Cna Duties And Being A Aa?

[Guest Pat8231]

I just quit my job!! I refused to do CNA duties that weren't part of my job description as an Assistant Program Coordinator! Anyone out there do both? Do you AD's and AA or whatever activity title you have clean nails? Change diapers? Feed patients? Serve meals? Were you hired as a CNA/Care Provider or Activities? I would like some input because right now I"m really confused and hurt over this matter. I wasn't told patient care was my responsibility along with activities. Anyone have any similar experience like this? Thanks, Pat8231 8-)

[gina 2]

Hey Pat,

What happened? I thought you were hired as the A.A.for dementia/Alzheimers unit?

The job you described has nothing to do with activities...

Email me or meet me in the chat room tomarrow morning,okay?

gina :-)

[Pennie 26]

Hi,

I kmow that working on a locked ward for alzheimers is a nit different that working on LTC floor or as AD AA in Ass't Living.

On an Alz unit you may be required to help w/ ADL's as part of team approach in the Care Plans. But this doe not include changing diapers, bathing etc.. As for nails I have always haad this included as a activity but never never allowing my staff, volunteers or myself to cut them. Feeding was done by nursing & CNA's those trained to do so. I have heard of a few act. dept being forced to do this at some facilities however I would not, nor did I aloow my staff to.

At a couple of facilities I worked at we did have a rotating schedule were all of the Dept heads wouls would help pass out trays & oversee a certain dining room/meal. This was do done for QA purposes.

It sounds like maybe they were asking you to do a CNA job as well as yours which crossed the line. Didi you speak with you boss about this? If not go back & try to see if their was a misunderstanding between the 2 of you. If you boss is not the Administraator may you should speak w/ him/her to see if this can be resolved. If not know that you tried your best to resolve this & start sennding out those resumes. You'll probably find a job that you like even better that this one and you may even be appericated so much more. Best to you. Keep head up, be strong & keep us in informed.

[Stacy 0]

I am an Activity Director, and I have my AA's, doing both. I have 3 AA's who get all the benefits of a CNA. The CNA's get increases that are not based on merit throughout the year. Because they qualify for this increase, they have some CNA duties. However, I put a limit on what they do. They do not change diapers, toilet, shower, etc. They do however, feed, are the CNA on my outings, transfer, cut nails. The CNA duties they do are related to the activity portion of their job. They are alright with this because of the increase they get. it acts as a bonus. Actually, one of the girls went out and got their CNA certificate because of the increase. The other thing that is a plus is they get paid at the CNA rate, which is higher than the AA rate. But, they were not forced to do this, this was outlined before they accepted this position. The only negative thing for me is when I replace them, I have to replace the CNA's with someone who is certified.

 

I would never agree to this if it didn't benefit them. I refuse to let my staff be taken for granted. It seems to me that you were misled Pat, and that is not right. I hope the best for you, you have a lot of knowledge, and whoever you work for will be blessed to have you.

 

Stacy

[Guest Pat8231]

Hi All, Thanks for the input. I was mislead for sure! I was never told about doing anything else but my AA duties. I even skipped lunch to help feed and serve meals. I just found out that two of the CNA took what I said about my last job (key word LAST JOB), that we weren't allowed to go into the kitchen area nor were we allowed to feed (kitchen staff only and CNA's duty) and told another supervisior that I said I wouldn't do it in the current job. I had a feeling from day one that these 2 weren't happy to see me in the place. Call it gut reaction! Thanks again for your help. Pat 8-)

[Guest redthewitch]

Hi, new here!

 

Stacy, I think you have a good point. The CNA duties that your AAs have, relating to the activity is good. And about the outings, also. Because sometimes it is hard to get enough CNA hands for an outing. The reason I did not become a CNA is because I didn't want to do personal care, such as showering or changing *diapers*. But I think it is important for AAs to be able to feed, transfer and even help change(on outings).

[bigchris 1]

Pat,

 

I think that you were right in your decision, to be safe I would get a copy of the job description.

 

 

Chris

[Guest Pat8231]

Hi Chris, Thanks for the input. My AD said it was crossing the line to CNA duties but I couldn't get my job back since the decision was final with the Administrator. As for feeding, one person needed a feeding tube because she could not swallow. I knew this from the SNF where I had worked. I questioned that and was told to mush up her food with Ensure. Little things like that were eating at me because my primary concern was the patients health and welfare. As for the job description. I was givn the AD's job description to sign which I did or it was no job. This was a very new position for the facility and they didn't have a job description for an assistant AD. Key word here was assistant AD, I was not considered a AA. Thanks for the posting, it sure makes me feel better knowing that in my heart I did the right thing. I was afraid I would hurt someone because I am NOT trained nor qualified for any CNA type duties. Pat8231 8-)

[Wanda 0]

My supervisor and I have been discussing the possibility of someone becoming CNA certified but we are worrie that whoever it is will get pulled out of activities to do CNA work. I personally would not mind becoming certified to help our department but, I don't want to be pulled out to do more! Do any of you have any suggestions how we can go about approaching this subject?

