CNA’s & Respect
Posted by Patti on November 16th, 2004 / 
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CNA’s and respect
In the LTC setting it seems that one of the most important skills we all should have is in severe lacking: RESPECT. Respect towards our peers, leaders, people who work in other departments and residents. Without a healthy amount of respect towards others we close doors upon ourselves.
Respect towards peers- other aides- is SO important if one wants to able to work effectively and in a team like manner. It isn’t hard to respect others, it just seems so. First, we have to let go of all our old assumptions about people. Start with a fresh perspective and it is easy.
People generally:
Like to be helpful
Like to be liked
Like assistance
Like “fitting” in with others
Think better of others who use manners
People generally:
Don’t like being yelled at
Don’t like being treated as though they don’t know anything
Don’t like to be gossiped about
Don’t like being ignored
And most of all, people usually don’t respond well to others who demand things rather than ask.
Using manners in all your communications is the very first thing we can all do to improve our ability to gain respect from others. Sharing our experience in a helpful and mentoring way is another step.
Saying “Thank You” and “please” and “excuse me” are things we all learned in kindergarten or early on in life. For some reason these basic skills get lost as we grow up and become members of the workforce. I respond much better to someone who says to me- “Could you please get the door for me” vs. someone who says- after the fact- ‘Why did you slam the door in my face!?” (Usually said behind my back in some gossip session and usually I had no idea the person was right behind me and needed help!) Two good things can happen with this example: The other aide feels good because he/she got a helping hand with the door and I feel good because I was able to help. So simple yet so often not done.
Since many of us have years of valuable experience as CNA’s, we have much to share with the new CNA’s fresh out of class. Many experienced aides think it is not their responsibility to mentor new aides; they feel new aides should know everything they need to know. This might be true as far as basic skills with bed making and vital sign measuring, but NOT with the other subtle skills of getting along in a fast paced environment. Skills with speed and organization need to be talked about. The way in which we choose to teach these skills can really have an impact on our profession.
If experienced aides choose to mentor the new aides with an attitude of negativity and “Just one more thing to do”- we will fail. One has to have a positive attitude and one has to respect the position of the new CNA. Remembering what it was like when we were brand new HELPS.
Respect with leaders is a harder issue. Many nurses think that because they have a degree they automatically deserve respect. This is true only so far as the fact they got their education and degree- everyone should respect others for this. But to respect someone ONLY because of their educational status is not always possible. I firmly believe that respect MUST be earned. Nurses who treat CNA’s with respect, who use manners and who seek input from the CNA’s will manage things far better than those who “demand” respect simply due to their title. I am not advocating disrespect for nurses, but don’t give it automatically. You treat them well- with manners and dignity and hopefully they will respond the same towards you. Also, when respect is handed out without any perimeters staff tend to become like the leader. This can be both negative and positive. A leader who yells and is just miserable tends to have staff with the same attributes working for them.
So, using your manners and being polite DO go along way with respect. Sharing your knowledge and skills in a positive way also help move our profession in a good path. Not handing over respect just because someone demands it makes you a better person because you have standards for respect. What about respecting the residents?
Residents should always have our respect-unlike nurses and others- simply because they have lived long lives and because they are the paying customers within the LTC setting. They are our bosses. Without them we would not be getting a paycheck.
Residents of the Greatest Generation often fought in the world wars and lived through the Great Depression. Respect for this is expected and we should all give it! And we should be grateful. Members of this generation gave much in order that we can be as we are- they sacrificed and suffered for freedom and for American way of life. Never underestimate their sense of duty to their country.
Again, as with peers and leaders, using our manners and being sincere with our efforts will go a long way towards having good relationships with residents. This generation really expects manners and they tend to have different ideas about work ethics and how to raise children. Politics and religion are often taboo subjects with the elderly. Using correct names and titles are expected and show respect. Nicknames, although cute and becoming, should always be “Ok” with the resident and they must respond well to them.
CNA’s need to respect the values of the older generations. Currently, for example, the US is involved with military operations in Iraq. Many of the current generation (younger) feel no need to get involved with this war and are very much against it. Members of the older generation, if they know about the war, probably feel quite differently about it. They most likely feel it is the duty of every American to join the military services and serve the country. These current events can lead to hard feelings between generations. No matter how strongly one opposes war or sees a need for it, always respect how the Greatest Generation feels. Remember, they have sacrificed much more than we have.
May 1st, 2005 at 8:45 pm
this website has been extremly helpful to me
May 16th, 2005 at 3:08 am
I’ve been a nursing assistant for way too long. And everyday I question why am I still in this exhausting profession for six years. When I’m overworked underpaid and disrespected, by nurses that think that they are king of the Gods because they have more education than I do. When in reality I’m the one that’s doing all the work who leaves the job with a sore back and neck everyday. Well I guess I stay because I’m good at what I do, I just wish someone would say thank you and job well done once in awhile.
September 4th, 2005 at 10:21 pm
I am wounting to know what the CNA1′s do and how hard is the class to get the testone I am a CNA only I need to do the ladder please
September 6th, 2005 at 8:32 pm
I am trying to find info on CNA1 classes and meteral
September 15th, 2005 at 8:54 pm
I agree extremely with Mrs. Chareles Butler
September 18th, 2005 at 11:06 pm
Yes I am writing to you to see If I do the cna course at
home would it be good in NH ? also do you have a course in
staff assistant course and how much is the course.
