My two cents worth, even with inflation it's still two cents. 

First of all I think much of this is a generational gap.  Yes, many of us began to use four letter words in the late 60's and early 70's freely and with a great deal of glee, shocking the older generations preceeding us.  Now it seems, the proverbial shoe is on the other foot.  Language evolves, changes and shocks.  Many words, many of us still consider to be shocking have actually become part of the younger generations every day language.  This is accepted among the much younger generations but not considered professional among us older generations.

In the fall of 1970, for an English language class I did a paper on the origins of the much mis-used word Fuck.  This was done the old fashioned way, in the campus library, lugging huge, dusty old tomes and actually searching through them.  It is an adverb, which is now used almost universally as a noun, adjective, adverb and interjections as well as a verb.  It's origin is anglo-saxon meaning "to furrow or to plow."  Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the progression from the fields to intercourse nor the wide use of this particular word through the invasion of the British Isles by viking raiders and the Roman invasion.

tdage, hjoeljohnson, rndrew01 & of course cd...thank you for the kind words.  I can be as bad as anyone bitchin' & droppin' f-bombs in the store room.  Heck, in the Navy that was just the way we talked 24/7.  It got me into some trouble when I became a parent & a couple were repeated.  Got me into a lotta trouble with the missus.  I'm better now.

The whole point is about the care of the patient/resident.its the heart that matters in the care-thats what makes a good cna/lvn or rn.

Couldn't resist this topic... glad we got through the potty mouth thing.  I worked as a CNA back in the day when we didn't have to be certified or go through any training.  I had been a candy striper back when our main job was to empty the patients bedsIde ashtrays.  Yes that long ago.  I've been upset with many a nurse who I thought was just being lazy.  Then came the day when I was a high-falutin' RN and realized just what I had gotten myself into.  RNs are responsible for everything that happens to their patients  from the LPN to the CNA  if you are a charge nurse on a 40-60 bed floor that's alot of weight to carry.

I'm sorry if some nurses don't say thank you to you.  But I always try to.  CNAs are the true backbone.  Often they know the patients far better than the nurse and their job is gross.  I have been there.  I would never ask anyone CNA or LPN to do anything that I wouldn't myself.

Yes I an RN have answered a light, yes I as an RN have cleaned up Puke, yes I as an RN have delivered trays and fed patients and cleaned and changed beds all while in fear of losing my license, If I didn't get my documentatin done.  I have also seen CNAs slap patients and sleep in rooms or watch TV's.  Some of the best nurses I have ever worked with have been LPNs and I wouldn't ask them to do anything I wouldn't either.  An LPN once stated to me that LPN stands for Low Paid Nurse and I agree.  And some don't care because they know that the RN is ultimately responsible for what they do. 

If you won't generalize neither will I.

Along time ago it cost me $22,000.00 ( a lot of money back then) and a lot of hard work for those two little letters after my name.  Remember you are a Nursing Assistant and knew it going in.

wow!!!!! i am so sorry you feel like this honey! i am a lpn, and anyone of my aides will tell you, i dont hesitate to help pull someone up in nbed, feed them a snack, or even help with final rounds. i was a STNA in nursing school and my nurses that i worked for didnt bother to help me with anything. and that made me so frustrated. and i promised myself that when i became a nurse i would never deny help to any one of my aides, and so far i havent!! behind every good lpn there is a STNA behind every good RN there is an LPN and behind every good doctor there is a RN!!!!! u guys should be applauded for your work! you are our eyes and ears for this profession, and its sad that so many people do not appreciate you the way that i do or other people do!!!! good luck with your search and i hope that one day you get the chance to work with a nurse that will actually help you!

abs

Wait till you learn what "snafu" means....

Nurse  Practitioners  and  Nurse Anesthetists are the LARGE Nurses NOT  a RN??  MASTERS DEGREE Nurses Are large Nurses!!!!  Im a BSN and dont consider myself a Large Nurse?

 OK so lets all face the facts

I work as a CNA/ Emergency room Tech, I have an EMT Cert and a CNA cert in multiple states and also I am in a BSN program. I had my own business for 10 years and was hit bad by the economic down turn in 2008 lost it all. So I appreciate my job in these hard economic times, that measly $10 an hour is hard to swallow but its something. 

However when I signed up to be at the bottom of the food chain I did not sign up to be disrespected or abused. Especially by some RN out of community college with a year or two's work experience. Even more I did not expect that RN's with what should be some level of maturity and experience to be the same. 

There are very few Nurses that care about patients or being respectful. The majority of you nurses are rude and grumpy and if you think because you have busy days (sometimes) that you have the right to be miserable ass wholes then get the @$#% out of the profession. Compassion does not come with a frown. Remember some of your CNA's are lazy but the ones that are not and the ones who ask you all day long can they help you need a smile and a thank you once in a while as do your patients. 

I do not want hear from you over paid two year college nurses that you have so much work charting and waiting for results(poor babies). I used to run a company I had workers that did accounting all day long they did not complain about being none stop, or my labor guys in the ditches digging wholes in the summer, although I paid them more than I am paid, so it may have helped. Still they came to work and they worked no bull no abuse of the next guy a team working together. 