 

Wanda

[Diana 0]

I agree with limitation by every form of its word, especially when we are all so busy with our regular duties!

 

One way that administration is able to get us to perform duties that aren't necessarily ours is by using this phrase "...and other duties as assigned." This is what is in our job description (so important for us to review every once in a while) at the very end. Gets us every time!

I am glad that you stood up for yourself, though! In activities, it is hard to conduct an activity when you are changing diapers!

[dawn 0]

I'm a cna as well as the adc for my building. I don't have a problem helping with the resident if i am able to. quiting your job over that was not very professional. working on a meu is different from long ter care but it makes every ones job easier if every one can work as a team. that is what team work is helping each other out.

[Wanda 0]

I agree that everyone should work as a team but, where I work they are always short CNA's and we are worried that I will be pulled out of activities and put to work. (I do it at home with my CP son, I really don't want to do it at work). We serve a dining room, do menus, and then half the time we don't have time to prepare for our activities. We have been told that we cannot work on anything at home because they are worried that a disgruntle worker will sue or something. We just wanted more help. I am not sure how many beds we have I am thinking 79. We are really busy and really don't have the man power for anyone to be pulled out.

 

Wanda

[Miguel 4]

I was an AD for an Alzheimers/Dementia Unit, I was responsible at times to assist the caregivers in their duties, If this ment preparing a residents meal, cleaning up after them, etc. If this was the case with you Pat they should have informed you of this when they offered you the position.. ~`Miguel`~

[dawn 0]

Wanda what state are you in? You should not be worried that you may be pulled some has to be there to direct the programs on a daily bases. That's right don't do your work at home. Get some volunteers or contact your local school for teenager needing volunteer hous to graduate high school. The bad thing about activities there is no law mandating how many people schould be in activities like the cnas have. I'm a 120 bed facility I have two full time people and a 20hour postion available and me the director over the buliding. Just remember don,t give up things will get easier.

[KarlaJackson 0]

Hello everyone, I too am going through the same things at my job.One difference is that I am certified and they cant seem to get it that my job title has changed from CNA to AD.I am no longer an aide on the floor and they cant stand that.

I work in a hospital on a skilled unit and it is hard enough to get patients involved with activities and I have to have these people telling my activities do not matter that the baths do.Well I thought thats why we have aides and nurses.They all went to school to learn their jobs and I went to school to learn mine. Thanks for listening to me vent.Have a good day everyone

Karla Jackson

[gina 2]

Hi All,

In regards to what Dawn wrote in her post,I dont think its very fair for you to say

that Pat was not professional because she quit her job.

We all know what team work is,but some of us know where to draw the line on certain things that are asked of us and when the line between your job ,my job crosses in such a dramatic way,its better to be safe than sorry.I would have hated to have Pat do something that she was not trained for(feeding,bathing,etc)and something horrible happen as an effect of her doing that.

Just my opinion.

Have a great week all,

gina :-)

[Lynn56 0]

Surprisingly I came to this site at nearly 3 am to find out the same thing- are AD or AA just being used as lowly paid Cna's? Basically you are being asked to do 2 jobs for less money than a Nursing Assistant. I am finding this out from job interviews. I see no point in paying for a Mepap course (not cheap in my area) just to be a CNA and be called an AD and make less money. I don't see how an AD or AA can do both job duties since CNA's must be on task with cleaning up patients and such (and you know how dirty that job is) to then going to an activity out in public with residents or such. It just won't work. What if the Director of the nursing home had to do 2 or 3 peoples jobs? They sure wouldn't.

[Guest Pat8231]

To Dawn, UNPROFESSIONAL? If you were told your job was one thing and it turned out you were doing CNA duties and NOT activities what would you do? I was hired as an Assistant Director and was never never told there would be any CNA duties. I am not qualified and my main concern was the residents. What if I made a mistake somehow and hurt someone? Who's responsibility would it be? MINE! Not your's but MINE. I was ready to say how dare you call me unprofessional but I can not because you are talking about something you do not know a thing about. I did cheap in but when a facility tells you to feed someone who can not swallow and needs a SNF instead of a ALF something is wrong. I found out serveral more things which I will not mention on an internet BB that were not within state guidelines and they would have been shut down over. So again,Dawn, before you post something think! If you can go beyond your own thoughts. I will not post any more on here because I came here to share with everyone not get called UNPROFESSIONAL. Pat8231

[mashonda 0]

Pat,

 

I can see that you are upset over the post from Dawn. I read the post and can understand why you would be disturbed by it, however, please don't let one post keep you from sharing your thoughts and insights on things. Although I don't reply much to some of the posts, I do read them and so far I have learned some interesting and valuable things.

 

I think everyone could benefit from everyone participating. Dawn, I'm not sure if you meant the email to be taken offensively or not, since it's hard to convey feelings this in an email message, but maybe things will be smoothed over soon.

 

I hope that this event does not damage future posts to the message board.

