Rant submitted by “M”:
A common issue as well is the people who are “running” these facilities.
I started as a CNA right out of high school, freshly 18 years old. I was absolutely astonished with how management treated their employees, especially their hardworking employees.
Forcing staff to work 16+ hour shifts without even a heads up. Staff not having the resources and supplies to care for our residents due to management spending the money on THEMSELVES.
Taking in admits who were not qualified to be in a “assisted living”, as it’s only 1 caregiver and 1 medication aide, to 45 residents. We didn’t have any lifts, so staff were constantly getting hurt on the job while lifting residents who were 3x larger than the caregiver themselves.
When we would complain or try to explain these issues we would be told by management that we were “lazy and didn’t want to work” or told “I don’t understand how this person can do it but you can’t?”
Failing to understand that every single patient and every single caregiver is completely different! Staff who called corporate or state were either fired or abused so badly they were forced to quit.
I ultimately was forced to leave after almost 5 years at my company because I couldn’t handle being bullied by adult women any longer.
I spend years wanting to be a nurse and they killed it, they killed my spirit, my dreams and my love for this job.
Our patients/residents deserve so much more. A little bit of compassion and respect truly goes a long way 
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9 Responses
Caregiving can be one of the hardest unthankful jobs. But when your are a caregiver you are a caregiver.
It’s a hard job for sure, “thank yous” would be nice to to hear once in a while…
It’s not just a thankless job, you are literally used and abused on a daily basis. And they use the fact that you care about your job as a way to persuade you to do things that you should never have had to. I was injured twice and both times I was treated horribly when it was not at all my fault and I had been put in a harmful position because they wouldn’t provide the resources I needed to perform the task safely. But of course if I had refused I would’ve been fired and they wouldn’t reported me to the state for neglect and even if I proved otherwise, no one else would hire me. I also had dreams of becoming a nurse but they were destroyed as a CNA.
I hear you! Unfair work standards and bad management are very common, unfortunately 🙁
*Would’ve reported me
CNAs should do more than rant.
Here’s a few suggestions.
1.Create CNAs led union groups.
2. Come up with a manual that standardizes our job
3. Demand a minimum pay 11/2 higher than your state’s minimum wage
No unions, I have had experience with unions, they demand dues and do next to nothing to protect employees. Standardized written job duties is a good start. Report employers for failure to comply with safety standards, maintain written records with itemized examples with dates and times. Be prepared to leave one employer and find another.
Agreed! Also, we need resident to CNA minimum ratios so we don’t have a ridiculous number of residents to care for. Higher reimbursement rates for Medicare/Medicaid patients so higher pay is feasible.
I agree!