October 11th, 2005 at 12:26 am
I have been a nursing assisant for about 8 months now and I think about getting out of this field everyday, then I pause and think of the residents, their smile, their laughter, and how much they appericated me helping with their ADL’s that I as well as many others take for granted. I’ve decided to go on to nursing school and become a nurse…until Then I will be a CNA…I know alot of nurses that never left the nurses station, and then again a good friend and nurse that I worked under , would work the floor right alongside the rest of us…and that made me feel like more of a team, and let me know that she cared about the residents more then her paycheck..
November 4th, 2005 at 2:50 pm
So sad that so many actually believe that all nurses are horrible rotten people. I have been an aide then a nurse and I can tell you there are no other people I work with who are valued more highly by me. My aides are my arms legs eyes and ears with regard to personal individualized care towards the residents. Please do not assume that you are insignifiicant. So, for all those nurses who can’t say please or be polite, shame on you. For all those who cannot say thank you, please accept my THANK YOU!
November 9th, 2005 at 5:42 pm
Patti,
I believe that respect is missing. From my 9 months of being a nursing assistant, And the three places that worked, two of them I’ve had to call state on. In the first place management encouraged abuse and neglect of patients through nepotism and financial mismanagement and bureaucratic dishonesty. The second place the culture of doing as I please was fosted by manipulation of nursing staff by nursing aides, who didn’t do their rounds, nor paid attention to how people were to be placed in their beds…some slept on the job at night.
I had to call state for this place as well.
I feel that the conditions I have encountered are due to a culture of
laxity of moral and insurbordination….the nursing management gives alot of their authority to people, are not available when falls happen are when crisis happen and you as a c.n.a. need assistance; this has fostered an attitude of c.n.a.’s making decisions they are not qualified for…and alot of times the nursing director doesn’t even know what is going on, or what went on,,,I’m rambling…but this really happened and It upset me so much I haven’t been able to sleep for two days. Resident is over 80, strong, independent. Will use will chair, unassisted, even though she has fallen. To protect the residents bill of right protection to refuse service, wheel chair is left by her bedside. REsident falls. She seems okay. refuses to go to hospital. Was her sternum always concaved? Ask her if she feels any pain every hour, whether she needs meds. Notice right nostril is bleeding. write down in shift report. Second night wheel chair is by the patients bed side again, checked at 11:30. Patient used the wheelchair previous night before, when n.a. had put her on toilet, and 3 lights went off at once. Oh. someone called in, and scheduled person couldn’t work because they had just worked a double. That night n.a. was basically on her own. 13 2nd stage alzeiher patients. Anyway, back to second night. Second night, at 1:00 check, patient has signs and symptoms of a stroke.
Taken to hospital. Patient, due to adhering to bill of rights without consideration of implied consent, when judgement is impaired; lost her independence.
I agree that people need to work with each other, and take care of each other as co-workers, and I also believe there needs to be a serious study done on attitudes of n.a. workers and their superiors who actually trying to be well-meaning promote poor quality of care given to patients.
I had to rant. I hope people are able to understand this frustration I’m having… I actually went into this business with very high expectations of my superiours and co-workers. This has been a nightmare for me.
becky
November 14th, 2005 at 11:48 pm
ARG! WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME NURSES… WHY DO THEY TREAT THE CNA AS IF WE ARE BURROS(MULES). WE ARE NOT THE CHEAP LABOR( ALL THOUGH WE DO GET PAID THAT WAY), WE WENT TO SCHOOL SOME OF UF MORE THEN NESSACERY, THE CNA TODAY NOW IS TRAINED TO DRAW BLOOD,EKG,AND MUCH MORE…WE ARE CALLED PCT, CCT, BUDDYS(ALTHOUGH I DONT FEEL THE BUDDY SYSTEM WORKS WHEN I NEED MY RN/LVN TO HELP ME)SOME TIMES I CANT COUNT ON MY FELLOW CNA(I WORK REG. SO I AM OVER WORKED AND GIVEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PTS-TOTAL CARE) (DONT GET ME WRONG I WORK MY BUTTISIMO OFF I BELEIVE THE PT DESERVES THE BEST CARE,I AM NOT ONE LAZY REG. NURSE)AND A BUNCH OF OTHER NAMES…TEARS AGO I HEARD THAT THEY??? WERE TRYING TO DO AWAY WITH CNA…HEY WE’RE STILL HERE. CAN U IMAGINE THE RN GOING BACK TO PROVIDING TOTAL CARE FOR THE PTS…HEY DIDN’T ARNI JUST ALLOW 5-6 RATION FOR NURSES AND DOES THAT APPLY TO THE CNA TOO! AND IF NOT WHY NOT?OK I’LL STOP NOW ONLY B/C IT’S LATE AND I GOT TO GET UP EARLY (0500) FOR ANOTHER DAT IN THE CNA’S LIFE- BYE FOR NOW
November 20th, 2005 at 11:16 pm
Not all registered nurses are bulling, most times it depends on a CNA first assumption over a nurse and to what extent the nurse is seen as a superor officer in the field., the respect he/she is accorded,the good will of rapport etc. How ever professional bulling is an age long rift it will only take proper individual professional ethical consideration to tackle….
November 21st, 2005 at 9:11 pm
THIS IS SO TRUE AND I EXPERINCED IT RECNTLY BEING TREATED WITH Q LACK OF RESPECT AND WAS DEEMED DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS THE OLDER ONES (STAFF) SO TRUE
December 6th, 2005 at 11:46 am
I to worked for alot of places, i never could find the place that i really liked working for and the residents were treated good. I found that place 9 months ago, im still there. I get along with day, evening(which is what i work) and nites aides, as well as the nurses, and the front office, pt, ot, kitchen, laundry, housekeeping. They know when i come in, that they are going to laugh in one way or another. Every place has a nurse or two who think they shouldnt have to do a aides work, but where i work, the majority of all 3 shift nurses will help lift, toilet, pull up in bed, whatever i ask for help for, they will. i have a nurse that is just a few yrs older than me, was just a aide 1 yr ago, she is one of them nurses that are “cool”. But i know what she expects and what she wants, i would never take advantage of her.
