CNAs: Who agrees with me?

I'm probably going to be disagreed with here, but I want everyone opinions. Especially CNAs.
I have been working as a CNA for 2 years now. I love the job. I am, however, constantly running into nurses that do not respect CNAs. Sometimes it is an open dislike. I makes us hate working with that person. I often go to up to the nurse's station (where they are SITTING) and say that a patient wants to speak to the nurse. I get eye rolling and sucking their teeth. Pure laziness. I have seen CNAs being yelled at by nurses in the hall ways. Purely unprofessional. These are not isolated instances. I have overheard conservation's where nurses were bad mouthing "every CNA that works in this place." Pure disrespect.
I have 100% more respect for nurses that worked as CNAs before they became nurses. I believe it should be required. I find that the nurses who don't think so are often the ones that never worked as CNAs. Personally I know I will work harder (which protects their licenses) and have a better shift when I like the nurse and they are some who respects CNAs.
I also believe that the public, but especially people in health care, need to respect CNAs a lot more. I see and hear extremely disrespect things constantly about our profession.

I know that there are CNAs who do not respect nurses. That is whole different topic to discuss. I think the bottom line is, CNAs are equally as important as nurses. It is a more physically demanding job. We deserve the same respect. Thanks for reading my long post. I want to hear from everyone- in nursing or not and even if you do not agree.

Yes, some nurses don't respect us a all. The ones who have been an cna are much better to work with. I think all nurses should have to do cna work. We are the nuts and bolts of nursing. After all who spends more time with the patient or residents. I love my job and it is a shame some people don't get it.

My wife, who worked as a CNA about 12 years ago, read your description and just kept saying "Yep" as she read it.

Sounds like things haven't changed much.

It doesn't matter where you work this situation is always the same.. I agree totally with every word you said...I have been a CNA for 12 years..it wasn't any different then than it is now...very sad..

My mother was a dedicated RN her entire life, I never heard her criticize or complain about anyone except the doctors. She ended up being a charge nurse (Supervisor) at a major hospital in the Detroit area.
When they moved to another state (Illinois), she was Assistant Director of another major hospital, answering only to the Director. She still was a floor nurse one day per week to stay close to what she loved. That was part of the deal when she accepted the position.

I agree with you. You CNAs are also very under paid. I have lots of respect for you. It takes a special person to do your job.

People say we day care providers are not real teachers, but we are we just teach on a much younger lever then the school teachers. I teach 2 year olds.

I have been a nurse for 6 years. I have always respected the CNA's that I have worked with. I was a CNA myself before I became a nurse and while I was going through nursing school. I have worked with CNA's who didn't respect me, I have seen it both ways. I apologize to you for how you have been treated and I Hope you work with more respectful nurses in the future. I was trained by a wonderful RN who said that WE are ALL part of the team and to treat housekeeping and CNA's like you would treat the doctors themselves. I have always thought that if you CNA's and housekeeping weren't there then I would have to do all of your work besides my own and that would be too much for me to handle. Also as an LPN I have been treated with disrespect from RN's so I think it happens to all of us. I appreciate your honesty and your passion for your job.

It does help if a nurse was a CNA, HHA, or PCA before. Some act as though you are brain-dead. I experienced that as a resident aid in nursing homes and patient care assistant in the hospital while going though nursing school.

It goes around all the way though: some RNs treat LPN like they are a waste of space and some doctors treat RNs like they are blooming idiots. Its an abuse cycle and if you are working in a facility that condons this disrespectful behavior it is hard not to start to draw a line of US and THEM between the nurses and CNAs.
Hope you either step-up, speak out in a meeting and get things turned around (if you can) or go somewhere where you are appreciated.

Broad generalizations based on limited personal experience doesn't do the world any favors.

You are always going to have rotten apples in the bunch, and unfortunately, the more rotten apples you have, it spreads to the others. This creates a hostile working environment, and as long as everyone keeps badmouthing everyone else and no one stands up and asserts themselves and reports this kind of unprofessional behavior, things will never change.

There are PLENTY of positive working environments for both CNAs and RNs. I have been fortunate enough to work at a facility where every employee is respected and we come together as a team. Our management team encourages the staff to be open in communication, not to hesitate to call people out on bad behavior so that everyone knows it isn't tolerated. But it almost never happens, because we all truly like each other and support each other, from the housekeeping aids to the CNAs to the RNs to the NPs and MDs.

I would suggest that if you are working in a toxic environment, either confront it head on or find somewhere else to work, because it doesn't have to be that way for you.

Good luck.

I think anyone (in any profession) will run into people who don't respect others & don't pull their weight. But it sounds like you have a very bad situation going on in your unit. Is the nurse manager aware of the problems? If she is not, she needs to be. I would imagine that morale on your unit is not good, which must lead to high turnover & other problems. You need to find ways to work with your manager to improve your sitauation, or find another place to work.