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Working the night shift as a CNA, at a Long-Term Care Facility, with 25 patients to take care of at night, you might very well have to wait, at times, 20-30 minutes for your call light to be answered, and longer if there's a Blue Code somewhere in the building.
And your lazy nurse, on her Smartphone, she can't answer your call light?
What does a Code Blue have to do with a CNA. I know someone who was a CNA and all they did was change diapers, clean bed pans and bathe residents. They had nothing to do with medical emergencies.
I've been in healthcare for 6 years and no matter where I have worked or applied to, there has always been a shortage of employees. Even in big hospitals , like ones in DC and Baltimore, where I live, there are hundreds of job openings throughout the year. Is healthcare just too challenging for most people? I actually got into healthcare because the job I applied to was willing to pay me for my training, which is a growing trend for some healthcare professions. Is it a field most Americans just don't have an interest in?
Rn for 24 yrs here (but I haven't worked in hospitals since 2005 to care for disabled son).
It was an "inside joke" on the last floor I worked on (Surgical/Trauma in a city-owned hospital) that if things kept going the way they were, we were going to all put in for a transfer to the city transportation department...
This started after the son of one of the nurses got a job with said department & we discovered that he was making almost as much as we were to stand int the road with a "SLOW" sign.
It's shameful, really but sometimes you have to find a way to laugh so you don't break down & cry.
The "Party" is coming to an end, we just don't know when. With Medicare/Medicaid eating up a big chunk of our federal budget, and headed for $20 trillion in debt, some serious cutbacks are on the horizon. Following Canada with a nationwide Physician-Assisted Suicide Law for starters.
I read in The Economist that in England, to help save their National Health system, they're training CNA's to pass meds and do wound care.
I'm surprised it's taken so long to figure out that CNA's can be trained, onsite, to do much of what a nurse can do.
When I worked for a Corporation as a senior accounting clerk for 10 years, when there were major layoffs, those accountants with 4-year degrees became more disposable, knowing full well the clerks could be trained to do much of the work accountants were doing.
Due to my computer skills, I replaced 2 accountants, but, as you well know, I never got any increase in pay, barely a thank-you!
Why couldn't that work, as a parallel, in the healthcare industry?
I see your point, however, a CNA has not gone through extensive schooling on how to assess for side effects of said meds, sterile procedure of wound care, etc. I don't see that happening here. It is way to risky to entrust someone who attended a six week course on bathing a patient, especially with our sue happy society. The difference is that a nurse has acquired critical thinking skills that a CNA does not have.With this logic, a nurse can possibly be trained to do surgery, then we can eliminate surgeons...Not gonna happen. Plus, they certainly don't pay CNAs enough to put up with the responsibilities a nurse has.
The "Party" is coming to an end, we just don't know when. With Medicare/Medicaid eating up a big chunk of our federal budget, and headed for $20 trillion in debt, some serious cutbacks are on the horizon. Following Canada with a nationwide Physician-Assisted Suicide Law for starters.
I read in The Economist that in England, to help save their National Health system, they're training CNA's to pass meds and do wound care.
I'm surprised it's taken so long to figure out that CNA's can be trained, onsite, to do much of what a nurse can do.
When I worked for a Corporation as a senior accounting clerk for 10 years, when there were major layoffs, those accountants with 4-year degrees became more disposable, knowing full well the clerks could be trained to do much of the work accountants were doing.
Due to my computer skills, I replaced 2 accountants, but, as you well know, I never got any increase in pay, barely a thank-you!
Why couldn't that work, as a parallel, in the healthcare industry?
yeah they can be trained but did you ever think that professionals will take that sitting down? professional associations are just like monopolies/close shop. you have to join them to enjoy the pay
The "Party" is coming to an end, we just don't know when. With Medicare/Medicaid eating up a big chunk of our federal budget, and headed for $20 trillion in debt, some serious cutbacks are on the horizon. Following Canada with a nationwide Physician-Assisted Suicide Law for starters.
I read in The Economist that in England, to help save their National Health system, they're training CNA's to pass meds and do wound care.
I'm surprised it's taken so long to figure out that CNA's can be trained, onsite, to do much of what a nurse can do.
When I worked for a Corporation as a senior accounting clerk for 10 years, when there were major layoffs, those accountants with 4-year degrees became more disposable, knowing full well the clerks could be trained to do much of the work accountants were doing.
Due to my computer skills, I replaced 2 accountants, but, as you well know, I never got any increase in pay, barely a thank-you!