But then again you have a nurse that wants everything done right then and there. Well there is only 2 aides on the hall, for 25 people, we cant toilet, turn,repostion everyone at once, someone has to wait.
January 25th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Why are certified nursing assistants overworked and underpaid? Because we allow it, i have been doing this for fourteen years and u really cant get paid doin this kind of work, i have been trying to stop it for years but when it comes to the pt i cant seem to get out of it, I wonder do cnas have a union like other jobs. if we dont, WE NEED ONE (UNION) VERY BAD!
January 28th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
Do you feel that RN’s should be required to work as a CNA before they can be accepted into a RN program? If so, how long do you think they should work as a CNA?
January 29th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
I dont think RN’s should have to be a CNA before being an RN, But I do think they should help out more often than they do. Being a CNA is hard on your body and your supervising RN should be there and willing to help any time you need it.
February 2nd, 2006 at 3:59 pm
I think you are wrong. I have worked with many RN’s, those that have been a CNA before have a much greater understanding of the entire nursing process than those that have not been a CNA do. Nothing against anyone that has not, but, experience is most always needed.
February 4th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
I guess I would say to all of my fellow C.N.A ‘S out their to keep your head up. Without us their would be no Nursing Homes or Assisted Living facilities. We make life easier for the residents and the nurse’s. So when times get rough, and you are ready to walk off your job. just stop and take a breath and ask god to give you strength to get through this trying day.
February 6th, 2006 at 9:51 am
I was wondering If CNA’s workes in a hospital setting in N.Y. state and what are their duties.
Do you do post op vitals, empty jacksons pratts, ect. ?
February 12th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
I think all nurses should be required to be a cna as part of their clinicals…only to find out what the cna does and what is required of them within their scope of knowledge…the cna’s are the eyes and ears of the nurses..and the best nurses that i have worked with are the ones that were cna’s to begin with. You take a RN, that has never worked as a cna or even a lpn and you really do not have a good well rounded nurse..do not think that I have bad feelings towards non cna nurses..but I can spot one a mile away–let’s face it, who is the better employee…one who worked from the bottom up or one who started from the top>?
February 18th, 2006 at 4:09 am
YES, SISSIE WE DO ALL THAT YOU MENTIONED AND THEN SOME.
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:49 am
For anyone that was looking to do an online course for CNA, of course it is your choice in the end, and no offense to anyone who took this route but…
Dont DO IT!
Take the course offered by your local college or state agency etc. The clinical experience you will recieve is worth it
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:52 pm
I have just stumbled upon this web site while looking for information re towel bathing. I am in australia and cant believe the terrible wages you hard working carers are expected to live on?. I have been a carer for 17 years and the lowest wage I recieved around 10 years ago was $9.00 an hour. Currently depending what state of aussie you work in you can get between 13 and 20 dollars an hour as a carer. Five years experience or more around $15.00 starting. You all seem though to have the same complaints and hard working conditions, yet you do seem to look after many more residents per person than here. I look after 10 dementia residents with 1 other person to relieve me for breaks. what is the ratio in american for dementia residents. Good luck and keep strong.
February 24th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
I am looking for a school in the Milwaukee area to take a CNA course. I was an LPN 20 years ago and did a lot of home care (one on one) that included all nursing duties. It didn’t pay well at all back then and I got into something unrelated. I don’t have time or $ to go back and retake the LPN program and would like to work as a CNA. Any suggestions? I could take an online course since I have had prior nursing experience.
February 25th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
I would stay away from any and all online CNA courses, you cannot be sure of the validity of these sites. Go to local nursing homes, Red Cross Chapters; look around for Health Career Training in the cities.
March 2nd, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Hello to all fellow cna’s I have been in the feild for 22years and love every min of it.I’m in my second year of college trying to go for the RN program or a least the LPN I have both my cna 1 and 2 and most places here in North Carolinia do not take the cna2. I’m doing a research paper on the ratio’s between cna’s and residents. Where I work we are always short staffed and underpaid I make 10.61hr on first shift when you work 2nd and 3rd you get 1.25 for shift difference I have been there two years April 12th and I have worked all three shifts came in on days off and have stayed over many of times.I have always felt that cna’s are underpaid and we are the back bone to the health care system put we get no praise for all the hard work that we do.For those that are looking to become an cna go to your local college to see if they offer classes.Best of luck to you all.
March 8th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
hey there, i am a student in Aberdeen, Scotland currently studying an access to nursing course. I am hoping to move to oz permanently but am unsure if i can work as a nursing assistant and get sponsored to study nursing over there?? does anyone know how it all works?? if anyone knows all the steps i need to take it would be greatly appreciated!!
March 23rd, 2006 at 10:55 pm
Hello! I am currently a CNA of a nursing home. Clearly, I have observed that Nurses such as RN’s and LPN’s tend to forget at times at how hard CNA work really is. In the facility I work in, many of the nurses act like the CNA’s are little children. They like telling us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. RARELY do they help, and if they do, we normally have to ask them too. MANY of them act like “it isn’t their job-description” to do thing’s we do. If it wasn’t for the CNA’s, the hardest jobs wouldn’t get done, and it would be more work for the nurses to do, as well as their medicine-rounds, paper-work, and book-work.
