NursingLink

As a CNA if you work in a healthcare setting or hospital, have you ever had to deal with a nurse who feels like its not their obligation or responsibility to actuawlly do patient care? Well I have! I've been working at a hospital as a CNA for a little over a year now.  I love patient care but I'm getting a little tired of some RNs who feel that they r superior to the "techs" as they call us.  What do you do? Who do you go talk to when a nurse is lazy and doesn't help take care of the patients? Have you every been told that a patient needs to get on a bedpan but when you go in there the bed and patient are soaked? I thought that we were supposed to be a team and work together.  I think that some RNs don't understand because alot of them were never CNA's.  I think they need to have a reminder (a day when Rns have 2 do a techs job) so they can see how it feels sometimes.  I feel totally used and under paid at times am I the only one?

Be honest we're all CNA's have you been there or am I alone?

         I'm an R.N. that works his six point contact off, so perhaps lazyness is situational.  The STNA's/CNA's I work with also work just as hard as me and if we don't my enployer will fire us after a couple of write ups; i.e. we get rid of the Lazy people quick.  I like my work environment, but I run the whole shift long with my great support system.  Anyways that is my neck of the woods.

Cheers - Tim, R.N.

Ok well I am sure I will get slammed for this but here goes anyway........

While I agree that some Nurses are lazy (every profession has lazy people)

Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe they arent doing this to spite you, but that they have their OWN job to do? That they are running on a tight line, and getting distracted with something else at that moment just wouldnt work? Like waiting for that one doctor that always seems to call back at the most inopportune times, or if you dont finish such and such task now you never will and the following shift will be pissed that you left it for them. Etc etc. I am sure most of you could think of many many more situations.

Yes it's true that SOME nurses have not been CNA's and dont understand. But they do know what the job entails and know that it is your job. You, however, have never been an RN. And dont know what the job entails.

Sure it may look like the nurses spend alot of time sitting on their keesters, but honestly that is the WORST part of the job. For me anyway. But if that paperwork doesn't get done we could all be out of a job.

Nursejenny1310 says ...

Ok well I am sure I will get slammed for this but here goes anyway........

While I agree that some Nurses are lazy (every profession has lazy people)

Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe they arent doing this to spite you, but that they have their OWN job to do? That they are running on a tight line, and getting distracted with something else at that moment just wouldnt work? Like waiting for that one doctor that always seems to call back at the most inopportune times, or if you dont finish such and such task now you never will and the following shift will be pissed that you left it for them. Etc etc. I am sure most of you could think of many many more situation

Yes it's true that SOME nurses have not been CNA's and dont understand. But they do know what the job entails and know that it is your job. You, however, have never been an RN. And dont know what the job entails.

Sure it may look like the nurses spend alot of time sitting on their keesters, but honestly that is the WORST part of the job. For me anyway. But if that paperwork doesn't get done we could all be out of a job.

 

Bravo, Good post, and your right about this.  No need for a slam out here.

Cheers - Tim, R.N.

 

Yes, there are some lazy RN's, but there are also lazy doc's, LPN's, and CNA's too.  It's a tough job for both RN's and CNA's.  I work with a really great CNA, and another one that drives me nuts.  It doesn't matter what I'm doing (charting, pulling meds, giving meds, on the phone with the doctor), to the one CNA, her need for immediate help supercedes all else.  She has actually stood there with her hands on her hips and said "Chop, Chop, I need help now".  I soon realized that everything was an emergency, and I hate to say it, but now I tune her out and avoid her.  I can't finish my work.  I had to learn to say no to her, or I couldn't finish giving meds out. 

coffey_29 says ...

 I understand how frustrating it can be when you're trying to get your own things accomplished and you keep getting pulled away to help someone else, but when your task does not require hands on care and theirs does you need to prioritize.

As crappy as this is,  "being slow on hands on care" as you say will not get me in front of a judge or risk my liscense.  Check out the online liscensing verifications for different states...now look at why people have dings on their liscenses...not one of them says "patient wasn't washed until after lunch."  But after you the aide/assistant takes vital signs on the patient and tells me that mrs. Smith BP is 186/96, I have to page the doctor, wait for them to call back, often take a verbal order, give the patient the meds, AND THEN  chart every detail of that in chronological order cuz if Mrs smith strokes out later and there is that BP in her chart with nothing showing I addressed it I can lose my job, my liscense, and my ability to work as a nurse again.  So while it looks like I am sitting on my butt, I am actually taking care of that patient in a very important way, and if I was elbow deep in C-diff helping you when the Dr decided to call me back I couldn't make it to the phone in the thirty seconds before he hangs up.

I have to say it is SAD that they have put nurses in this situation...more than 50% of our time is spent "covering ass"  I hardly have time to do basic needs like toileting, let alone anything nice like running down to the cafeteria to get sometone one thing they would really like. 

And my post sounds like all I care about is my liscense, which is not true.  I care a lot about my patients and their families.  RN's, CNA's, we are all doing the best we can.  But the face of medicine right now forces me to look at the fact that one little thing could ruin my career.  It probably won't but it COULD.   I should've just stayed a bartender part time to make money and a CNA part time to really treat patients good. 