You need to understand that you are paid more than double what the CNA's are paid and there training is really to take vitals, make beds and wipe ass, but no we draw blood we do HCG's we set up for the doctors we clean we stock we order stuff for you we hold patients we chart our work, we run to the lab for you we get your labs for you we take calls we help you find your doctor and your supplies we lift patients we transport patients we feed them we change there clothes in my ER we get the LIDOCAINE for the sutures , we get your IV's set up (no injecting) we do compressions on all CODE BLUES. All we ask is you smile or you ask us once in a while do you need a break or you you ask the lazy CNA to do something instead of us all the time.(they are even talking about us starting to do CATH's) u read a docs note you inject some meds you right a note or two and you send the patient on their way ........ if you think you do more than that pull your heads in because its not much more than that. 

I also have been hurt in the ER having to hold down combative patients and when you ask for assistance or a break so you can recover most nurses bitch and carry on about how you are lazy in fact I have had my injury get so bad that I use my days of to get therapy. We that are good CNAs now we are at the bottom and we respectfully smile and say yes three bags full what can I do for you today master, but give me a break you nurses think you are so hard done by when you have a busy day well just remember there are some slow days where you all stand around and chat about your weekends and your hair. It is seen we CNA's who even on slow days are stocking and cleaning see your lazy asses sitting like you are some sort of elitist's looking down on us. We save your asses every day we make your jobs easy. Remember that we take home less than $16k a year $4k below the poverty line. You make me sick and management who think they are doing patients favors by paying you for being ass wholes are very wrong. The system is broken in this country its time to fix it. 

Remember one day we may be nurses too, some of us may even end up your boss, trust me where not all lazy some of  us will work our asses of through the system and I promise you I will not forget those who abused me or my fellow CNA's 

To all the real Nurses the ones who try there best to say hello or smile or say thank you or Good Job or assist us cleaning up a patient, to you who do not complain about your work load or answering a call light for your (YOUR) patient. I say please keep up the good work I would rather pay you more than see bad nurses paid anything. You are and Elite group or compassionate women and men dedicated to caring for your patients and co workers as well as your communities. You go home tired and you say I did a good days work I made a difference and your did. I would if it was practical rub all your feet and make you a hot cup of coffee or something to say thank you. Thank you for making me feel valuable as a part of the team. I chose to start at the bottom but I did not choose to be treated like dirt so when you thank me I can go home look at my daughter and say your daddy made a difference and one day I will be back on top of my new profession as I was in my last. I can say to my wife who works to support me, take a break. And the Nurses that made me want to be a nurse I will have a picture of you in my mind every day and I will look to you to inspire me, I will remember how you treated me when a CNA needs a friendly smile. 

BROKEN CNA (healing nicely) thanks for asking :)

I know how you feel here I am an LPN and have filled in for the CNA's when staffing was low or someone called in. I believe that every once in a while all nurses should step down and do the job below them so that they appreciate the work they do for them.  We are a team and we all have to work together to get the job done and make the patients feel as comfortable as possible in a patient care setting.

My issue is that now that we have become computerized I have noticed that they keep taking away some of my duties as LPN and giving more to the RN's.  In most cases this wouldn't bother some people, but in my case I like to go the extra mile within my scope of practice.  I have worked CCU on telemetry and I have worked OB, Med-Surg and Outpatient and doctors offices when needed.  These were all LPN postions at my hospital until the last year.  The Telemetry Job was made an RN postion so they could hire another RN as with most of the others until they don't have enough staff then I can fill in.  Why is it I'm not good enough to do this job until they need someone.

In some ways I feel a little betrayed.  Though now we have a new DON and with the computers LPN's will not be able to acknowledge orders.  Though I also work as unit secretary and put these orders in on a computer.  As paper charts are still here I can write the order now  and sign it off but next week may be a different story.  When I ask why the answer is, State guidelines requires it to be done by RN.  I'm hearing that answer more and more.  IS THIS TRUE?

I am currently an LPN student. In order to go thru the class we had to do CNA work, tests, clinicals etc. I DO feel for the CNA's & my hat goes off to all of you! If it weren't for CNA's, the patients quality of care would suffer. As for LPN's go, there's a big issue arising in many states (Florida being one of them). Where many places ie: hospitals, won't hire LPN's or make it mandatory that LPN's get their RN within a certain amount of time or thy're let go. It's such a demanding profession, but there has to be a way that LPN's aren't stuck working in nursing homes, ALS, LTC, Hospice, HHA, & so on. They do get the short end of the stick, but the RN's do get more time in a classroom which = more $$$. I guess if the transition wasn't such a difficult thing to do (entrance, tuition, very few spots available in the class) it wouldn't be such a big deal. Many technical schools attempt to lure prospective students in by guaranteed eligibility, guaranteed job post graduation. However, they aren't always accredited, you don't always get a job, you also have to pay lotsa $$$ to get in! So the struggle is everywhere for recogition & advancement is sometimes not an option for everyone.

~Jackie

as a nurses aide we are over worked. no one should have to take care of so many peaple. we work almost at a run in and out of the rooms. 

we are constantly told we are neglagent if we can't get to the lights, we can be turned in to the state if things we can can't get to is not done. if we tell the patients we are working short, we are told that is abuse and emotional harm. or we are getting threatend with write  ups. injury rate for us is very high. and then we are let go. most of this comes from higher up staff 

in  24 hours meals transport time to and from meals, activities, dr.  all the house keeping laundry and such takes up most of half our shift. if you get around to breaking it down in 24 hours patients get 17  minutes of care and thats if you have a teriffic aides. 

most nurses i have worked with have been great. nurses are the least of our problems.