April 4th, 2006 at 2:32 am
Tasha my name is Melissa. I am also a CNA in a Nursing Home in Florida. I agree with your comments about our job and the Nurses on our hall. We all know how hard we work as a CNA. And Many Medical staff seem to not see the range of how hard we do work. All the jobs we perform are jobs the RN’s and even the LPN’s wish to not go near. I’m learning with each new work night to hold my head up even higher. I love my job as a CNA, it allows me to take care of those who think they’ve been forgot. I’m proud to be a CNA and i have an idea that deep down most RN’s and power hungry LPN’s will have to admit if only to themselves how very much they are glad we are CNA’s and take the hard and trying work that they are so glad to not have to do.
April 19th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
hey I am a CNA i have been fortunet to work with great nures just thought I’d say taht. I am actualy because I had to leave my job due to a high risk pregnancy. He is now 17 months to get back to work , I realy don’t have the cash to retake the classes I am trying to find info so that I can study and retest on my own. Is this a possibilty and were do I find this info?
April 23rd, 2006 at 2:55 am
I just wanted to say that I think CNA’s are all under paid and over looked. Basically what a CNA does is cares for the resident in just about every way possible, from waking up to going to bed. We do just about everything possible for them, which I think is very rewarding. We get to make people smile when they are having a bad day, and we have to watch people suffer. What I can’t figure out is when your facility tries to treat the residents like babies and not basically wanting them to do anything for themselves and then wondering why they went down hill so fast. You know why that is don’t you? It’s all for the money. Some facilities such as this one seems to run things backwards. Especially when they make you work short, because the residents don’t get enough of our time the way it is. I just wish the Nurses wouldn’t be so full of theirselves that they can’t help. The younger Nurses at our facility will help. I just think that we aren’t respected enough and very under paid for what we do. Being a CNA is a big responsibility and a very rewarding career except when you look at your paycheck and some of your co-workers. It’s a job that you will never forget and you will never forget the residents. Mike Harrington Langdon, North Dakota
April 25th, 2006 at 10:20 am
I agree with most of the posts that CNA’s are underpaid for as much work as they do. AS an RN, I want you all to know that most RN’s appreciate you as part of the team in parient care. Nasty people(NURSES) are just as nasty to their fellow RN’s as they are to you guys. Some RN’s are just old school and on power trips—we (RN’s) have to deal with this too–(ever heard the saying Nurses eat their young?. You guys do carry alot of responsibility. I have seen my CNA have her job interuppted at least 10 times in on shift for stupid things that the RN/LPN could have taken care of. I have only worked in hospitals not nursing homes so I can not speak for the work of CNA there, but at the hospital our CNA’s have to get vitals, do baths, linen changes, and assist the RN/LPN with turning/positioning. THey also are responsible for the changing of needle boxes, clearing linens, emptying foleys, I&O’s, and collecting stool and urine. What I have noticed is that if one shift of CNAs does not, for whatever reason, accomplish his/her tasks it always up to the next shift to make up for it. Then the on coming CNA has twice to three times as much work—and usually is in a bad mood. This consitently happens from shift change nights to days. I have never worked nights (thankfully) but I do know that less is required of the RN’s at night and not as many procedures that interupt pt care are going on. Also vitals are not taken as often. I know that at any time a code could occur or something else happens that pulls people from what they are supposed to be doing.Any thoughts? Many RN’s DO work as CNA’s or tech’s before the graduate from school especially if it is a four year BSN program. I did — and most people I graduated with did. Many times in school though I found that while I was on a floor for clinicals most of the CNA’s abandon the students and would not help the students with their patients. I think this would be a great place to start to make changes. Most(not all –as at anywhere) students would be glad to help CNA’s with their duties if the CNA would work with the student. It would be a great place to foster new relationships and then as the student graduates they appreciate and know their CNA.
May 6th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
A BSN’s education level consist of five years at a good college and the level of knowledge is so broad it is a difficult run to the most agile, intelligent and studious students. Perhaps BSN’s are edgy with their team at times because thiers’ and all of the teams liscences rest on the teams performance that the bsn is in charge of and with one single incidence which severely endagers a patients safety, those five years of education and all their experience can go straight down the tubes. Do most people realize this? It would only take six years in some medical fields to get a doctorant degree in a field that they could make much, much more money and be in ultimate authority and control with less stress and accountability for others actions. I think the medical care team as a whole needs to examine the reasons they are in it. A true heart felt interest in patient care should be the bottom line and if is not there are professions that are less challenging and better income than at any level of nursing. Perhaps that is why there is a shortage of nurses. I love caring.
May 16th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Hello to all! I have only been a cna for almost 4 years but,I
feel like I have been one for 10 years. I
put in alot of hours
also.I love what I do I cant see myself doing anything else. I
may not be a LPN,R.N but I feel just as important because other
than passing meds I do all else.I am respected by the nurses and
residents and all no me by name.I may not make all that much
money even though I need it!!! I enjoy leaving everyday knowing
I made a difference that I made a sad or ill resident smile.There
is know greater job then taking care of people.If you leave your
job each day feeling as though you made a difference then be happy.
Because you made someone smile you let them know that they are
loved and cared for.
May 26th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
I am a CNA instructor. I have the utmost respect for the job the CNA preforms. One of my pet pieves is when a CNA refers to themselves as “only a CNA” I feel CNAs play a very important roll in the nursing process, they are a Nurses right hand. My hats off to you CNAs!!!
