurses. Other nursing home officials agreed that proper management is key in maintaining a positive work environment and thus providing the best care.
At Wells Nursing Home in Johnstown, one of the top rated homes in the area according to the state Department of Health's Web site, Administrator Neal VanSlyke said the home's reputation as a good facility is self-perpetuating.
"When they hear comments from the families and the community, it makes the staff feel good," he said.
Having a good reputation also helps the facility draw the best candidates, he said. He said having a good board of directors providing leadership is key in maintaining a high rating. Good management trickles down and leads to higher workplace satisfaction among the CNAs and other nurses and thus better care, he said.
Fulton County Residential Healthcare Facility Administrator Jennifer Gilson agreed. She said the director of nursing overseeing the nurses and CNAs is a vital position.
"You need strong leadership," she said. "You need a director of nursing to eats, sleeps and breathes this, who is passionate and dedicated to quality care."
In order to prevent burnout or job dissatisfaction, and thus avoid any instances of poor care or abuse, the facility has nurses who monitor the CNAs to keep an eye out for frustration or signs of burnout.
"They're on top of it," she said.
Sometimes, though, difficult situations are hard to avoid. If several CNAs call out sick, those working have a greater workload. When an employee expects to leave at a certain time to get their child on or off a bus, it can be very stressful, she said.
"They may become upset," she said. "Some of our strongest people are single parents who have a lot of things going on in their lives. The CNA positions are the toughest in the facility and also often the lowest paid. But it's important that they leave it at the door. We do the best we can because it's not the resident's fault. They expect and should receive high quality care."
One way the facility tries to maintain workplace satisfaction is by constantly re-educating its employees, Gilson said.
"We keep them updated on the latest techniques. We constantly do re-education," she said.
Roux said education is key to recruiting and retaining quality employees. She said the best facilities often offer their CNAs tuition reimbursement in exchange for remaining at the facility for a certain amount of time. Other places offer incentives to sign on, bonuses for no absences and other incentives, she said.
"Things like that are really important to getting and keeping good candidates," she said. "And the workers will be happier in their jobs."
Still, Roux said, being a CNA is tough work. Burnout and frustration is often unavoidable. It's how facilities handle such situations that can either prevent it from occurring again or just perpetuate it, she said.
"The burnout rate and leaving the field rate is huge," she said. "It's just the nature of the beast, I think."
Local nursing home officials agree while certified nursing assistants can be at high risk for job frustration and burnout, they also are the backbone of a home's operation.
Last month, Mt. Loretto Nursing Home in Amsterdam was fined more than $70,000 for a number of deficiencies related to care of its residents, including several that state health officials said could result in immediate harm of more than one resident. Several of the deficiencies stemmed from resident complaints about CNA care. In the state Department of Health's investigation of the home, investigators interviewed CNAs who were frustrated with staffing levels, high staff turnover and quick burnout rates.
It's a situation not unique to Mt. Loretto. CNAs do the hands-on work with residents, including assisting them in and out of their beds, helping them bathe and helping them use the bathroom. They are with the residents for hours at a time. It's stressful, difficult work, but that hasn't stopped people from seeking jobs in the field, said Mary Lou Roux, coordinator for the certified nursing assistant and home health aide programs at Fulton-Montgomery Community College.
"They are at the bottom of the totem pole. They clean up body excrement and do the intimate care and are on the receiving end of whatever words or attitude the patient extends to them," Roux said.
Still, demand for education in the field is booming, Roux said. She said her classes for CNA certification have grown from five classes of 18 to eight classes of 30.
"The jobs are always there, and that's a huge factor in this economy," she said.
Roux said given the high level of stress in the job, it is important for CNAs to be properly trained and prepared before given a full workload of patients. She said at nursing homes with high numbers of deficiencies, a lot of the CNAs are thrown into the work without proper training first.
"They should be with a mentor until they can handle a full work load," she said. "But at some of these places they're so short staffed there's a one or two day orientation and then they get a full work load. They can't handle it. They have this base skill but no one to help them expand it. It's not done right and then it just perpetuates itself."
