Comments on: Shift Wars

By: Melissa T

Melissa T — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:49:29 +0000

I experience shift wars where I work. It’s frustrating to see grown people fighting and talking behind each others backs and reporting people over things that could have been resolved too easily by the people involved if only they would have communicated with each other. I feel very blessed where I work. I work on a hall of 16 early stage dementia residents, there are 2 aides (myself and 1 other aide) and 1 nurse(the nurse is split b/t this hall and an assisted living hall of 28). Things don’t get done sometimes, HELP EACH OTHER OUT. Sometimes vitals aren’t done or a room needs to be organized (after the resident has decided that “they are moving today”) or someone wasn’t able to check all the trash cans and dispose of inappropriate waste, things happen. We all need help sometimes and as long as the residents are happy, healthy, clean and dry, it doesn’t matter who gets what done as long as it’s done and we do our best.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:24:23 +0000

Marjie,

Here in Florida the state legislation states that a CNA cannot have over 20 patients. Usually that is what the 3′rd shift (night-shift) gets stuck with. In the facilities that I’ve worked, 2′nd shift (evening-shift) usually has 6 or 7 CNAs to tend to 60 Patients… but I’ve seen lousy facilities have only 3 or 4 much of the time.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:14:27 +0000

Nancy,

You state that you and one other CNA get up 18-20 people every morning and dry six more. In what time frame is this? Two hours? The remaining 14 patients must be continent and take care of themselves I assume?

2 hours = 120 minutes divided by, say, 12 Residents = 10 minutes each at the most.

Less than that if you are answering call-lights, rinsing pads, answering bed-alarms, doing your ADL sheets, checking in one the patients that aren’t incontinent, etc.

I can’t help but wonder if you maybe work for an assisted living facility? If not… are you peri-washing these people with warm water, brushing their teeth and hair, dressing them properly, toileting them?

And you say the you manage very well. Do the patients? How long does it take you to get ready for work?

By: margie dulaney

margie dulaney — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:30:34 +0000

with 28 residents on a hall assigned to you, how many cna’s should be on that hall to work. this is second shift, and most of them are total care?

By: nancy

nancy — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:15:22 +0000

that sounded bad let me correct that we do round every 2 hours 10:00,12:00,2:00,4:00,6:00. but i agree with Erica u think positive it can be positive even though it can be pretty stressful.

By: nancy

nancy — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:10:38 +0000

hi i am a 3rd shift worker me and my partner work 40 ppl all night that 20 apiece we do our rounds at 4:00 and at 5:00 we start getting ppl up we always manage 18 to 20 ppl every morning. we push each other and get it done. by the time we get done we only have 6 to 7 ppl to change. we manage very well. i think the more expereince with the resident u have the faster you go.

By: Erica

Erica — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 22:16:47 +0000

I truely understand the stress and frustration that is caused by working with what everyone thinks is an insufficient amount of help. But on the other hand, it doesn’t help matters when you start complaining about your job, the people you are to be taking care of, and what people expect of you before you even start your shift. There are many times that I walk into work and this is going on, all I want to do is scream!!!! Complaining doesn’t do any good to any one. Most of the time the people who are complaining, are the ones that don’t work any overtime, so it’s merely 8 hours out of their day, and if they would just think of it that way, things would go much better.

By: kim

kim — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 19:17:17 +0000

By the way, usually, 4 of the 6, at least, are continent and will be using the toilet while being washed and dressed…hmm, I truly work as fast as I can and must be missing something because I am told that other aides are able to accomplish this without any problems.

Kim

By: kim

kim — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 05:16:29 +0000

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has an idea about how I can get 6 residents up, washed up, changed, dressed, and in the dining room, between 7am and 8?

I need to be able to accomplish this in order to keep my job.

Kim

By: christina

christina — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:45:06 +0000

i have worked the whole building before and i did the best i could and made sure my residents were dry and clean