July 14th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Hey -just something real quick – I truly feel most LPN’s & RN’s do know the hard hard work we do but they do not have time to express that to us. Have you not noticed they are short staffed and stressed too? The one thing I do not want them to do is to give the wrong medicine or make an incorrect judgement call to any of my residents because I care very much about their care. At the end of the night they usually remember to say thank you for helping them with their requests – vitals, putting someone to bed, helping another CNA, etc. The only way it works is with teamwork among all.
July 16th, 2006 at 5:10 am
I have been a CNA since 1995. I believe that after so many years of working in this capacity, you loose sight of the reason that you came into the field. I can tell the difference towards my attituted towards the job (do what needs to be done and go home) in comparsion to when I started in 1995 ( I was very excited to get into the healthcare field). I believe that being a CNA is not a job that you aspire to retire from..the work is very exhausting and often times there are too may patients to care for in the proper manner. I know a lot of CNA’s will probably be outraged by my comments..but I believe I am only speaking the truth. Fourtanetly my job has developed an upward mobility program where employees can go to school full-time and not work,but still make a regular salary (with a committment to the company for so many years of course) Good luck to those of your in the field who are also seeking a way out..I hope this works out for me..if so I have learned a lesson about how to respect others.
July 17th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Hi, I am a CNA and have been one for 2 yrs now. I do agree that we are all very much unpaided for all that we do. But I have to say I work with a great bunch of people. I mean the whole staff is very good. They all respect the CNA’s. They make sure we know we are appricated. They know we are underpaided but they do there best to let us know how greatful they are for us. But I want to say I do understand all of you, because when I first started as a CNA after 2 months I wanted to say forget it. The NH was a nightmare. Then I found this NH That I work for now.
Even though I love the place I work now some days it is hard to say I love it because its been a day (even with the best staff u) where we were understaffed. But I want to tell u all what a resident said to me and I will never forget.
It was a day that we were understaffed and everything that could go wrong did. But in the mist of this nightmare day a resident stoped me in the hall and said ” I know that today may seem like a living nightmare, but just remember that each of you that spend ur days to help someone who can’t help themselves, to them you r a hero. ” So just remember even if no one else notices what do, to those that help you are there hero’s. I hope this helps all of u. Even if its just alittle bit.
July 20th, 2006 at 11:29 am
we as cna’s need to get together and try to get a union. we do all of the work while the nurses sit on their buts. i see some nurses that used to be aides act like they were never an aide. i’m sick of it. it seems as though the less you do the more you get paid. cna’s should at least make 35,000 to 40,000 a year for all that we do. if i ever get disabled for being a cna, i will do a law suit. most nurses i can just get them and slap the hell out of them. most of them don’t know what they are doing anyway. i don’t let them talk to me any kind of way because i let them know before they start. they know not to call me when a patient is wet or dirty because i feel that they were taught the same way we were taught. i want to go back to school for nursing but my heart won’t let me. i hate the way most nurses act and i don’t want to be one. i would rather be a physical therapist. they always say that cnas don’t do anything but why do they call us for everything. all healthcare professions have cnas. here where i live if they can’t find an lpn, they will use a cna. i do notice that the farther you go the more you make and the farther the nurses go they make less. cna’s know how to manage their money better. some cna’s in tennessee make 20 dollars an hour. i also notice that in some states they honor their cna’s very much. so guys please don’t let the nurses make you feel smaller than them. did you know that an lpn course is not on the college level. it is vocational. if you are planning on pursuing your career go for the big stuff like physical therapy they make a hell of alot more money than an rn or nurse practitioner. and oh when a nurse tries to shoot you down, they’ll get shot right back down by the doctor. i’ve heard doctors talk to nurses like dogs and i love it. thanks
July 26th, 2006 at 12:31 am
I am old school nurse aide. I believe that My nurse is the boss and I am there to assist her, hence the title nurse aide or assistant.
This being said, I also believe that when a facility is short staffed the nurse should have to get in there and help. Just how much can one person do?
Just tonight, I had to leave one aide on the wing after working the 3 to 11. She will more than likely have to pull the floor by herself all night because all the nurse wants to do is pass meds. This means pts will be left in bed for the day shift to have to get up. O I could have stayed over and pull a double, but I plan to pull a double tomorrow. However, I still felt guilty leaving a fellow aide behind to run the whole wing. I felt guilty for the pts that will have to suffer.
What is this all about and why will it never change? I think the state needs to step in and start subsidising these homes so that they can hire more aides and pay the ones that they have wage commisurate with the work that they do. I also believe that the state should regulate less and support more, not the other way around.
July 30th, 2006 at 4:48 am
I just wanted to say that as a CNA most of the time we do not recieve the respect as we so deserve. I’ve been a CNA for 7 years now and at this point I just look at it as another 8 hours .GET IN do your 8 and GET OUT. There’s not much team work as there should be within most LTC facilities and YES HOSPITALS also! I’ve had some nurses come up to me and ask me for some of the most smallest things for patients/residents that i feel that as much time it took them to hunt me down or page on the call system that they could’ve gotten it themselves. All most of them want to do is pass meds and push papers for 8 hours. It was even said by a RN that she did not go to school for 4 years to empty a bedpan. That goes to show the mind set of most of them the ones who wont help you bath an overly obese total care patient but at the same time has the audasity to come and ask you to help hold this same total care patient while they do a dressing change. IMAGINE THAT!