Roux said the most successful homes with the highest ratings are those that institute mentoring programs in which a new CNA is paired with a veteran one for an extended period to help them learn how the facility is run and how each patient is handled.
Without those programs, the new CNAs are being set up to burn out very quickly, she said.
At Nathan Littauer Nursing Home, Administrator Leslie Beadle said a mentoring program is in place and has been very effective in properly training and retaining CNAs. She said the facility, which has about 85 residents, has 86 full- and part-time CNAs.
"In our mentoring program, we handpick people who have the experience and are able to train [the new CNA]," she said. "It's really important to get the right person in the job."
Nathan Littauer Nursing Home CNAs Melissa LaGreca and Sherry Boop said they have seen an influx of more people into the field. Some may not know what they are getting into though, they said.
"You have to love the job," Boop said. "You have to like working with people. It seems like some younger people get into it and are not sure what it is."
Boop said she has been a CNA for 16 years and loves her job. She loves interacting with the residents, she said, and has become very close with her colleagues, the residents and the residents' families. She said of all the difficult parts of her job, dealing with the death of a resident is the hardest.
LaGreca said she was a hair stylist for 20 years before becoming a CNA 1 1/2 years ago. She said she is glad she made the career switch.
"I'm glad I stuck with it," she said.
Nathan Littauer Vice President of Development Sue Kiernan said given the economy, many people are considering jobs they may have not considered in the past. Being a CNA, though, is definitely not for everyone, she said.
"Your heart has to be in the right place," she said.
Beadle said a good home works like a well-oiled machine, with management communicating well with CNAs and other nurses. Other nursing home officials agreed that proper management is key in maintaining a positive work environment and thus providing the best care.
At Wells Nursing Home in Johnstown, one of the top rated homes in the area according to the state Department of Health's Web site, Administrator Neal VanSlyke said the home's reputation as a good facility is self-perpetuating.
"When they hear comments from the families and the community, it makes the staff feel good," he said.
Having a good reputation also helps the facility draw the best candidates, he said. He said having a good board of directors providing leadership is key in maintaining a high rating. Good management trickles down and leads to higher workplace satisfaction among the CNAs and other nurses and thus better care, he said.
Fulton County Residential Healthcare Facility Administrator Jennifer Gilson agreed. She said the director of nursing overseeing the nurses and CNAs is a vital position.
"You need strong leadership," she said. "You need a director of nursing to eats, sleeps and breathes this, who is passionate and dedicated to quality care."
In order to prevent burnout or job dissatisfaction, and thus avoid any instances of poor care or abuse, the facility has nurses who monitor the CNAs to keep an eye out for frustration or signs of burnout.
"They're on top of it," she said.
Sometimes, though, difficult situations are hard to avoid. If several CNAs call out sick, those working have a greater workload. When an employee expects to leave at a certain time to get their child on or off a bus, it can be very stressful, she said.
"They may become upset," she said. "Some of our strongest people are single parents who have a lot of things going on in their lives. The CNA positions are the toughest in the facility and also often the lowest paid. But it's important that they leave it at the door. We do the best we can because it's not the resident's fault. They expect and should receive high quality care."
One way the facility tries to maintain workplace satisfaction is by constantly re-educating its employees, Gilson said.
"We keep them updated on the latest techniques. We constantly do re-education," she said.
Roux said education is key to recruiting and retaining quality employees. She said the best facilities often offer their CNAs tuition reimbursement in exchange for remaining at the facility for a certain amount of time. Other places offer incentives to sign on, bonuses for no absences and other incentives, she said.
"Things like that are really important to getting and keeping good candidates," she said. "And the workers will be happier in their jobs."
Still, Roux said, being a CNA is tough work. Burnout and frustration is often unavoidable. It's how facilities handle such situations that can either prevent it from occurring again or just perpetuate it, she said.
"The burnout rate and leaving the field rate is huge," she said. "It's just the nature of the beast, I think."