CNAs? Lazy, Stupid? A Life Unused? I Don’t Think So!

By K. Jacqueline Pollock

The late former Florida State University Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden said “Don’t go to the grave with life unused.” There’s a country song “Holdin’ on to Something that Keeps Lettin’ Me Go” (both Jeff Carson & John Michael Montgomery did a version of that song and that’s the song’s title too). Regular readers of this column know that I am in the healthcare field full-time and work with a Community Radio Station as the Marketing & Special Events Director as well. Right now you’re wondering where are you going with this, Jacqueline? Well, I never write about my professional healthcare experiences, HIPPA and all that rot you understand, because well who wants to hear from a 16 year off and on Certified Nursing Assistant? Probably no one, but now you’re going to hear from one. Oh and a side note, I’ve been a professional driver before too. I begin being trained on tractor-trailers AND have driven Paratransit and School Bus for employment.

CNAs are treated as if we’re nothing more than glorified butt wipers, babysitters, adult daycare employees, and more. That’s not true. We have to be trained, we have to be certified, we have to learn new procedures, we have to learn new ways of doing our jobs. Professional Drivers are treated as if we’re idiots that only drive big vehicles and really don’t need to know anything or be smart at all. We have to learn drive something that’s way larger than a car, pickup, or minivan, and we have to have specific skills tests such as Pre-Trip Inspection testing, Air Brake Testing, and more.

Right about now you’re thinking, "Okay, Jacqueline, get to the point!" Here’s the point those jobs you think are for “stupid & uneducated people, who are too lazy to do anything else” are usually the backbone of their professions. CNAs are the backbone of the nursing field and professional drivers are the backbone of the transportation industry. Neither get any love, except from young children, and disdain from adults.

A lot of times when your Senior loved one moves into a Long-Term Care Facility, they’re lonely, they’re scared, they’re going through a lot of emotions including the emotions that are usually associated with mourning loss: anger, acceptance, bargaining, depression (not in complete order). Professional Drivers live a lonely existence, especially if they can’t take a pet, their spouse/partner/significant other with them every once in a while.

Today, I’m talking about Certified Nursing Assistants (also known as CNAs). CNAS are there for your loved one when no one else is; they hold their hand, they cry with them, they assist them with a lot of their activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, eating, walking, going to the bathroom, changing soiled disposable underwear. CNAs talk to them (at least I do), they try to get to know them (again at least I do). We do the dirty jobs that LPNs & RNs don’t want to do and some will say “Go ask the CNA!” or “Go tell the CNA” or my favorite “Let me get the CNA she/he yes there are male CNAs in a female dominated profession folks. Before I forget, "Hey Mike Rowe, are you listening?" 

Anyway, CNAs go through classroom & clinical training. Back in 2005 when I originally became a CNA it was a minimum requirement of 85 hours of training and California had the most required hours of training at 105. I understand today that the minimum requirement of training hours is 75 classroom and clinical AND Oregon has the most required hours of 155. A lot of the skills we learn in the classroom like taking vital signs, usually Blood Pressure, Temperature, Pulse Rate (how much your heart is beating per minute), and Respiration Rate (how many breaths you take per minute), making beds “hospital style,” and more gives you the basic training to do the job. 

However, it never teaches you how to avoid such pitfalls as: a favorite patient/resident passing away (oh you’re always told “Never get attached” sorry you’re getting attached because you learn about them, they become like family, even those who don’t have any family left), dealing with an agitated resident/patient (think about how you’re feeling when you’re hurting and not feeling well at all), and more. It doesn’t teach you how to deal with the modern generations (if you’re over a certain age you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about), it doesn’t teach you how to deal with the Director of Nursing’s/Floor Manager’s/Floor Supervisor’s pets that brown nose all the time.

CNAs are more stressed out than Nurses, Doctors, Physical Therapists, well anybody in the medical field because we’re treated like we’re idiots and second class citizens. Sorry we’re not; we’re on the front lines.  We are the NCOs of the medical field while all the Senior NCOs, Junior Officers, Mid-grade Officers, and Senior Officers are “shining a seat with their ass” dictating to us HOW we’re going to do something. When in reality they’re just spouting off, threatening you with being written up because they don’t like something you did, male CNAs fearing the female CNAs turning them in for garbage they had no idea about and female CNAs being catty, bitching, and moaning about stuff that’s none of their business and yet make it their business.

To talk about my own personal experience I do have to tell you for those who don’t personally know me I am six feet tall, obese, with a husky voice & a bad hormonal imbalance that causes me to take hormone medications. I get called he/him, sir, etc., and I’m a woman for crying out loud. Assumptions are made about me and I get treated like I’m the most worthless CNA in the world by other employees. Yet a resident of the facility I currently work in told me this: 

“(she named five other residents) and I think you’re one of the very best ones here you (and insert them two co-workers’ names this resident mentioned here). If you ever leave or get fired we’ll be extremely sorry to see you go. You take time with us, you talk to us, and you treat us like we’re grown people and respect us for our ages, you do not treat us like imbeciles, idiots, or morons.” 

 So you think that CNAs aren’t stressed, overworked, & underpaid? Think we’re glorified butt wipers and glorified babysitters? Think we don’t deserve to be treated as professionals? Think we’re nothing more than “stupid, lazy people?” Think that we’re worthless? Think again, because we’re NOT! 

Even after sixteen years I’m thinking about walking away from the field, doing something else, quit “holdin’ on to somethin’ that keeps lettin’ me go” because I want to make sure, that I, like Coach Bowden said “don’t go to the grave with a life unused.”

CNA Training Source: http://phinational.org/advocacy/nurse-aide-training-requirements-state-2016/

K. Jacqueline Pollock is a frequent guest author for The Thriving Artist.  She currently resides in Macomb, Illinois with her three kitties and works as a CNA, while volunteering at her local radio station.