Skill: Acute Care (United States)

Our jobs as a CNA are very important to the pateints/residents also to all nurses who appreciate us. I have many certificates through out my life and I am only 28. You would think I would have gone further. My plans for the future, RN. I am stuck working at the lowest paying hospital in this area, literly speaking, I have many years experience and get paid less than $9 an hour CRAZY. That is life! No one to blame but your self. There are schools out there and anyone can do it. I have 6 kids and a loving husband we support each other. Our goal to finish school with in the next 5 years, so we don't feel like a nobody in life when really we are the most important person in nursing. GOOD LUCK to all.

1. If they offer you a bonus, get it in writing.

2. If you're the first person they have hired, since taking over, RUN!

3. If they keep telling you, things will get better, just hang in there, RUN!

4. If they the never keep their promises of training, follow-up meetings, communication, RUN!

5. If management makes excuses for others' unprofessional behavior, RUN!

6. If coworkers have complete disregard for P&P and verbally say they don't care, RUN!

7. If anyone says they are there to just do their job and nothing outside their tasks, RUN! Healthcare is not a solo profession.

8. If your gut says get the hell out, RUN!

9. If you're harassed and management makes excuses, RUN!

10. If a manager witnesses harassment and walks away, RUN!

11. If PCT's and LPN's openly defy your RN opinion and management won't put a stop to it, RUN! Especially, when your RN assessment of the patient and course of treatment saves a life, time and time again, RUN!

12. If management thinks it's only 'fair' to have everyone rotate an after hours job, one which a PCT is qualified to do, and justifies paying an RN's to do it as 'fair.' then complains when you take OT to do what only an RN can do, RUN!

13. When everyone, management, PCT's, LPN's, and other RN's think their jobs are equal to one another, RUN! People are equal, but education, licenses, diplomas, certifications will always create a ladder of authority. A Phd has authority over an RN just as an RN has authority over a PCT. Does the Dr listen to the RN and the RN listen to the PCT, yes. But I would never openly disagree with a Dr in front of a patient and a PCT shouldn't do that with a RN. It's not who's right and who's wrong, it's not about who's better, it's about professionalism, and doing what's right for the patient.

14. If you received your education from an accredited nursing school, never work for a company that will hire nurses educated from a non-accredited school. Your asking for trouble.

I know I made mistakes, punching the time clock on time is not my forte. But the worst one was staying, hoping, trusting. Thinking I could continue to be the best nurse I could be and require the same commitment out of everyone else, was a huge mistake. Especially when your working with people who don't understand what it means to be professional, show confidence, admit they don't know an answer, feel they have to belittle you to make themselves feel better.

In the end I was terminated by a letter sent Federal Express and never allowed to speak or defend myself. Their reasons were based on unsubstantiated accusations of misconduct, from the very same individuals who were known to have harassed me earlier in the year.

As the nurse before me wrote in, tell yourself, remind yourself of all the good things you are.

A. I'm a GOOD PERSON, with a good heart!

B. I'm an excellent nurse and have always been an advocate for my patients and their families.

C. I deserve to be treated fairly, and I am the only person who can stand up for myself.

D. Hold my head high, I have been true to myself, my license, my patients.

I ran into a doctor I had worked with prior to this position and gave him a synopsis of my horrible experience. When the shock of the accusations about me left his face, he said "sounds like a bad case of jealousy to me."

I'm going to start my own campaign and write former co-workers, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, managers and ask them if they could write a letter of recommendation for me. I wish I had asked for that from them throughout my career. It always helps to have the recommendations for future employment, but its also something tangible that I can refer to anytime I doubt myself.

There are good people in this world and they do outnumber the nasty ones. I'm determined this time to find a job from a company that places value in education, knowledge, common sense, humor, professionalism, and has zero tolerance for harassment, selfishness and two-faced talking.

Thank you for reading.

Be confident. If you know your job well this shouldn't be a problem. If you love what you do, let your passion shine through. I guarantee your prospective employer will pick up on it, and they may even mention it. Don't be afraid to show how passionate you are about your career.

No I dont believe that I am being paid fairly because I have been a CNA for 7 years and doing this work for about 9 years. I think I should be paid at least 10.50+ .50 for every year that I have been a CNA.

Like everything else that seems to good to be true, getting promoted can be a trap full of punji stakes. I was promoted from a case manager's position to that of Director of Professional Services on a Wednesday and fired from it the following Friday. While I grant that I am a job jumper, this is ridiculous! I was fired by a social worker who knew NOTHING about the field of nursing and was willing to admit it. The place is now imploding around him. I got a quick lesson in office politics, which I will admit is not anything I am either interested in nor care so to become. I will admit to having made a mistake on a visit to a patients' house, but it was nothing of even a minor nature. I guess the work ethic is out of vogue these days as ethics in general seem to be in the killing pursuit of money and power. I'll know better the next time I am offered any promotions, but doubt that will happen as I am 63 years old, white and a male.

Nursing appears to be a very territorial profession and sadly, many compete for the favor of our doctors. If you ever have a preceptor who takes more smoke breaks than work assignments, ask to be re-assigned (forget about hurt feelings) your livelihood is on the line.

When switching from one department to another; when asked, be carefull how you portray the old department.

I landed the best job ever. I was good at it, enjoyed it, and gave it my fullest potential. Training my self, researching on the internet, and I excelled. It seems that this threatened and made my boss uncomfortable. I was wrongfully terminated. Having all proof of this it did me no good. This devistated me. Knocked me down so hard I couldn't get back up for months. So do you do your absolute best at all times or just what is required. Is it ok to go above and beyond? What ever you decide, be careful. There are others that don't like to see another get ahead, don't appreciate your efforts, and may even hold it against you. Be sure not to step on any toes. Keep records, documentation, all information to protect yourself. Weather it does do you good or not, you will know yourself that you did your best. Don't let anyone tell you that you are incompitent. Show them you are. Be confident but respectful at all times. Don't over step yourself. And biting your tongue can be beneficial to you. It's ok to go home with a feeling of accomplishment from you days work...

i am from other country. i worked in a hospital for 14 months. let me tell you the truth. we had some pca's who are hard working, two of them does not do their job and sit on the computer looking for the next shopping sale and other stuff in the afternoon, after the supervisor leave. so i used to work hard to finish the job, including their job. i got tired of it. one pca leaves the floor to somewhere.And by the end of the day my legs start hurting and i am young. no health problems as such. these people get away with it too. they know how to talk nice and please the managers. i thought i should get paid for both pca work as well as Rn job. but to be honest you and i know that is not going to work. i finally got tired of it and went for night job so i don't have to feed patient 3 times a day which the pca should be doing. i think if all nurses think this way there won't be any nurses during the day. pca will have to do the RN jobs too.

i feel i am being pushed around in my worke place ihave 4 years experince;only make seven dollars seventy three cents /hr while i train new cna's who were hired in starting pay nine seventy five hr. plus, i have being doing four person's job while nurses are sitting playing solitaire on computers and reading love romance books while telling me to check patient's iv pump's. i am tired of being forced to do nurses jobs while they are getting payed big bucks. we are suppose to be a team. fifteen times waking up patient in middle of night to find nothing is wrong with monitors while the nurses are sitting at the desks laughing at me talking about the money they are going to spend.braging about every thing they have. they make me feel like i'm there for them to be there slave. i think the work load should be equal and aids that work as hard as i do derseve better respect.