[Diana 0]

Karla - your point was very well put!!!! WE all go to school to be certified to give our residents a meaningful life - not just a clean bottom! Quality of life and what we offer our residents is just as important (if not more so) as nursing duties. Why can't we convince other departments this? I don't know!

[Guest tnbsmommy]

Hi all, I am new here, I am doing some research b/c my AD is leaving, and being the AA, I am hoping and praying to be moved up to her position. I just wanted to share my views. I started as a CNA with my company 3 years ago, I applied for the AA job when it became available in Nov. of last year. I was hired. I still do CNA work occasionally, to keep my hours up. I don't mind doing it once in a while, however I have to say how mad I was a couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready to come to work, AA day, and got a phone call from our ADON telling me I was needed on the floor, and she already spoke to AD and I needed to change and come in as CNA. I was furious. My point was, where I work, if they hired outside the building, an AA they couldnt, and wouldn't do that. They don't make the med. rec. asst. or the labor allocations, or the SSA, or even the bookkeeping asst. do that. I don't mind feeding, I help transfer and pull pt.s up, but I am trained to do that. If I am off work, and am needed as a CNA, I don't mind coming in to work, but if I am already scheduledto work in a Dept. it isn't right to pull me. I would suggest to the one asking about becoming cert. as a CNA, don't do it. If you company is anything like mine, andthere are apparently alot of them out there, you will more than likely be pulled to the floor. What was so aggravating to me is I had worked the day before as a CNA, we were short on the floor, both the SNF side and the ICF side(where I was) by one person. Noone seemed to be all that concerned(that was on Sunday) On monday they were short 2 people on ICF, and had an extra person training on SNF who had already trained on the group they had me work on.

 

Pat, I can see your frustration, I threatened to go back to being a CNA, after all "what is the point of me having the position, now that they know they can get away with pulling me, what will stop them any other time?" Thankfully though, noone listened to an extremely upset me. (I don't do that often, I just had alot of stuff going on at the time, and was a bit emotional) And they have since implicated a call in policy to stop the regular call ins, which was the case, they had two people scheduled who call in at least once a week, and both called in that day. Hopefully they will either inforce the policy or I will get the AD job, and not haveto worry about that anymore. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to turn this whole post into my own ramblings.

Its nice to meet everyone :-)

[Guest Pat8231]

To All _ Thanks for supporting my view points. I think AD's and AA's aren't taken seriouly. I heard one AD say "AA's are a dime a dozen" (this is just one AD, not all of them). We, AA's and AD's alike LOVE what we are doing. If we didn't then we would be CNA's or whatever classification you want to use. When some AA's are hired we aren't hired to perform activities, sometimes we are "USED" (double meaning) to fill in the areas that the facility is short. Team work - we all pull together for the best interests of the residents.Never met anyone who didn't have the residents best interest at heart. Some of us AA's and AD's alike do not want to do CNA duties. We want to be Activity Assistants and Activity Directors. I disagree with those who say that AA's/AD's aren't anything at all but glorified babysitters (yes heard this mention too). We take our profession serious! We take it just as serious as a CNA, DON, LPN, RN, Dr. Thank you to those who send me emails encouraging me to keep posting. I will. I feel that this subject is important to all of us. Blessings, Pat 8-)

[Lynn56 0]

I am scheduled to take the Cna class in late August. Should I continue and spend money on this? I have a degree in Education and after meeting with Nursing homes I was told I would need Cna training to be an Activity Director first. The Mepap is not offered any where near here at this time. I think once I have the CNA that I will end up doing that type of work even if hired as an AA or AD. I know with my education degree I was an educational assistant for many years and I ended up doing non educational stuff rather than teaching students. My state has no teaching jobs now and has laid off the assistants. I don't want to be doing 2 jobs and be expected to volunteer an extra 30 hours a week like I did in my last job. Any thoughts? By the way I live in Indiana and jobs are scarce and pay very little.

[Guest Pat8231]

Hi Lynn, You are in a tough situation. I think each facility has it's own way of doing things. If you get your CNA certification and go into activities I would have to ask for a FULL job description (in writing) and make sure it is YOUR job description. I just signed a job decription that wasn't mine because if I didn't no job. If you want to cross over from time to time from AA to CNA and CNA to AA that is your judgement call. Some facilities hire a CNA to do activites while others do not. During the interview I would ask what they expect from an AA first. Also, ask yourself what do YOU want to do? That is also very important. I didn't want to do any CNA duties whosoever but did help when a resident was in need but don't forget I wasn't certified and that was a big legal problem with me. Did all facility say you have to be a CNA and become an AA/AD? Some places here want a CNA AA/AD and others do not. Good luck in whatever your decision is. Pat8231 8-)

[plandon 0]

:-)

 

You certainly did the right thing by listening to your heart. I have 5 AA's and 4 are CNA's. They help with feeding residents when we are short handed, and they help or assist if it is needed but it is never expected. Their job is activities. They are the CNA on an outing as as the other AD talked about they do get paid as CNA's and when the CNA's get an increase so do they. They help but they are not part of the mix and if they are busy doing something else and are unable to help that is ok. Best of luck to you.