I am Alaura I am a CNA who hates her job. Not much I can do about it. I am too old to do anything else. I love working with my residents. I enjoy the time I get to spend with these people and the fact that I have the privilege to participate in their care. I hate serving the nurses however. You know the ones who want to sit and bark orders at the aids so that they don't have to do anything. The like to try to turn us into their servants. Also I don't think it is right that nursing is set up so that the CNA's do almost all of the one on one care with the residents. The nurses are the educated ones and they need to be with these patients. As nursing assistance we need only to assist the nurse, not do all the dirty work so that the nurse does not have too. Either that or pay the CNA's better. I will say I have worked with some wonderful nurses in my time but, not too many. Some think they are even to good to touch poo. I also think it should be a requirement that part of the nursing education students should have to be a CNA for one full year. No nurse should ever be a nurse without the experience of being a CNA. I personally think CNA's are the most important in long term health care.
Welcome to the site, Alaura.
I agree that you CNA's are important. Did you know in my neck of the woods there is a requirement that ALL nurses need to complete CNA training before heading into Clinicals? Yep, it's true.
Mind you, I am not making excuses for any other nurse, but I try to help out when I can. However, if there are MD orders to take off the chart, or I need to get ahold of Pharmacy (and they are pistols to get ahold of.....), well, you can see what I am saying. I got other things going on.
Anyhow, I agree with the pay bit. I'd like to see a raise, but that ain't happening any time soon. :moon:
Hope you stop by often!
'Cat'
:60: Welcome to the site.
I do realize you get CNA training but we all know that training and the real thing are very different. I believe nurses should be required to work as a CNA for one full year if not more. I realize the nurses have a job to do as well but I have worked night shift quite a bit. At times I have worked the floor short and by my self and the nurse would do nothing but sit on their bum while I took care of the floor. This happens often. I don't see any excuse for this. I am not speaking about the habits of all nurses. I have met some great nurses. Not to many but some.
Glad to see you return, Alaura! I hear what you're saying, and I have taken what you say to heart. I hope others do, too!
Hello and welcome.
Your fustration is taken. Let me say some nurses do help out. I am one that does. If, like Cougar has mentioned, there are other duties/tasks/skills/. that need attention, we can't send the assistant to do those we must. It is at times, we can not send the LPN to it, depending on state.
With that said, delegation is key. Am I saying that nurses should not help, not in the least bit.
Let me give you my personal outlook.
I started as a nursing assistant; I thought to myself, all the LPNs do it sit and give others. Then I became an LPN and again I thought, all the RNs do is sit and give orders. Not until I became an RN did I understand what RNs do.
It does not, however, mean one has to completly walk in anothers shoe to have SOME knowledge of others jobs, but it does require doing that job to fully understand its demand.
Do, for the patients and assist your co=worker, with all you have and if all you end up doing is complaining and getting upset, then maybe it is time to move on to another place to work or another job.
You are responsible for YOU and YOU alone. Everything else will fall where it may.
All the best.
Thank you for your kind words cougarnurse. Grandma_RN as they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I think more CNA's need to bring this stuff to light. You are right. We are responsible for ourselves but, I am not responsible for someones lack of wanting to work and disire to sit and read magazines. I don't see where I need to compensate for this as a CNA. I do realize their is a lot of responsibility to being a nurse however I don't see where some have a need to try to push it off on the aids. I don't not get paid nursing wages nor do I hold the license. I nor any other aid needs to have that kind of responsibility. Also I have heard the care of the residents being used against aids to do extra to make the nurses look good. In these cases I thought that if they were to practice what they preach they would be doing more one on one work with those residents. It is easy to give an order but, to do it your self is another story. I believe some of these same nurses had to do things them selves a lot less would get done. I am very interested in the medical aspect of things which is why I became a CNA in the first place but, with the privacy laws and the superiority cr** that is kind of thrown out the window. I also realize it is no ones fault but, my own that I am not in a position where I can go to school however I don't really think a person should have to spend thousands of dollars to get a promotion. As far as finding another job. Good luck! A CNA has a hard time finding work that is above minimum wage. Enough of my venting lol. I said what I need too. Again I do know some wonderful nurses and I look forward to working with them.
Alaura, I do wish you the best. Thanks for being there for your patients. It is not an easy job for any of us. The love of it keeps up going and going.....
Alaura, once again, thank you for your input! It is appreciated, and I do hope you stop by as often as you can and 'speak your mind'.
We value input from everyone, and believe that we all can learn from one another.