July 31st, 2006 at 4:42 am
i have only been a cna for 1 month i worked at a place where the nurse was so nasty she callked me at home on my day off and yelled at me and hung up on me . i told the facility the next day and they said they would switch me stations but ofcourse the nurse would still say things and some how i was always called to work on that station after taking all the disrespect and treats i could handle i called 7 hrs before my shift and quit the charge nurse said if i quit the facility will make sure i loose my lisence. i dont think they can take it away friom you. so i took my uniform in 45 min later she kicked me out of the facilty where my grandma lives so i am going through hell just to go and see my grandma…. i was there working and getting harrassed and treatened and disrespected and just had my limit… so now i start a different facility in 3 days i cant wait . i love helping people but we should not be steped on or walked all over while we are helping the residents…. pls e-mail me if u have any feedback my e-mail is grlsweet528@yahoo.com i am a new cna and i hope they can not take my lisence for quiting .i am only 19 yeatrs old and i was in tears everyday from the charge nursre and nurses…
August 5th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Hello, I’m not a CNA but i lost my job and am looking for something that i can get into fast and get paid for it. So i just want to know a little bit about some infomation on CNAs. Like how long does it take to get to become an CNA. ALso i want to go to school to become an Ultrasound Tech and was wondering if anyone knew if it would take twice as long if i had a cna lincse.
October 15th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
I stay in milwaukee,wi I am trying to find a cna class. I would want to be trained in a nursing home if they train you. Do anyone know of places in milwaukee county or simply in milwaukee.
October 25th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
THis is for Shelly…The best thing you can do is find a nursing home that is hiring, and apply for a nursing assistant job. The facitlity you will be working in will more than likely send and pay for your CNA training. Just walk thought the door and inquire! Good luck!
November 6th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
i think that most of you are so right. nurses and pt. treat us like dirt it seems thath no one can respect wht we do except other cnas. at my job just about all the nurses alk over us. one time a pt ask me what are you ladies called you know the ones who give bath what are you called the help. iwas so taken aback. you know when i first became a cna i felt so special you know like i really was improtant and that i really made a diffrence. after awhile i didnt feel that way anymore how could i after being treated like you knw what. do you knw i only make $9.25. i sometimes ? why i ever became a aid but every once in a while you get that pt. that makes you feel like your aprciaeted
November 20th, 2006 at 10:56 am
I have been in the profession for seven years. I found
your website very informative.I remember feeling very
unappreciated and not understanding what exactly do those
nurses do.When I became an RN it gave me better insight
about how important we all are.A good nurse digs in and
works along side her assistants.What you do is very hard
work, both physically and mentally.There are times when
I wish I could be with my LNA’s but the amount of paper
work that I have to do is overwhelming.I am a staff
educator as well and my orientation includes things like
teamwork and respect for all not just nsg.Thankyou I was
surfing for inservices for my girls, I asked them what
they wanted to learn about.Their input is essential.We
have LNA’s that are nurse liasons with special training
on wounds etc. in the hope that we can all communicate
better and improve the lives of our residents. Education
is power and it helps to understand why we ask you to do the
things you do.You do need to earn respect.I have come in
contact with people who are disrespectful to LPN’s.I am
an RN but do not tolerate that behavior.So just keep in
mind we are all misunderstood and it’s a struggle to get
along.Thankyou for what you do.
December 23rd, 2006 at 8:47 pm
I have been a cna for some time now, and sometimes I look back and ask myself why I ever decided to become “butt cleaner.” lol…. Sometimes I want to get out of it, because we are under paid and way over worked! Yet like most of you, I stay because of the rewards I get out of my patients. Their smiles to see me walk into their rooms first thing in the morning. How we sometimes feel we go unoticed until a patient or co-worker says what a fine job you have done. Knowing that this is my patients last stop in life, and what if it were myself or my mother or father. Many reason I guess is why I stay. Sometimes some of the nurses can tick me off, but I tend to just shrug it off as I know that their jobs are hard as well. I find that many nurses miss the hands on, and find it rather blah just passing meds. They have lots of paper work to do, and any little mess up can blow their whole day with paper work alone. If we fall they do too! As a cna, I know that we are not to talk to a nurse while they are passing meds, yet at times we need to. So they may not go home with hurting backs, but with the mental stress of it all. In my eyes, that is just as bad. So yes… ladies and gents.. nurses and cna’s… we are a team, we must work together and with respect. This is the only way to run it smooth and with less stress. We all have bad days, and we are who we are. We are not going to like everyone we work with and we all have our favs. Take it with a smile and not so personal. No one is better than the next guy. We are all there to do a job, and that really should be the main focus.
January 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I work as a CNA in long term care setting. I am currently a nursing student, honestlY in the nursing home you get no respect, I am more educated than some of the LPNs.I am currently a nursing student. The hospital is a better place- more like teamwork. Working in LTC is like working in someones backyard, I hate ltc
February 9th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I was a CNA for 6 years before I became an LPN. I started my RN, but it took too much time (and $). I understand why CNAs think we don’t do the hard work because I felt the same. I always try to treat my CNA’s with respect, however I don’t always get in return. I toilet people, answer bells, get water, pillows, blankets, turn and reposition people, do vs, empty foleys,feed, pass out trays… I do know nurses who do not. My med pass by law is supposed to take 2 hours. Because I always help, most of the time it takes 3 hours! God forbid there is an emergency, then I can count on getting my 9 am meds by 12p! Many people act as if the meds are just ‘pills’, but they keep our patients healthy. Some absolutely need to be given on time, which I always try to do. Those are the times I”m going to ask for help. I like patient care but I have ALOT of things I am responsible for that has to get done too. When I’m behind the CNAs aren’t allowed to help me in my work. There are alot of regulations I have to abide by, which includes paperwork. If the paperwork is done incorrectly such as charting we could end up not being reimbursed by Medicare or other insurance, which in turn effects all of our pay. Significant med errors have happened by nurses not following through with Doctors orders, transcribing correctly,scheduling tests etc… Everytime we are interupted increases the likelyhood that a mistake could be made, which we are liable for. And fairly or unfairly, we are resposible for the CNAs’ work. I hate the wars between the nurses and the CNAs! We are all part of the same team. (And you all should be paid much, much more!) I really care about my patients and I want the best care for them, and I know lots of other nurses that feel the same. So please be supportive of your nurses. You never really can understand someone until you’ve walked in their shoes!
