For CNA Week, we decided to scour social media to find out the latest buzz amongst these professionals. The overall theme we heard loud and clear was this: CNAs deserve more respect. And they aren’t looking for more respect from residents or patients. They want more respect from those they work with: nurses, doctors, and nurse managers. Wonder why? We did too. There are some really good reasons why they want more respect that we hadn’t thought of. Especially #4. Interested in what they had to say? Keep reading!
Working in long term care nursing, skilled nursing facilities, or memory care isn’t for the faint of heart—especially if you’re a CNA. Many residents have cognitive impairment or mental health issues that even psychologists and mental health professionals find difficult to work with. On top of this, they have significant physical care needs so they’re unable to live alone or with family.
CNA work with a nursing agency or hospital comes with its challenges too. Patients with chronic health conditions and physical impairments such as obesity, incontinence, chronic wounds, difficulty moving (or even rolling side to side in bed), and bathing often have a CNA assigned to assist them. Regardless of where they work, CNAs have a physically and mentally demanding job. Yet many are grossly underpaid and often treated poorly by their coworkers who should know better.
Ok, let’s get real here. It’s not fair to expect anyone to start work at a new job without proper orientation. It doesn’t matter what they do. Retail, hospitality, food service industry, bus driver, teacher, pilot, CNA.
Can you imagine showing up for your first or second day of work as a bus driver to pick up school kids and take them to school? Except you weren’t provided with any orientation. So you don’t know which kids to pick up…or where to pick them up… or what school to take them to?
Or you start a new job in retail. You arrive for your first day of work and you haven’t been orientated. Your coworker finishing their shift tells you you’ll be working alone. Your job is to run the register, help customers, and put out some new merchandise. Except you don’t know how to run the register, and you have no idea what merchandise they want you to display, or even where to put it?
Sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? Well, this is what CNAs are dealing with on a regular basis right now. One CNA, who wanted to remain anonymous, shared in a public Facebook group:
“I’m a new CNA fresh out of school and I just started my first job at an assisted living facility…I was told I was going to be trained for 3 days and then if I felt I needed more, they would give it to me. Well, the first night I got placed with one CNA who apparently doesn’t even work that floor so she knows none of the residents or their routines.
The second day I go in…and there were 4 agency CNAs and only me. (The day staff who gave me report before leaving) told me ‘No one is here to train you tonight. Sorry. And here is what you have to do’….literally left me with 27 patients (many of them being fall risks) and left me to do all the charting at the end of the shift when I’ve never even done that a day in my life or seen it done. All the (agency) CNAs they left me with, it was their first time there at that facility, so they were all asking me what to do and I have no clue.”
This is unsafe, unfair, and unconscionable of management to put a new CNA they just hired in this situation—not to mention the nursing agency CNAs who were scheduled to help her who were new to the facility too.
CNAs also deserve more respect because, although they’re usually educated and must pass certification exams to be licensed or certified, they earn little more than minimum wage in many places across the country.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2021, CNAs earned a median salary of $30,290/year ($14.56/hour). Research in 2017 showed that more than 1 in 3 CNAs’ families received some type of public assistance while “more than half of NAs’ families (were) within the 200% poverty level.”
Meanwhile, CNAs have been the lowest paid employees on staff and face significant risks working directly with residents and patients during the pandemic.
Lori Porter, co-founder and CEO of the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) made the following statement before the first CNA Virtual March in Washington on April 7, 2021 which addressed “…policy issues aimed at respecting CNAs, their work, and their worth.”
“Indeed, CNAs have made numerous sacrifices during the pandemic. Many have contracted COVID-19, and some have died. Yet they continue to risk their lives every day, often for less than they could make in food service or retail, all for the love of their residents.”
Careercast.com and Forbes.com published articles in 2016 about America’s most dangerous jobs. Nursing assistants (CNAs) came in at #3 on this top 10 list of the most dangerous jobs, alongside firefighters and police officers.
Pandemic aside, CNAs also face higher risks of physical injuries than many other occupations. There are many reasons for this such as:
Many employees in the workforce receive paid time off (PTO) to attend funerals or grieve the loss of a family member or friend who has died. However, it’s common for CNAs to have residents die that they’ve developed a close relationship or special bond with, yet they aren’t given time off work to grieve or process this loss.
