kma... you joined here on Sunday? Did you actually READ what I wrote? I was NOT slamming CNAs! Another poster said she wanted to be a CNA because she got to "help" her Mom at a retirement home. She seemed clueless to all the aspects of BEING a Nurse or CNA! I have a daughter who was a CNA! I know what she did for a living.
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So get off your high horse. I have the utmost respect for Nurses and CNAs. What I was commenting to was a young kid, with ALL the answers and being cocky about it!

Grandma,have you actually ever been a CNA? It is not about painting nails and getting them into activities, BUT they do that sometimes! It involves tending to their needs (not just physical),feeding them,bathing them,listening to them when they find out they have cancer and need someone to talk to,it is about holding their hand when they are dying or afraid of dying! NOT JUST ABOUT WIPING THEIR BUTTS! The CNAs are so much more than that! They are the MOST UNDERPAID UNDERAPPRECIATED STAFF in hospitals and nursing homes! They are the eyes and ears of the patients! How much time does an RN spend ACTUALLY with a patient compared the a CNA - 5-10% of the time I would say! CNAs usually are the ones who notice breathing changes,skin breakdowns,changes in mental status and sensing their patient may be having a stroke! Don't get me wrong, the RNs do some of that but the aids are the ones who spent ALOT more time ACTUALLY WITH THE PATIENTS! IMHO it seems RNs are about mainly paperwork nowadays! A good majority of the RNs are "above" emptying a bedpan or wiping a dirty butt! Guess who gets that job? Do I have to tell ya? (Thought not!) Do not get me wrong! I work at Mercy and there are great RNs who are not afraid to do that! That is a small percentage though. I have been a CNA for YEARS in all kinds of facilities! I have done the nail painting,hand holding,butt wiping and all that stuff and so much more. That is our JOB ....as CNAs AND as fellow human beings! I miss being a CNA at the hospital (although I still work there),I miss the patients and their families. But what I don't miss is the misconception of what CNAs do or what people think they should do,OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID! THE CNAS AT MERCY BUST THEIR BUTTS! Sure...as with any job there are great ones and ones that I wouldn't let take care of my dead dog! And BTW I know Karri in the picture and she is a WONDERFUL COMPASSIONATE nurse who is not afraid to get her hands (gloved of course) in the crap and other fun stuff that comes along with nursing! She is a very compassionate nurse who I love working with when I get chance. So before any of you have the nerve to say CNAs are just about butt wiping and emptying bedpans,why don't you spend some time working with a CNA and then you will change your mind about what CNAs are all about!!!!!!

It's called The House of Mercy and has helped hundreds of homeless folks over the years.

Nurse4u... I did not know the homeless shelter was still operating... Is that the same place they called The Mercy House?

I have to say something here. Mercy does ALOT for this community. We take neuro patients that other area hospitals do not. Mercy has the homeless shelter. We sponsor blood drives. I am volunteering at HealthNet starting on June 1st. I can go on and on here but I won't. I will just prove it by the quality of care that I contribute for my patients.

"And I'm good with the elderly, they need good people to take care of them and I happen to be one of those people who are good with them!"
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Not if this is how you treat your elders young lady! Your attitude on these blogs shows a lack of character and indifference to those with opinions different than your own!
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I've received excellent care from most CNAs I've had. Not all, but most.
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On topic, I would LOVE to see Dean/St. Mary's open a new Medical Facility in our community. If nothing else, it would make Mercy more accountable for the services they offer, to bringing new jobs to the area.

Sorry... planning little recreational group activities and painting their nails, is NOT what CNAs are about! Its cleaning someone up after they've lost certain bodily functions. Its changing bandages when they have bed sores.
I don't think your Mom has given you the reality tour!
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I don't care how old you are. You seem to think you have all the answers, for someone who hasn't even started living in the adult world yet.
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And actually, I am a bit bored... My company is coming into the slow season. I sit at a computer for 1/2 my day, so I read a lot.
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:p

Haha grandma why don't you shut your mouth!

I've already delt with that my mom does that and I shawdow her all the time and volunteer there to help with activities and paint their nails so how about you shut up already, targeting everything I post on I'm 17 your grandma range and your life must be boring if you sit around arguing on things people have opinions on.....

I know that there are smells and what not but I can deal with it..

And I'm good with the elderly, they need good people to take care of them and I happen to be one of those people who are good with them!

How would you like to be in a nursing home and get horrible care?!
You could be in one some day and see if you like some of the people who tend to you..

