CNA Job Issues

Certified Nursing Assistants serve as an important link between the patients and the doctors as well as senior nurses like the Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). CNAs come in direct contact with the patients and they are responsible for helping the patients in their daily tasks such as bathing, feeding, dressing and moving the patients. However, there are many CNA job issues and difficulties experienced by CNAs on duty.

One such job issue for CNAs is the compensation they receive in return of the duties they perform. CNAs may be paid on an hourly basis and this rate varies from state to state. The average pay scale for CNAs can range from $8 to $14 every hour. CNAs are now urging for raising this pay.

CNAs are now forming and participating in unions to stress the fact that they are not compensated well enough for their duties. The pay given to CNAs does not provide for the risks that the CNAs bear in the medical profession. In the healthcare or medical profession, the CNAs are dealing with lives of patients and cannot afford to do any kind of mistakes. Hence, the CNAs have to be very careful while taking care of the patients. This in turn increase the work load on the CNAs, and they have to always be on their toes to assist the patients, but they are not compensated well for the same.

CNAs believe that the pay that they receive cannot be sufficient for providing for their needs as well as the requirements of their families. CNAs sometimes have to stay up nights and let go of weekends and holidays to be by the side of the patients; but in return they do not receive enough pay. CNAs feel that they deserve more than what they get. This is one of the CNA job issues that the administration should take into consideration.

CNA Job Issues 

Horizontal Harassment: It is often seen that when new CNAs join a particular healthcare facility, then the other experienced CNAs generally tend to look down upon them. The experienced CNAs also allot unpleasant tasks to the new CNAs which can be very demotivating. This is known as horizontal harassment. This behavior of the experienced CNAs towards the new CNAs lasts till the new CNAs gain sufficient skills and experience so that they are confident enough to face the experienced CNAs. Once they gain the confidence of the experienced CNAs, things get better. However, this kind of behavior should not be encouraged as it leads to lower motivational levels and decrease in confidence of the new CNAs.

Vertical Harassment: Vertical harassment is also one of the major CNA job issues. This means that the seniors or the individuals up the hierarchy constitute unjustified behavior to the juniors in the healthcare facility. There may be incidences of verbal abuse or backstabbing. At times, there are also chances of political maneuvering by the seniors in the healthcare facility. This can have an adverse effect on the minds of the CNAs and needs to be taken care of on an immediate basis.

Helplessness: Majority of the times when CNAs seek help from the top authorities, they are advised to toughen up and handle the problems on their own. This leads to helplessness and can negatively impact the working patterns of the CNAs as they do not have anybody to really solve the problems faced by them.

How to Solve the CNA Job Issues? 

The CNA job issues need to be handled by the administration as well as by the CNAs themselves. The administration needs to understand that the CNAs constitute an important part of the medical or healthcare industry and they need to be paid well for the duties that they carry out.

CNAs, on the other hand can brush up their team building and communication skills so that they can effectively interact with their coworkers which will in turn bridge the gap between them. CNAs can also look around to making a couple of good friends in the healthcare facility that they are working in so that they can share their problems and eventually solve them in a proper manner. CNAs need to stay calm and be tough to handle difficult situations so that there in no negative impact on their work performance.

It is also important that the doctors as well as the senior nurses are supportive towards the new CNAs who have joined the healthcare facility. The doctors and nurses need to guide the CNAs properly so that the CNAs can develop all the necessary skills to be successful in the nursing field.

By following all these measures. CNAs can handle the job issues. However, if the problems still persist then it's best that the CNAs notify the authorities and get the problems solved at the earliest possible so that it does not hamper their career.