Another job story
#77357 - 06/08/04 07:58 PM
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BarbaraS
Reged: 02/12/03
Posts: 1939
Loc: Wisconsin
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I got my performance review one and half weeks ago, which was already a month late. My probation has been extended for two more months and I'm NOT being nailed for my quality of work. Matter of fact quality of my work, communciation skills and realiblity are fine.
I work as a CNA for a nursing home.
I was nailed for the quanity of work
Not staying on one task at a time
Not a team member (I work with girls who have their own cliques and perfer to work with each other. I wish the girls would tell me to my face they don't want me on their unit.)
I haven't been able to seperate the emotions and the physical needs of the residents. An RN wrote this, "She needs to finish the residents physical needs first and than when there is time she can meet their emotional needs".
This was a shock and there were no examples given to me. I typed a one and half page response to my review and hoping for a reply tomorrow at work.
Working as a CNA is start of a nursing career for me and most of the girls I work with view their job as "just a job". I am an emotional person and I love to take care of people and help when I can. When a resident is crying it is hard to walk past him/her without wanting to give them a hug. According to my review this can be done when physcial needs are met.
Tell me how to stick to one task at a time, because I don't know how to do it. I became a multi-task person after having my third boy in less than four years. It is diffcult to stick to one task at a time when 8 people want you at the same time.
To top it off a few days later I got injured by a resident and it really angers me this residents has more rights than me. She was trying to bite and hit - very combative!!! I got another CNA and a nurse to help me, but we were not allowed to restrain her. She strached my right arm and broke skin. She really freaked durning the night and was shipped out to never to return. It took injuring a handful of CNA's before she was kicked out. What really ticked us off we (CNA's) were never informed she was a combative resident.
Sorry for the long post, but I am seriously walking away from nusing. I have an appt. on the 29th at another school to talk about the Speech Language Pathology program.
Thanks for reading this long post.
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What a terrible day! I'm sorry for the negative feedback. That's really hard when you work hard to do a good job.
Try not to let it getcha down. Before you walk away from nursing, maybe a different facility would be a better fit?
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Christine
Those who can do; those who want it done better teach.
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I've talked to a bunch of nurses and unfortunately they say the cliques and 'eating their young' is alive and well in many different areas of nursing. HOWEVER, most of the nurses that I have talked to find it a very rewarding career after they get through intial BS.
What's the difference between a nursing home nurse and a pit bull?
The pit bull doesn't wear lipstick 
Hang in there Barb, I'm sure you'll do fine.
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Hi Barb-
I only made it 6 months as a CNA because of the cliques. I would end up crying and not being able to finish the work because the other CNA's were very evil to the new people. I wanted to help people not work really fast to have another break. It is very disheartening. On the plus side - during a recent hospital stay the nursing staff and the CNA's were wonderful to me. I saw a side of nursing I never thought was there. Great compassion. Don't let a few selfish people bring you down. If you care about people and helping them you will be great in the nursing field and we need more like you.
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Peace,
Tammy
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Now I can't even remember what cartoon that's from.. oy. Anyway..
I am so sorry you are having problems with your job, and that you aren't working with people you get on with very well. I don't know a lot about nursing, but I know what it's like to work in a job where everyone else pairs off or forms their own little groups and excludes you. Actually, my best friend is in nursing school right now and now that I think about it, she had the same complaint about cliques. Because they had to form groups, she was with girls for working but they never included her in anything. I remember one day she came home crying because they'd all be talking about going out for one of the girl's birthdays right in front of her, and never invited her along. I do feel for you, it's hard to work like that.
As for your performance review (or whatever they call 'em), I totally understand your frustration. I used to work at a job that has specific targets, timings, and everything and a lot of them were completely impractical for you to do your job well. It's more about efficiency, than actually doing a job properly it seems.
I think it is ridiculous that they have given you grief about trying to support patient's needs.. How many doctors and nurses have I seen (has probably everyone on this board seen!) who don't offer me any communication, or understanding.. I thought it was a character flaw, I didn't realise they were taught to be like that!
I am really irritated for you, I hope you can sort things out. And good for you for making a formal reply, I find I usually just nod my head and complain about it later on my own.
Good luck, don't let it get you too down!
--Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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Oh, man
#77389 - 06/09/04 04:12 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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i really am sorry you are going through this. i was thinking about you the other day, wondering how things were going.
it's terrible to be in a workplace where there are clicks like that! and i think it's terrible that you're being penalized for caring for you patients' emotional needs as well as their physical ones. but that's as a CNA- are the pressures the exact same with nursing? are all facilities the same? do you HAVE to be at that particular facility for your training, or could you switch somewhere else and give that a shot?
well, you know yourself and your environment best. if you think it's not for you and you want to try speech path, good luck! that's an excellent field. my sis-in-law is a speech pathologist and LOVES it.
hang in there. you'll find the right fit soon.
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Thanks for all your encouragement. Love the joke Jamie!! 
I pick this facility, because my tution will be paid for 100% and my goal is to work at the hospital as a CNA. Thanks to the review that will not happen for awhile and my tution will not be paid for until I'm off of probation. I have to pay tution next month for the Fall semester.
You all are right about checking out other facilities and I applied at the other hospital in town. For now I am waiting for an opening at their Nursing Home and I will be granted an interview.
Yes nusing can be a rewarding field, but not easy to overcome the cliques. Cliques are a problem with nurses too and it blows my mind that they are in a field to care for sick people, but they can be mean to their co-workers. I realize not all nurses are mean and maybe I need to become more "thick skin" to survive.
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"thick skin"
#77472 - 06/09/04 08:31 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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well, if you figure that one out, let me know. i could use a little of that, myself!
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