I was the Prosecutor for the State of NJ in cases of abuse and neglect by CNA's in Long Term Care. I revoked hundreds of certifications.

And YES, some were for "Mrs. so-and-so wasn't washed on time," but only IF it was a pattern. There is a difference between missing some ADL care once or twice, and doing it constantly.

So, yes, you can lose your livelihood by neglecting basic patient care - and once I revoked their cert, they were permanently barred from working in any health care facility in the US in any position - that is the Medicare/Medicaid reg.

very interesting topic...i am a RN, CNA educator.  i realize along with every RN/LPN that the CNA's are the "eyes and ears" of our patients...BUT the nurses are the patients' advocates.  we nurses rely on the CNA's to provide us with accurate detail of the residents.  as nurses we are responsible for medications, dressing changes, tube feedings, any invasive procedure (IVs, catheters, etc.), care plans, DR. orders, family concerns...the list goes on and on...CNA's have a scope of practice that ensures what is legally appropriate to do on the job. 

teamwork needs to be implememted.  that's why there is a "chain of command".  CNAs are the foundation of that ladder.  i can empathize why a CNA would become discouraged, but get all the details before you label a "lazy nurse"...conflicts can be hard to avoid in the healthcare setting...be prepared to agree to disagree.  but, please, hear the nurse's side as well...we need to work together.  all of us. most importantly remember that we are all apart of the healthcare team.  the patient is the center of that team. 

we have all felt as though we are pulling all the weight.  if you are feeling discouraged, please go up your chain of command and get the supervisor involved.  no one wants the patient in jeapordy because one co-worker is disgruntled.

First and foremost this discussion was began because a nurse that I work with was put into a position where she was not going to be a RN on the shift we were working, she was considered a CNA for that shift.  Instead of her coming in and getting report on her patients, she came in and told us CNAs that this was snot her job, she will never do a nursing techs job and that she will not be doing patient care.  When I went to the charge nurse and told her that I thought there was going to be a problem she told me that she would have a talk with her.  When I went to this RN who was doing nothing that night she stated "I'm going home, I refuse to do this I didn't get my license to do a CNA's job."  My first thought was she thinks she's better than me because she has her RN.  I'm not on here to talk bad about  anybody or to call all RNs lazy it was just that I couldn't beleive she said that.  I'm here for the patients and I thought that was everyone's job to be there for them but if a patient doesn't get great patient care neither one of us will have a job and yes I will be a RN soon but if a CNA needs help that is part of my job too!

Many nurses unfortunately have this attitude. What they seem to forget is it 's basic nursing, and its just as important as everything else done for patients. If someone doesn't want to clean pt's and assist them with ADL's, then why did they go into nursing?

No-one should think they are "too good" to help pts no matter what realm it is in. The whole point of nursing is to help people is it not?

Yesterday, the floor I normally work had no tech. They had 2 RN's and 1 LVN. one of the RN's asked the charge RN to help her and take some Vital signs. The charge RN said"I don't do Vital signs." What kinda crap is that? How obnoxious. If she doesn't do vital signs, then how is she going to know what is going on with the pts if a tech isn't available? Now, that is lazy!

What would happen if a RN went home sick, the floor got three new patient on the floor from the ER, that need to be on a continues B/P monitoring, with a monitor, and the M.D  needed a set of vital signs STAT, he is yelling at the charge nurse, is she going to say that to the M.D, with the presences of the patients family, I don't do V/S's, I don't think so, I have took hits from M.D's that thought I was the RN, I couldn't say, I am not the RN, he wanted a set of V/S's STAT, so I gave him what he wanted, and said that the RN is on her way into the room. a former Westwood Ucla Medical Center, Unit secretary, and Hospital technician, proud of it!!!

Mr Brown;  It happens actually quite frequently everywhere from hospital to nursing homes.

WHATS WORSE IS WHEN THE UNIT NURSE IS THE SAME WAY.I WAS ONCE IN THE DAYROOM FEEDING IT WAS LUNCH TIME IT WAS SOME OF US IN THE DINING ROOM OTHERS IN THE FEEDING ROOM. WELL THIS OCCASSION A CALL BELL WAS GOING OFF,MY CHARGE NURSE COMES ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HALWAY TO THE FEEDING ROOM AND TOLD ME TO ANSWER IT. IT WAS ON OF MY RESIDENTS WHO HAD ACCIDENTLY PULLED OUT THE CORD FROM THE WALL. CAN YOU BELEIVE THAT? ALL SHE HAD TO DO WAS GO IN THE ROOM TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG.NOW THAT IS LAZY!!!!!!!AND I WORK IN A NURSING HOME.

I just keep in mind that everything in our techs and paramedics job description is also in mine.  If I can do it, I do it...wiping a$$, abg's, ekg's...whatever.  If it helps the patient and is not putting off things my other patients need (things techs and paramedics cannot do) I do it.  Our nurses often sign-up on open tech or paramedics spots for extra cash.  Not a big deal.