February 11th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
YOU KNOW,NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE ANYONE..MY MOTHER IS A CNA-HAVE BEEN FOR 16 YRS AND LOVES WHAT SHE DOES..MYSELF..I ENJOY HELPING OUT MY ELDERS..AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL..I’M IN A DECISION PROCESS RIGHT NOW..TRYING TO DETERMINE SHOULD I GO FOR MY CNA OR LPN..TO ALL YOU CNA’S..MY ADVISE TO YOU IS..KEEP YOUR HEAD UP..CONTINUE BEING A BLESSING TO THOSE WHO NEEDS YOU..NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT CNA’S..YOU ARE SOMEBODY!GOD BLESSED YOU ALL TO BECOME A BLESSING TO OTHERS..DONT BE DISCOURAGED..CNA’S ALL AROUND SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED..BY THE GREAT HELP THAT THEY GIVE TO OTHERS..I APPRECIATE YOU ALL…THANKS
February 14th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I live in Vegas, and after reading the comments I noticed that quite a few CNAs think that some RNs are on grateful. Some are ungrateful, but some are very helpful and respectful. Sadly one bad apple ruins the bunch.
Anyway, I think all RNs and LPNs should be remember how they feel and when a Doctor treats them with no respect or like a second rate citizen. I have heard of some nurses diminished to tears because a doctor was rude to them. People sometimes cannot see beyond themselves.
Oh and THANK YOU!!! to all the deserving RNs and LPNs.
February 14th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Oh my mom works as a RN on an ICU floor. They have 4 patients and no CNA. They have to do everything. They would love to have a CNA. I know RNs work hard, that’s why I rarely bother them. At the same time show me a speck of respect.
February 19th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
I am about to take classes to become a CNA. Recently I had a interview with human resources at a local senior home. Essentially I have been promised a job, and they are going to send me to school to become a LPN. They told me that if I work for them for 6 months they will pay for me to become a LPN, and; if I work for them for 6 months after I become a LPN, they will pay for me to become a RN. The pay at this facility was aproximatley 13.50 an hour(the reason I say aproximatley is because I forget if it was 13.50 or 14.50). Though I have not yet had an interview at the local hospital, I am told that their salary is somewhere around 18 an hour, for CNAs. Perhaps it is my region, but it appears (considering that I live in the suburbs) to be a good job to take.
February 20th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I am a CNA and work in a Rehab and nursing facility and have for 2 1/2 yearsI love my Job but it is very hard on your body and emotions. We dont get recognized for all we do and I guess its been that way for decades but it isnt fair to the ones who actually hold the nursing homes up.in my job I work a hall that has 16 residents I am responsible for 9 of those residents totally but I help other places as well. at our facility we are really responsible for all the residents Usually around 70 total. our nurses make out our daily assignments and they seem to always give me a partner who isnt willing to work so there for I do most of what gets done. we start out by getting every one up for breakfast. In my case I have four that get up for breakfast and that means washing them , fully dressing them making sure they are dry, and using lifts on two of them(all four that I get up have alzheimers disease so some are combative) then I am usually a Hall monitor which means me and one other CNA ar expected to answer all the call lights, turn, dry , and or reposition the ones who cant do it for them selves plus if any one that works other halls didnt get all their people up by 8:15 Am we have to get them up also. and some times that is up to 5 extra people. I cant complain about our nurses becasue they help as much as posible. but my co-workers (other CNAs) seem to be there just for the pay check. although every one that I have read their articles make more than I do. I only get 8.81 an Hour. If I have a Lazy partner It makes for a really bad day and if our cencus is down they do not allow any over time so have to be done by the end of our shift. the second shift is supose to take our place if we are still on the hall at 3:00 Pm but that rarely happens. the only reason I keep at it is for the residents. they make my day. I have complained to the lpn that makes out the assignments about a CNA that is lazy but to no avail. Any ways I will stay at it but as I said before Its only for the residents! Just wanted to voice my oppinion! Thanks
February 20th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I started out going to nursing school for R.N and than I started to be a CNA. I have been doing this for almost two years, but I work like I have been doing it for much longer. My facility is 180 beds and I have been at my job for 19 months. I am frustrated with the nurses that act like they know everything. I feel like my facility is nurse oriented, and the CNA has no say in anything. I enjoy working with the elderly, but I let my other coworkers get to me.
February 20th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Micha that is one good deal. Go for that.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Thanks Jackson…your words of encouragement came
at a time when I needed to hear them most. I just left a
job I loved because of horizontal violence and was
discouraged and depressed to the point of thinking that
I’d just quit being a CNA and go find some other type
of job, but your words, “CONTINUE BEING A BLESSING TO THOSE WHO NEEDS YOU..NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT CNA’S..YOU ARE SOMEBODY!GOD BLESSED YOU ALL TO BECOME A BLESSING TO OTHERS..DONT BE DISCOURAGED..” made me realize that I love
helping others and I truly care about people, so I’m not going to let anybody dissuade me from being a “blessing to
others.” I am blessed too, at the end of each work day!