Why couldn't that work, as a parallel, in the healthcare industry?
you are a bookkeeper, not an accountant. I can see the work of clerk and it is just passable because the reader/user or the owner don't know better. but if requires an audit, this is where the owner gets hit. auditors usually charge more for an engagement with sloppy financial records
Employers are having problems hiring lower tiered because they aren't willing to pay for them. Why should a CNA deal with everything when they can go to walmart and make the same amount of money or go to costco and make much more money.
Then at the higher end, they have trouble hiring because the employers expect too much, lots of hospitals only want BSNs, and too many hospitals aren't willing to pay for it. Instead of raising wages when they can't find people to attract more candidates, they would rather do nothing and just put the work on the existing employees.
Any hospital paying top wages vs the COL of the area or willing to hire 2 year nurses have no problem finding people.
Also, just a few years ago I knew lots and lots of BSNs that couldn't get hired on after graduating, so even nursing took a huge hit from the recession. Seems like that has gone away some, but it is not like every single nursing grad is earning big bucks and has multiple job offers with the employers all fighting over them and willing to do whatever it takes to hire.
Employers love to scream shortage in order to keep the pipeline over flowing with people. Just like with STEM, there absolutely is no shortage, we graduate many more people than we need.
The time and cost to entry is huge, especially for doctors and by the time you come out the other end with 6 figure debt who knows if there will still be a shortage and if the wages will justify the debt. To many labor bubbles have popped in the last 20 years and employers are swift and ruthless in reducing pay as soon as there is even a little bit of saturation so what is the motivation to endure 12 years of school and residency without some kind strong protections in place protecting the professions wages, flexibility and job security?
Funny seems like weekly I'm reading about healthcare places in my area laying people off. Another one just today got rid of about 30 after offering 50 or so a couple weeks ago a buy out.
This started after the son of one of the nurses got a job with said department & we discovered that he was making almost as much as we were to stand int the road with a "SLOW" sign.
It's shameful, really but sometimes you have to find a way to laugh so you don't break down & cry.
If you enjoy the job and are happy with the pay, why do you care how much another person makes? Do you think you should get more because you run around more than someone else's job?
Same with picking a job paying $15/hr for secretary work vs $15/hour to mow the lawn. People think sitting in the AC is preferable but some are not happy doing it. Life isn't a score keeping game where the only thing that matters is money.
The time and cost to entry is huge, especially for doctors and by the time you come out the other end with 6 figure debt who knows if there will still be a shortage and if the wages will justify the debt. To many labor bubbles have popped in the last 20 years and employers are swift and ruthless in reducing pay as soon as there is even a little bit of saturation so what is the motivation to endure 12 years of school and residency without some kind strong protections in place protecting the professions wages, flexibility and job security?
^^^^ This!!
It's *exactly* like Aaron Clarey has pointed out from time to time in his various rants about employers:
"So according to our f'ed up society we're supposed to get 12 years of general k-12 education and then 12-16 years of college on TOP of that so that when we're 35-36 years old we can MAYBE get a solid job and FINALLY enter the workforce?!? At what point are we "qualified" enough?? I mean Jesus Christ....."
.... And he has a good point too, employers are just too damn picky nowadays. Some of their "requirements" vs what they ACTUALLY pay for the job is a joke, they want this mythical magical "perfect" flawless unicorn candidate (with good looks, social skills, etc to match)..... but offer only $10/hour McJob-level compensation
Typical 1960's employer:
"Can you pass a drug test? Will you show up on time? You're hired!"
Typical 2016 employer:
"You need to pass a drug test, pass a personality test, no..... pass multiple personality tests and 500 question psychological evaluations, pass a background check, no.... multiple background checks, you need 5-10 years experience or more, multiple references, excellent credit file and credit score, your debt-to-income ratio better not be too high either, you need a college degree, no.... multiple college degrees, you need to sign this tax form, you need to sign this legal document, you need this or that certification, you need to be in favor of LGBTQ, you need to be all about "diversity", you need to speak multiple languages fluently, you need to have a car, no.... you need a current/late model car, you need to show you love the environment, you need to be "for" green energy, you need a squeaky clean criminal record, no traffic tickets either, you gotta look good/be attractive, you need to have superb social skills, you need to follow orders to the T, you need to be a go-getter, you need to be a "winner", you gotta be cutthroat and do "whatever it takes" to get results, oh.... but at the same time you gotta be a "team player", you need to fart rainbows, etc
.....Oh and the starting pay is $10/hour, and there are over 500 other applicants we are also considering"
Last edited by CuriousMiscer; 08-02-2016 at 07:21 PM..
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