The growing CNA turnover rate continues to impact nursing homes nation-wide. It has left facilities scrambling to the point of not even caring about the attitude or aptitude of potential CNA candidates, just as long as they are warm bodies who can fill a shift. Aishling Dalton-Kelly states that this is exactly the reason CNAs are leaving and, in order to make them stay, facilities must strive to make them feel recognized and respected.
Together with running her own CNA education program and separate home-care company, Aishling has a lot of experience with the types of people who become CNAs and the career paths they hope to lead.
The difficulty of the tasks that the average CNA faces everyday cannot be minimized and many take on this job without even realizing how grueling it really is physically and emotionally.
Aishling states that in order to weed out candidates that are prepared from those who might be a better fit at the nearby Target, employers must be upfront and transparent about the reality of what will be expected as well as required workload.
The new expectations of staff used to a more modern, gig-economy influenced style of scheduling must also be taken into account.
Communication should be established to determine what times staff will be able to work and put together a schedule that they will realistically be able to work with.
Finally, employers should seek to mentor and foster the capabilities of CNAs. Work with them to establish a career path then support them on their way towards their ultimate goal.
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