Thanks again, Jackson!!!!!
February 24th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Hi This is for evryone who is a CNA, I really want to know what I need to become a CNA how long it takes to be certified, how many semesters do you have to study, I have some college already in the medical field. I want to get something at list CNA I love to be in a hospital, I love to care for patients and I want to continue with some education since I stop because I have 2 kids now, but need to continue, any recomendations?? I live in POrtland Oregon.
February 24th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
hi, i am a cna in north carolina and i agree with most of the cna’s listed. we are all under-paid, for the work that we do. and i have never seen a nursing home with a full staff of cna’s ,lpns,and rns that wont answera call bell. the rns.and lpns will walk right pass lights like they are to good to help the residents. they wont the cnas to do every little thing,most of the time we are short of staff maybe four to three cnas on the shift.and may have 5-6 baths each and they will not lift a finger to help.and we are disrespected all the time, no thank you or job well done and most of the time we cant do team work because most of the girl them selves has a work load of work, your body get tired and only gets 1 day off and then 2 on your weekend off thats if they dont call you in. dont get me wrong i love my job. and i am not a lazy worker but give me a brake . rns &lpns are not doing what they are surpose to do and the don dont care as long as they got someone on the hall to put cash in the pockets of you ever…..
it time for a change. because im not one to take to much mouth from some one who wonts to abuse there so called power.
cnas keep your head up and the same way they went to school to better them selves you can too. we where all made with a brain so use it.
March 21st, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I am 25 and have been a CNA for about 3 years now. I am currently working part time. I am in the process of going to school for nursing. I felt this career would be a great stepping stone. In many ways it is. It allows you to see first hand the unexpected. Life literally changes before your eyes. You will be amazed at how observant you will become. However, besides how rewarded I feel at the end of the day, I still can’t help but to say, this is one career I do not think I will last much longer in. I feel so disrespected everyday. I can’t say that all nurses are demanding, although there are quite a few who seem to forget how busy you really are. I am more mad at Nursing Home Administrations for not properly staffing these facilities. The law require the bare minimum. These folks in the business office have no idea what a day on “the floor” is like. To adequately care for these residents means you need to spend time with them. You cannot do that running around trying to feed, make sure Ms. Smith does not fall again, clean up someone with super mess in thier diaper, dress, shower, weigh 400 lbs people! The list goes on and on. This times 10-15 residents only alowing 15 minutes each, is abuse on them, and abuse to your body. You only get one. This field will tear your body to peices. No one should do it for more than 5 years. Many long time CNA’s tell me this. Many of them are stuck in their field, but admit that their bodies are in a great deal of pain, from lifting and pulling and walking for 8 hours a day-sometimes 7 days a week if staffing is poor. Please make sure you all use proper body mechanics. Once your back gets hurt, that is it. It will always be tender and volnerable to pain. Sometimes dealing with the families can be worse. Sometimes they have unrealistic expectations. Many of them are dealing with a lot of stress, and a few of them are just plain rude. Many of them expect you to cater to thier loved ones hand and foot all day and dismiss all your other residents. As much as I would love to do that, the demands of this job does not alow it. I have those combative residents, who scream, kick and punch me. I have 12 other bed ridden patients who need me now! And when I have someone on the toilet, I am being paged because someone else needs me now too!. And when you don’t answer call lights fast enough, you could get a Write Up. Now I need eyes in the back of my head. Just great! I seriously don’t get paid enough, It gets me by, but I know I need to change and move along in my nursing career. My body hurts and I am so unappreciated. And the powers that be don’t care enough about the residents to staff more Nurse’s and CNA’s. All these neglect cases come from understaffing. Those falls, and those pressure sores are all blamed on us! But there is not enough of us working at one time to accurately prevent these mishaps. We are both stressed, understaffed and responsible for so much everyday. CNA’s are paid way less and put in much more physical and mental labor. Thats what makes our job harder. But Like I said at the end of the day, it is rewarding. I feel blessed. I don’t regret doing this, and I commend all my fellow CNA’s! We are the greatest. We are the key! Without us, these places couldn’t stay in business! Keep on doing what you do.
April 5th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Respect is something you should give and receive. I have been a cna for 13 years and now a restorative aide. I am abused by all departments daily always asking so much of me because they need help or are too lazy to do the work themselves. Being in upstate NY you worry about the nursing home closing. I worry at times I might end up without a job. I have grown up here, my great grandparents were here in this home. This home is my family yet I get little respect no matter how much I smile or how hard I work. I always ask for help and never demand. Yet I am scrutinized because I bettered myself by becoming a restorative aide and now belonging to a different department. I will keep doing this job though because I get the respect from the residents and that is why I love my job.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:09 am
hey, ive been a cna for over ten years now. nothing have change we get different adminstrators, D O N s even change name of nursing home every other year, for irs or something crooked im sure. we have like thousands of law suits against nursing home some insisdent were one cna was made to work two halls and a lady had laid in her soil all day nurses or course to good to help but then a family member came and report to state then more her out well state did come like 2 1/2 weeks later , nothing happen o they was calling cna s in having 3 to a hall. this is a good profession but the big head make it hard all they want is money and more it is shocking to me that medicaid , medicare insurance dont look into what the or getting jip out of paying for someone care. have you every heard of patients only allow 1 sometime 2 diapers per shift other then that it is on us going into hopper room washing mess out of pads and linings. the patients and resisdent are suffering alone with the cna s while the upper management get richer. im tried of it is there anything i can do or do you know of any union that may help us???????