Negative Aides Are Like a Virus
Posted by Patti on February 27th, 2007 / 
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One reason why so many CNA’s hate their jobs is working with others who have attitudes that drag us down.
Kevincity is such a CNA:
Wow, ladies and gents, witness an example of the spin that the sucker-ups to the status quo can put on the true facts. Just when one thinks that this extravagant liar is finally gonna stick up for her own, she hops on her high horse to defend tyranny and run roughshod over us.
This is what he left as a comment to my post about Keeping Unions Out.
Sweet.
You know, no matter how hard one tries, people like Kevin will always be ready and more than willing to knock down ANY effort to make things better. People like Kevin are determined to undermine those who actually like this work, and who chose to stay in the field for a long time. Kevin assumes that people who are long term employees in this field survive this work by kissing up to the bosses. He’s wrong. And he’s a negative influence to everyone around him.
I am very hurt by his comment, and have put him on notice: He needs to start being a part of the solution instead of being a part of the problem. Of course I realize he doesn’t see himself as a problem; he sees aides like me as THE problem. I’ve been doing this work for a lot longer than he has, I have much more experience and I’m 100% sure I have seen much worse than he has. I don’t think Kevin has done anything except stir the pot. And for that I have banned him from my site. I have enough to deal with at work- the good and the bad. I don’t need his negativity here.
I’ve worked in the worst nursing homes in my area. I’ve been assigned to 35 residents by myself. I’ve been forced to stay over and work extra shifts, many times. I’ve seen neglect and abuse, and felt the impact of reporting these things. I’ve been under the fire of management who tries to cover up the neglect. I have been accused of not being a “company aide”. I’ve seen ass kissers get away with the worst care. And I’ve been hurt on the job and lost out on pay and benefits because management decided I needed to come back to work before my doctor said it was safe.
I worked for an assisted living home where a demented resident eloped in the middle of the winter, who fell down and froze to death. And wasn’t found until the next day. I have met with my state ombudsman when reporting incidences of abuse and cover ups. And I’ve lost some jobs because of this. I witnessed nurses hitting residents and withholding medications. I’ve seen a DON remove drugs from the med cart and swallow them. And I’ve been threatened to not tell anyone…as I got on the phone and called the police and the Board of Nursing.
I’ve seen more than my fair share of Nazi nurses torment good aides. Yell at them. Make unreasonable demands of them. Give them the worst assignments. And I’ve spoken up to them in their faces and demanded they be fair.
I’ve done CPR on residents who are found not breathing. I’ve removed them from their wheelchairs as they have passed out during a choking event; I’ve picked up bloodied and beaten old ladies who were the object of a combative male resident. I’e walked into dining rooms to see dozens of residents slumped over at the tables, waiting to be fed. And I’ve asked the nurses and administrator and others to help me out because I’m the only aide working.
I’ve testified before Congress on issues. I met Senators Grassley and Kennedy in Washington, to discuss wage pass thru laws and mandated ratios. I’ve attended the National Citizens Coalition For Nursing Home Reform’s yearly conferences and met many wonderful people. I’ve communicated extensively with leaders of the National Clearing House of Direct Care workers; I’ve also helped out with The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
I’ve written articles for the now defunct Nursing Assistant Journal. I’ve been asked to help with books authored by Barbara Acello- the author who writes CNA educational books. I’ve met Jeni Gibson and attended her trainings on how to be an effective change agent. I’m a member of the big CNA groups. I do a lot for my fellow CNA’s. THIS site alone has been around in various forms since 1997. I’ve come to realize through my experiences that alone, CNA’s cannot change their work. But working with others, including those who have a vested interest in our work, will be far more effective. This means management. And families.
If this makes me a BAD aide, than so be it. One doesn’t have to have a dark cloud hanging over them to be a GOOD aide.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:23 am
Awe Patti don\’t sweat the small stuff. You\\\’re not the bad aide in all this. You\\\’ve done a lot and you should make that clear more often. I didn\\\’t know you had been through all this. You\\\’re the kind of aide I want to work with!
Kevin isn\\\’t the bad guy either. He just has no incentive to make things better. From his messages at the forum andnow here, he has every incentive to be negative. Look at the attention he is drawing to himself! Negative isn\\\’t BAD, but it does take the argument away from the real issues we face. Kevin is not helpful in this.
Patti don\\\’t get caught up in this game.
February 27th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Funny Kevin…the first part of the Keeping Unions Out posts that I wrote here you were pleased of. I think your words were:
“Now, this was an excellent piece.”
Nothing else. The others who commented had thoughts, stories, ideas. You offered nothing to the debate. The article I wrote was intended to be a little negative, to get people thinking. And other than you, they did think. People who think and have ideas are your enemy, Kevin. They make you look the petty fool that you are.
Patti is correct when she calls you a coward, because YOU chose to hide behind screenames and YOU run from IP proxy to IP proxy attempting to leave your negative comments here. Keep on hiding too- we’re watching every move you make and banning every IP footprint you leave. And we are saving every attempted comment and all the info from it. Keep it up. It gives us lots of evidence.
You’re given notice:
If you continue we will report all this info to your real ISP and file a harassment charge against you. Consider this a warning to cease to desist with your attacks.
