I work as a cna ,we as cna's are trained to take care of our people, but why is it that from the chain of command  of nursing an all the way up to the ceo's is it that they go against everything we are taught , only to put on a good show when state is around and believe you me STATE you are always being lied to.I've worked around this field of work for about 15 years so i know what i'm talking about.

I agree Nursejenny; she doesn't work with the right nurses.

Not all nurses treat cnas unfairly, in fact most DO treat them fairly.

I am a CNA; have been one for 16 years.  I have worked with the best nurses and the nurses from hell.

Firstly, you must earn the respect of your nurse.  You must prove to her/him that you are worthy of your title.  This means PROPER patient care, not taking 40 smoke breaks, not 'disappearing', getting along with coworkers, being a team player, being knowledgeable about your job, reporting ANY type of change in a patient, getting your VS on time, doing your showers, etc. etc. etc.

NO WHINING.  Nurses have a stressful enough job without you adding to it.  Be the team player, pick up the slack, and go the extra mile.  Be the positive person that everyone wants to work with.  I get a sense that you might be unkowingly doing your job with a bit of attitude, just daring the nurse to step on your toes and make your day worse.  Try changing your attitude, you WILL see a response!

Some nurses will treat you badly "just because", and there's really nothing you can do about it.  I have sometimes asked those rare rogue nurses if I've done anything to make them angry or something along those lines.  You'd be surprised what opening the lines of communication between you and your nurse can do.

Try going to work with a smile and a 'can-do' attitude.  Let us know how this works!

When I was doing CNA work at an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) the nurse treated me, and ever other care giver,  like we didn't know our @$$ from our elbow.  A lot of the residents disliked her.

The really sad thing is that the care givers had duties that had nothing to do with being a CNA what so ever.

And we didn't get paid a whole lot either.

thank you for your responses and i appreciate your comments an i would like to respond to a comment yes i believe its the nurses im around for i have worked with a few that i respect very much but i  have also found that it only takes one sour nurse to spoil a good nurse an thats a shame because as a person myself i will always respect the good .

I agree that most CNAs are not paid nearly what they are worth!  But, that's the whole job hierarchy in action, right?  You spend more time in school, and the idea is that with that advanced RN degree or whatnot that you'll be paid more.  But I 100% agree that assistants in ALL walks of life are made to do the "shit jobs" (Excuse my french). 

But, RNs should always respect their CNAs.  I know I do, cause I was one for 5 years before I got my RN.  Maybe all RNs should be required to be a CNA first then RNs would know where CNAs are coming from and would treat them with more respect!  Again, though, it depends on your coworkers sooo much. 

Sorry to hear you're stuck in a crappy situation! Maybe you could talk to the nurse that's treating you badly or talk to another supervisor.

You'll find that "that nurse" may be the same way to other nurses. If not, there will be another one. Men do not usually treat their underlings in this manner. A parts washer in a shop is valued by the mechanics and treated well. A plumber's helper is needed like a CNA and is usually just another "one of the guys".

I know this as fact as I did live a few years before entering nursing. Accept it that working with women has its drawbacks. There will be women here who openly agree with what I have said while others scream "foul".

After 30 years as a RN I can't tell you how many times I have been asked to be in charge or take a nurse manager job because the women "would rather work with a man in charge".

CNAs have one of the hardest, thankless jobs in the health care world. 

<!--Session data--> I worked as a CNA before I became an RN and while attending nursing school,and I realize and appreciate the work that is done by CNA's.I never feel" that's your job,this is my job":I am always willing to bathe a patient or help get a patient up,and there are other nurses like me.There are also nurses who expect the CNA to take care of all basic patient care,who act like certain duties are "beneath" them;but  try to give them the benefit of the doubt.Maybe they don' t feel comfortable with changing and repositioning patients because they lack experience in  those areas,and don't feel confident in their abilities.Help them and encourage them.That being said,you have to realize what a huge responsibility the nurse carries on her shoulders.It is ultimatly her responsibility to ensure the safety & wellbeing of her patientsThere is alot of work that the nurse does that you just don't see or realize.So,bottom line,we all have to work together for the good of the patient.

Been working as a c.n.a. for only 3 months and when i first came into it I was very naive. i thought that at the very least we would be treated fairly. but the fact is...cnas are treated like the bottom of the barrel and that's just a fact. i understand nurses and such have authority but they could talk to their cnas like human beings. and they think cnas are idiots, too. just because i didnt spend a whopping 2 whole years in college doesn't mean i'm a moron. i think some nurses just dont understand what cna work really entails, i know i didn't...

and the problem isn't the patients or even the work..it's the SYSTEM.

I have been an aide for 15 years and a cna now for 15. I am a christian and believe me, it has not been easy. I work very hard and desire to please the Lord in my work. I am the one who is still on the floor, attending to the needs of my residents, while other staff  are outside smoking. Its me who gets yelled at because the call lights are going off. I have been lied about , and out of the 30 years, i can honestly say, i have only met one nurse that was worthy of praise.I had only known her 4 days. She was an intructor in Grand Junction,CO. She had taught nursing, i wish i would have known her earlier. As she came into the nursing home, to be cared for,there was something about her, i didn't know if i should sit,stand or what. But called my name, and patted her bed foe me to come and sit while i took her vitals. We bonded in those 4 days, and i knew that she would be gone, after my 2 days off. She died, i knew just how much she loved me, and how much she loved being a nurse.With tears running down my face, i stll miss her impact on my life. I hope to see her in heaven. As a cna, i have seen alot in my 30 years, i wish that nursing would get back to the basics. Our dignity and pride in our work, our compassion for other human beings. Nurses hug your cna's, cna's hug your nurses,learn to say i care, i love you, stop all the small stuff and the hatred.We need each other. Mary

I have been a Registered Nurse for almost 9 years.  I have worked with some awesome CNA's and others that weren't so awesome.  The ones who did a good job were worth their weight in gold and definitely deserved more pay.  I have always appreciated so much those who put their patients first and were team players (no matter the job title).

being a cna is the worst job ever, depending on your unit, nurses and managers. i work on a sub acute unit and med surg. i have also worked at snf's. where i work med surg is great its all about sisterhood the nurses and aides all get along. most of our nurses will even put a patient on the toilet or reposition. and even the ones who are brain dead at times and come all the across the hall to find me to adjust a pillow, allow me to rest inbetween and speak at the nuses station. but sub acute is a different story. u are expected to get 4 rounds done two showers, patients up in chairs and u are to be hunched over a patients that are in comas and are seizuring as you clean them. and the nurses just sit at the desk a talk and chart slowly. then when u ask them for help or explain why everything cant be finished they ask why like its some easy task. some of our nurses even are astounded by others nurses lack of understanding. most of the nurses used to say just do as much as u can. now they expect two cnas to accomplish everything. cna;s have no representation where i work. the manager always sticks up for nurses and doesnt allow aides to speak. if we are not hunched over a patient doing care or we are late on breaks they write u up. yet they can sit at the desk on their phones all night and not be held accountable. and state is ridiculous. they make all this stupid rules u have to follow but allow nurse shortage and ceo's strip us to the bare minimum and expect us to comply with regulation, its all a joke and most nurses and cnas seem to agree on this

I have to say, as a new RN grad, I value my CNA's! We work together, I respect them and they respect me. No one knows their job like they do. There is always a 'bad egg' in every faciltiy, but it's also in every aspect of life. If you are happy with the job you are doing, then be happy with yourself, and don't worry about the people who just want you to be as miserable as they are! Hang in there!