-Hi
Wow, I hope that things get settled for you. I work in a hospital
and I am burned out right now. We are going thru a budget cut due to
getting a new building next year. I have 21-23 patients to myself
most of the time. There is not as much lifting but we have patients
that need to be turned every 2 hours, wear briefs etc.. Working
there used to be good, right now it is going on the down side and it
looks like it will stay this way.

-- In nursingassistantsonly@yahoogroups.com, "rabbit41749"
<rabbit41749@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I am new to this club. I've been a CNA since around 1989. At the
> present time I am working FullTime at a Nursing Home that I have
been
> at since 1992 (I think)>LOL. I also work at a Hospital FullTime
as
> well. I've been working FullTime at both jobs since Aug of 2005. I
> plan on dropping down to PRN at the Nursing Home in the next
couple
> of months.
> Nursing Home's are back breaking jobs, that is the main reason I
am
> having to leave my FullTime postion at the Nursing Home.
Hospital's
> are more fast paced 'at times' and alot easier on your back.
> I am also a Certified Medical Tech, Ward Clerk, Telemetry Tech,
> Surgical Tech, and I guess I had better not leave out that I got
> Certified a few years ago as a Pet Groomer....though I'd pick that
up
> for a back up job for when I got burned out of nursing...LOL.
> I'd love to hear from others about your job duties where your
work.
> Example, if you are working in a Nursing Home then how many
patients
> do you normally have on a shift. Do you work short staffed at
times,
> or most of the time may I add... The Nursing Home that I work in I
> have 10 Patients 'myself' and my Partner has 10, we have a Policy
> that we have to work in teams so that makes the two of us having
20
> patients. If my partner calls in and they don't replace her then I
am
> stuck having the 20 patients myself. That is on the 3/11 shift. We
> have around 7 Patients to shower each day, not counting having to
get
> so many up for the Dining Room or to eat, then having to lay them
all
> back down. And then there's your normal complaining family's that
> seem like their Mother or Father is the only patient in the
Nursing
> Home.... (Do I sound like I am Burned Out)....LOL... It's because
I
> am. I am tired of working my Butt off for Low Wages. No Respect
> unless it's one of those 'Rare' Nurse's that you can't hardly find
> that lets you know that they know how hard your job is. Some of
the
> Nurse's that I work with like to yell, demand, and threaten to
write
> up the staff every time you turn around, I can see writing someone
up
> over something that is deserved, but these CNA's are normally
working
> short staffed and going in a non-stop run, and some of the Nurse's
> that I work with gets in an up roar if someone left a wash cloth
by
> accident in the sink (for an example)....then they threaten to
write
> up that CNA and that's all they dwell on the entire shift, is so
and
> so left a wash cloth in the sink.....
> I guess they don't stop and think about (John Does) feeding pump
> beeping for the past two hours where it either has an empty bottle
of
> milk hanging, or where it has been stopped up and to where the
CNA's
> have to change the bed three to four times within 2 hrs. And you
have
> complained and complained to the Nurse that this guys pump has
been
> either empty or the tube is stopped up.
> I could probably sit down and start a book on the place I work
> at...LOL.
> But I'm almost out of there. I know some that may be reading
this
> may be saying 'well why don't you just go ahead and quit right
> now'...well there's a long story behind that, first of all I have
> been there so long that my patients have become my family, and
vice
> versa, it's very hard to leave patients that you have taken care
of
> for around 15 years, it's taken me this long to finally decide to
> leave the Nursing Home and stay with the Hospital FullTime. Second
> thing is that in 2004 I had hurt my back at the Nursing Home. I
was
> working and taking care of 20 patients by myself, my partner had
> called in and I was stuck with all 20... There was 4 other CNA's
on
> the Floor besides me and each CNA only had 5 patients each, I had
> asked that the patients be split up evenly so I wouldn't have so
many
> myself, but I was told by 'administration' the answer was No...so
> while I was working I was changing a patient that weighed over 300
> pounds while she was in the bed, I looked out the patients door
for
> help but there was nobody, two had went on their supper break and
the
> other two were out the side door taking an illegal smoke break, so
I
> was the only one on the floor, so I went ahead and started
changing
> the patient since she was in a mess, to make a long story short, I
> hurt my back on her, had to leave the Nursing Home and go straight
to
> the ER, was taken off from work for around 9 months, had almost
100
> treatments of PT, had MRI's down, then pain mangment. In other
words,
> I'm on Pain Meds and I can't live with them due to feeling like my
> back is about to break in half. I had messed up disc from the back
of
> my neck to my L4/L5 Lower Lumbar. Workers Comp did pretty good
about
> paying me for being off from work, but as far as medical went, I
> didn't have much medical at all, then went I went back to work,
which
> I begged my Doc to let me go back, Workers Comp then deciced to
stop
> paying for all my meds, medical care, etc, they wouldn't even
return
> my phone calls when I'd call and leave them a message that I
needed
> to get my meds refilled, what they didn't know is that I had an
> attorney 1 month after I got hurt, but I didn't tell Workers Comp
or
> anyone that I had an Attorney, and my Attorney told me that as
long
> as Workers Comp was doing good about paying me for being off from
> work then he'd just stay in the side lines and not make an
appearence
> until I told him so. Well I finally told him to file the claim,
which
> he did. The Nursing Home later got a letter from my Attorney
stating
> that I was sueing the Nursing Home (it's really Workers Comp I am
> sueing but they have to address it to your Work Place).... The
> Nursing Home was very shocked that I filed a suit, but hey, it's
my
> back and I'm sure it if was someone in Administration then they'd
do
> the same thing. I've already been to all the Doc's that my
attorney
> and Workers Comp attoneys have sent me to, now I am waiting on my
> Court Date in June of 06'.... the court date is a settlement
hearing,
> if things go right then I will be quitting the Nursing Home after
my
> Settlement hearing is over.
> Well now that I have vented I do feel alot better. I hope I
didn't
> make alot fall asleep reading all this...LOL.
> I'll check back often.
> Rabitt41749@...
>