IF you decide to be a real man, and enter these debates with some honest thinking, you will be more than welcome here. Stop being a coward and start using your head. The attention you get will be more useful and effective. Channel your negativity into something better.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Theres 2 different kinds of people.
Those who see the glass half empty and those who see it half full. So the old saying goes.
Each can bring valid points to the table. But they both have to be respectful of the others views.
Patti is not an \”extravagant liar\” as Kevin claims, based on what I don\’t see here…nor do I see her sticking up for \”her own\” which again Kevin doesn\’t make clear what he\’s talking about.
Kevin I\’ve read your stuff over at the forum and you do come across as though you have little to no interest in even tryng to work with others. You do sound as though you\’re happy to see others unhappy. You have identified problems. But you never speak about what to do with them. you can\’t be a member of a healthy team when all you do is complain.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I shold have read the entire comments from the post before commenting on this.
Kevin you need to get out of this work. It’s going to kill you. You need to learn how to deal with anger and how to work with people. I feel sorry for you but you bring on alot of your own problems.
February 27th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I do not agree with kevin saying these things in the way he did however, it’s funny how you guys get just as angry as he just because he does not have the same opinion as you. There is nothing wrong with a different point of view. If there were no Kevins in this world then there would not be anyone to point out the issues and say what others are afraid to, if it’s the truth and a lot of Kevins opinions are the truth. I’m sure he can come up with solutions but would it do any good? Some people in this world are here to point out what is wrong and then the others to figure it all out. Of coarse what he said about Patti was very disrespectful and there was no reason for it. But you have to take the good with the bad from everyone, no one is perfect nor will we ever have all the answers contrary to what some of you believe.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Thank you for your comment Carmen. You are a breath of fresh air here with your thoughts. And you’re right with most of what you say. No one has issue with what is being complained about; its the lack of any other ideas that is bothersome. I work with people who are negative, and it has a BIG effect on morale and staff’s ability to just get the work done. So I think workplace negativity is a problem and so does Patti. Misery spreads. Like a virus. And it can kill the best meaning people’s will to do better. Like you said, WHY BOTHER?? is the attitude we CANNOT afford to allow to spread. If we do, we’re doomed to what we have.
February 28th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I agree for some people it is hard to work with negative aids and does bring moral down but here is a suggestion and it is going to take a lot of pride swallowing to do. Make yourself an example to other CNA’s and learn from the negativity instead of fighting and trying to attack it. Put a smile on your face and listen to what negativity says then change the subject. Take what you can and disregard the rest. What a wonderful example you will be to the other aids. However, if Kevin wants to talk about the issues that are hurting us, I feel he has a right to do so. But… and I mean BUT, there should not be name calling from either side. If you feel his level is so low then why do you stoop.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Carmen I do smile
- and try to be sensitive to negative co workers concerns and, I ask them questions and offer suggestions. Almost all the issues are fact, too. It makes for a very long shift (or two) though to hear it non stop, never ending. To watch it as it spreads- from one aide to the next; before you know it there are groups who are just not worth their weight in thousand dollar bills to work with. Because they spend way too much time pointing out everyone else’s faults and not being able to see their own.
February 28th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Thanks for your thoughts Carmen.
I guess I need to explain why I reacted the way I did…
First off, I wrote a post about ways to AVOID UNIONS. In such, my effort was based on making nursing homes better workplaces, through ideas and a link to a site that offered more ideas.
Many comments came in for this post. A few from a nursing home administrator, who has his own blog and who has posted stuff from this site…promoting some of the ideas as GOOD things he is doing at his nursing home. WOW. That’s impressive- that a NHA would take things we lowly aides discuss HERE and put them to work at his facility is. just. awesome.
For this:
I was attacked and called a liar. A sucker up. A defender of tyranny. How sweet is this?
It made no sense at first. But after I thought about it, sense it did make for the person involved.
It seems that unless you’re a nay sayer, a doomsday person, you don’t offer a valid viewpoint. You’re an ass kisser just for trying to offer up something better. You’re a liar because of what I could not determine…
You defend tyranny because you don’t go with the flow of being a negative whiner who just wants to stir the pot. When you actually do something GOOD and POSITIVE YOU’RE the worst person in the world of the negative whiner. You become their enemy. You threaten their clout. Their self perceived importance. You harmed their ego.
They basically say we’re traitors to the cause.
Who’s CAUSE is my question.
Not mine. Bitching and complaining is fine so long as you use that in a positive way.
I chose to take the other road.
One doesn’t have to be a pro union, anti management aide to be a good, NO, an EXCELLENT aide (of which I am, proudly). One doesn’t have to have ideas and solutions, but if you chose to be that person, you chose to live with what you have.
As for cowards: They exist in every workplace. They are easy to recognize: They stir the pot. They bitch. They whine. They are very negative. They have huge ego. They don’t like others who rely on their own self confidence to get the work done. They avoid management. They hate bosses. They hate customers (family). ANd they do much of their damage behind the scenes in resident rooms where they talk and stew and carry on…they’re not good people to have on the payroll.
I’m going to write an article about how negativity effects the workplace- spec. nursing homes.
I’ve come to closure on this topic though. We have more work to do. A lot more.
Thank you for coming by and sharing your honest and very well put points. I appreciate your honesty Carmen.
March 1st, 2007 at 9:06 am
I concur. Keep up the good work Patti and Kim.