PS~I value my CNAs. I could not do MY job without them.. THANK YOU!!

I am passionate about my job. I LOVE coming to work. I look forward to going that extra step to help patients. Not only am I a Registered Nurse at Mercy, but I was also a patient. I have only good things to say about my experiences as a patient.

Being a RN is very challenging, but it is also a VERY rewarding career.

I chose Nursing as my career because of my daughter. She has chronic health issues that cause her to have life threatening infections. She also has a terminal illness. Whenever we have had to go to Mercy E.R. they were wonderful and made her a priority. She would be stabilized, monitored, and when able, transferred to Children's in Milwaukee. The staff in the E.R. always went out of their way for us.

I am a proud Mercy Partner. Happy Nurses' Week!!

Mercy Hospital has more applicants than it has positions open during this graduation season, Director of Nursing Catherine Luchsinger said.

"I'm hearing that from a lot of organizations," she said.

It's a good position for Mercy, she said, because it allows the health care system to be more selective in hiring the best candidate."

Oh, I'll bet it's quite a sweet position for Mercy. Translation.... "We don't have to pay as much with a glut of nurses to choose from." And if you think that isn't their bottom line, you're kidding yourself. Bright future? Sure. Pretty much anywhere other than here.

No, that employee was with Dean Health and worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.

didnt Mercy fire an employee in the middle of a surgical operation just 3-4 weeks ago ?

Enjoy your stint as a CNA. Bet ya cave... Those bed pans and washing up critically ill patients is a lot of work! While I have all the respect in the world for CNAs, its HARD work!
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My daughter was a CNA for awhile. She also went through Blackhawk Tech. She was assigned to the retirement home in Evansville until she graduated. From there she ended up at the Rock County HealthCare Center. Good luck with that! Now THAT was an experience!
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She couldn't continue however, because she had physical issues which kept her from being able to physically handle her patients. Just wanted to throw that in so you didn't think she quit because she didn't have the stomache.

baybeegirl: God help me if you ever take care of me or my family with that pi$$ poor attitude.

I think its a wonderful idea to have another hospital to bring more jobs for the medical I'm actually going to become a nurse after highschool and I'm doing a youth apprenticeship thing and my schools paying for me to go to blackhawk and be a CNA

Most peoples problems are they didn't finish high school and didn't further their education so thats not my problem build another hospital :-)

Very good point to bring up! My grandfather died last month... He DID have a living will and an order to not resuscitate. Hospice Care got him and our family through it. I can't say enough great things about Hospice Care.

biggirl: People need to put together "living wills" and appoint a "power of attorney for health care" before they develop serious health problems. That way a patient's wishes can be made known and followed. As a registered nurse, I can (unfortunately) tell you too many tales of medical technology gone wild on elderly patients who had not made their wishes known and whose family members did not understand and/or accept what was truly happening with the patient. Too many times things were done because having "no living will and/or power of attorney for health care" left a door open to possible lawsuits. And, biggirl, that is the sad truth.

gma: I agree with you with one caveat. We need to do something about the "healthcare" delivered in the last six months of life. My grandmother, a farm-wife, lived fairly decently with dementia in her house. She was a fiercely independent woman, and once hospitalized, clearly wanted to have it all through. I can't tell you the procedures that were literally forced on her dying and unconscious body in the final weeks of her life. These procedures cost thousands, but did nothing to improve her quality of life. How can we keep the costs down in such useless and even painful procedures while giving all the healthcare needed to keep people living the kind of active, quality lives most of us desire.

I disagree. Have you ANY idea how many of us (my generation and the decade before and after I was born) there are? We are healthier as a whole, however, simple math will show you my generation is the one that will hammer the health care facilities with a vengeance in the next 10 to 15 years.
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I have had back surgery, a hysterectomy, carpal tunnel surgery... etc. I'm just 50 years old. My MOTHER just had her knee replaced two weeks ago. She's 70. My daughter has had BOTH hips replaced in the past 12 weeks, she's just 27 years old.
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As technology and medical advances continue to improve, we can "fix more physical ailments", and this means we will all be living longer.
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Your generation will be caring for senior citizens living 15 to 25 years longer than they would have, back in the 40's. The healthcare field will be the hottest, most well paid field to get into!
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(Just a heads-up... my grandfather just died at 96 and my grandmother is still alive and VERY active since she had both kness replaced a few years ago at 95! I could live to be 100+!)

A St Mary's Janesville Hospital?? 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2025??? Pipe Dream . Let's get through all this job loss mess before anyone even starts to build another Hospital.