Jason, a CNA who works in long term care, shared the following in a Facebook group. He said we could share it here to help people understand some of the struggles CNAs face:
“[I] had a resident pass away last night. He was doing great for me since I started. Does it ever get easier to let them go? He was amazing, with a great, positive personality. I'm so sad today. [His death] made my shift [feel] longer. I'll forever miss him. He met my kiddos, wife, and loved when I brought my puppy to visit on my days off. I also met his children and wife. I'm still in tears.”
Responding to Jason, Tiffany, a CNA, replied:
“It never gets easier. Those residents count on us. We become their family, and them ours. Being a CNA is not for the weak. It's a hard job that many don't understand. When there is a connection like that, it's hard mentally and emotionally…all I can say [is] you learn to handle the grief differently than a normal person. You can’t take time off from your family and the rest of your residents to be able to grieve properly. And it SUCKS!”
CNA work is one of the most physically and mentally challenging occupations there is. The majority of these positions are filled by women (87.7%) who are middle-aged (41 years old on average) who are often the primary caregivers for their own families and sometimes aging parents as well.
Cherri has been a CNA since 2013. Working in an assisted living facility in Oklahoma, she told us “Being a CNA is hard work, definitely not for someone who is just looking for a paycheck.. being a CNA is mentally and physically draining at times.”
As co-founder and CEO of the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), Lori Porter says “the group also wants the CNA profession to be solidified as a respected career title, rather than seen as an entry-level position.
CNAs say they’re often referred to as “just a CNA.” They often field questions from nurse colleagues or former teachers who ask if they’re going to return to school to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN). While these are often well-meaning questions for CNAs who are excellent in their practice, it’s how these questions are asked that is hurtful and degrading.
Lacie, a CNA from New Jersey, shared on social media:
“Y’all know what bothers me? When people ask if I’m going back to school or will I ‘just’ be a CNA for the rest of my life. Would these same people ask an RN if they’re going back to school or if they will ‘just’ be an RN forever? No, they wouldn’t. Because people do not respect us and don’t value us or take our job position seriously and it’s sad! I like my job, pay, and benefits are good, so who cares if I do this forever?”
Maybe the most important reason to show CNAs more respect is because they’re able to connect with vulnerable residents and patients like no one else can—or has time to. This includes people who are non-verbal, have behavior problems, and those who are literally “the forgotten ones” who have no meaningful connection to people outside the four walls of the facility they live in.
Christian, a brand-new CNA working in a nursing home in Nebraska, shared this moving experience on Facebook:
“I want to share a story that happened at work recently! It made me so happy so I can’t keep it to myself. Yesterday, I got to work with one of my favorite residents (let’s call her G). G cannot speak much. She says ‘no,’ ‘thank you,’ and sometimes ‘yes.’ She can have some behaviors and so a lot of the CNAs prefer not to work with her.
I absolutely love working with her because she’s so grateful for help and is just such a sweetheart. Well today, I had some free time so I went into her room and sat with her. I said ‘Hey G, do you like singing?’ She nods and gives me the best smile. Then I said ‘You look like you like Elvis.’ Her eyes instantly lit up and she said ‘Oh yes!’ So I started singing ‘I can’t help falling in love with you.’ To my amazement, she started singing it with me, kind of. She wasn’t making much noise (just…a whisper) but she was definitely making the words.
After I finished, she was crying and rubbed my cheek smiling. Almost made me cry! She said thank you over and over again. I asked if I sounded good and she nodded and kept saying thank you. It made me so happy. Gave her a sweet hug and she just melted into my arms…”
If that doesn’t call for some serious respect and admiration, we don’t know what does.
So for CNA Week this month, share this article with an amazing CNA or two you work with. Tell them how much you appreciate them and one specific thing you admire about how they practice. And remember to treat them as valuable members of your team. Because CNAs deserve more respect than they’ve been getting—especially from other healthcare professionals and employers.
Written by: Leona Werezak MN, BSN, RN
Leona Werezak MN, BSN, RN has worked as a nurse in a variety of positions at the bedside for 13 years and as a nurse manager. From there, she began teaching nursing in BSN programs for the next 20 years.
