The 7 Habits of Highly Effective CNA’s
Posted by Kim on April 3rd, 2008 / 
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For years I have seen the books and articles titled, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People…so I thought I would come up with a list for CNA’s.
1) She is proactive. Proactive CNA’s use their resourcefulness and initiative to find solutions rather than just reporting problems and waiting for other people to solve them.
2) She has a personal mission statement. This is based upon personal morals and values- and it is almost always used as a stepping stone to make choices and decisions.
3) She knows how to balance her time between residents/patients. The CNA can set priorities based upon residents’ medical needs vs. non-medical wants. She recognizes when a needy resident truly requires some TLC and when something else is going on.
4) She isn’t interested in being in CONTROL. The CNA seeks a win/win relationship with her residents, but realizes this isn’t always possible. She will go out of her way to allow the resident to maintain control with as many choices as possible. The resident’s dignity and individuality is always respected.
5) She listens to her residents. And uses effective communication skills to make sure she understands what is being said. The CNA knows some times a resident doesn’t understand her, so she goes out of her way to make sure she is understood.
6) She works WITH the resident to overcome conflicts and misunderstandings. Instead of being defensive, the CNA will admit to her faults in the problem, and will seek to improve and correct these issues.
7) She knows when to step away. She knows she’s getting burnt out and is in need of a vacation, or a change in assignment.
Do you know other habits of highly effective CNA’s? Please share them in the comments section.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Hi I am currently taking CNA classes and members of my family keep telling me I will not like that work and the Nurses are real rude to the CNAs. quit frankly it is making want to almost quit. I chose to be in the medical field becuse I love people. I want to make a diffrence in there lives. so any advise would be appriciated.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Hey Brandie I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Wherever you go to work you are going to encounter people that are rude. Being a CNA myself I can see where you are coming from but like you said you want to make a difference in their lives and you are so who’s going to make a difference in their life if you don’t, not those rude nurses of course. I would just try to avoid them or if you absolutely can’t stand it there apply somewhere else.http://nursingassistants.net/wp-images/smilies/icon_lol.gif
http://nursingassistants.net/wp-images/smilies/icon_lol.gif
April 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I agree with amanda. The bottom line is that unless you are a lighthouse keeper, you will encounter rude people. Furthermore, my personal experience is that most of the nurses treat you well if you are hard-working. It’s the slackers that get treated poorly.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Brandie not all nurses treat the aides poorly; there are some that do and you have to learn to develop a thick skin in these instances. Trust me- you wouldn’t be the only aide on the list. When a nurse doesn’t respect AN aide, they usually don’t respect ANY aide.
Co worker relations can be more challenging though. I have found more trouble in this area than with the nurses.
April 12th, 2008 at 3:47 am
Brandie, I hope you have a choice of nursing homes to work at. My advice is to shop around. Look for a nursing home that trains new CNAs for at least a week. Even though certification training classes are great, you really learn the job once you get there. If you love to help people, they will respond. Coworkers and nurses can be mean, but they can also be great and supportive. Coworkers will see you are a good worker by how you work with the residents and how well you fit in with the way they do things. Look for a place that lets you get to know the residents by taking care of the same residents. That makes knowing how to take care of them easier. Your coworkers should be able to get together and decide how often you want to switch assignments. And, if you are assigned to a unit and it doesn’t feel right (you are not getting along with coworkers, or you don’t like working with rehab patients, for example) ask to switch units or shifts if you can. Good luck, there are good jobs out there.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Behind every good nurse is a great CNA! This comes fron an RN. The CNAs are the eyes and ears of the facility. You are the frontline of care. If you work as a patient care expert and truly as a pt advocate informing and working inconjunction with the nurse…she will respect you. I don’t have a very good job if the CNAs don’t work with me. CNAs will only work “with” me if we have MUTUAL respect. Just be a certified nurse assistant and no a job holder. Best of luck in the field. Lauree RN