Be In the Know!

As we celebrate Memorial Day, 2011, all of us at In the Know send our deep gratitude to every past and current member of our Armed Forces.  In addition, we would like to honor the 77,000 nursing personnel who work with Veterans in the VA health care system—including the more than 11,000 certified nursing assistants! Thank you for all you do to promote the health of Veterans across the United States.

Here are a few things you may not know about the VA health care system:  (Thanks to the VA’s website, www.va.gov, for these facts.)

• The VA was a leader in the development of home care.  During the early 1930s, a special category of VA “follow‑up” nurses visited Veteran patients at their homes in rural, isolated areas.

• Until 1976, nursing assistants outnumbered RNs.  Today, there is approximately 1 CNA for every 4 RNs.

• In the early 1990s, some 2,300 VA nurses were in the ready reserve of the armed forces at the time of the Persian Gulf crisis.  More than 600 were called to active duty and another 300 were put on alert status. Approximately 3,200 VA nurses are Veterans themselves.

• In 2005-06, VA nursing staff responded heroically to hurricanes Katrina and Rita by assisting with evacuation and continuing care of hundreds of VA hospital patients.

• The VA is working hard to address the nursing shortage by instituting several scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs that support nurses in continuing their education. Examples of such programs include: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP); National Nursing Education Initiative (NNEI); Employee Incentive Support Program; and Tuition Support Program.

• Every year, nearly 30,000 student nurses gain clinical experience in a VA setting.

• Three years ago, the 4000^th VA nurse graduated with the help of the Employee Incentive Scholarship Program.  The awards from this program cover tuition and related expenses such as registration, fees and books.

To do our small part to honor the hardworking VA nursing staff, we are offering any VA health care facility three free inservices. Each facility may choose their three topics from among our vast library of CNA inservices.

There is no gimmick associated with this offer, no strings attached and no deadline. If you work at a VA facility, simply email us at info@knowingmore.com or call us at 877-809-5515.  If needed, we will assist you in selecting the best topics for your facility.  Your order will be filled promptly—and include our sincere gratitude for the work you do every day.

Happy Memorial Day!

Did you know that people are talking about your CNAs?  It’s true!  People from all over the U.S. are speaking their minds about nursing assistants.  They are sharing their thoughts about the dedication and compassion shown by CNAs across the country and beyond.

Who’s doing all this talking?  Your co-workers…nurses and other nursing assistants.  Politicians…governors and senators.  And, celebrities…a diverse group including Mary Murphy (from So You Think You Can Dance), Dr. Patch Adams and actress Jane Fonda.

Where can you read their comments?  Visit Just for Nursing Assistants.  While you’re there, please consider leaving some comments of your own.  For example, what would you say to a CNA who feels discouraged?  Or, what would you say to someone who is thinking about becoming a CNA?  You may add your thoughts here.

Soon, it will be CNA Week (June 10-17).  That’s a great time to put the focus on your CNAs and give something back to this hardworking group.  At In the Know, we send our thanks to CNAs everywhere…and we hope you will spread the word about our new site, Just for Nursing Assistants, which was created just for them!

Give your CNAs a "thumbs up"!

There is nothing more uplifting for a CNA (or any employee for that matter) than when they are recognized for a job well done.  Many employees feel that their boss is quick to point out any deficiency or mistake, but feel that getting positive reinforcement is difficult and infrequent.  If your nursing assistants are deserving of recognition, here are a few ways to show them that you appreciate it…without spending a dime!

1. Send them a handwritten note. A CEO of a Fortune 500 company frequently handwrites “thank you” notes on $2 bills.  In more than 3 years of doing this, only one employee has asked if the bill could be spent.  This tells us that instead of spending the $2, the employees prefer to keep it as a positive memento
2. Share the love. Ask each employee to write something down about an exemplary aide who has earned their respect and admiration.  Put all of their comments into a small picture frame and give it to the aide.
3. Up-front parking. Create a sign for the best parking space at your office or facility.  The sign should read: “Employee of the Month,” or something similar.  Make the right to this parking space competitive, and you won’t believe what lengths your aides will go to in order to win the competition, and the parking space.
4. TGIF. Allow a deserving CNA to take off early on a Friday afternoon.  This may not be possible due to client care responsibilities, but if you feel that you can get along without the aide for the afternoon, offer him or her the rest of the day off.  Naturally, you’ll want to treat these few hours off as time “on the clock” as a reward for this employee.
5. Well days. Many people can relate to this:  You need a day off.  You may have something really important to do, or you may not.  So you decide to call in “sick.”  Most of the time this makes you feel guilty about missing work, right? Reward a job well done by allowing your employees to earn “well days.”  These are days off when an employee can do whatever they need or want to do, but does not have to fib about feeling ill.
6. Rank and Title. It may or may not come with a raise in pay, but if outstanding aides continue to show that they are responsible and accountable, offer to add “Senior” or “Shift Leader” to their title.  It is amazing how much pride your new leaders will take in this small gesture.
7. Go public. Create and distribute a company-wide newsletter detailing an employee’s exemplary performance.  This will honor that particular nursing assistant, while creating motivation for the rest of your staff.A quick “thank you.”  The most cost effective way of acknowledging hardworking employees is to simply thank them…and it only takes a second.  Everyone appreciates being appreciated.

If one or more of these rewarding gestures appeals to you, give them a try with your staff.  Then, come back to this blog and let everyone know what the response was to your show of appreciation.  We would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading,

Evan

Evan Leekley

evanleekley@knowingmore.com