When nursing aides no call/no show

Every so often an aide does not show up for work. Usually there is no notice, and he or she is just suddenly gone.

That happened on a recent Friday day shift and we were one aide short. Not knowing whether or not that aide would show up on the weekend, other aides were put in place to cover her shifts. It is always difficult to find aides willing to pick up hours on a weekend, and on some weekends two aides will care for all the residents. There is definitely a need for nursing homes to have “on-call” aides who are willing to fill in if someone abruptly exits.

It is hard for me to understand how an aide, who spent months caring for us, can up and quit without any feeling for the situation that she leaves residents and other aides in. And an aide who quits this way knows management can have a difficult time trying to fill their suddenly vacant spot.

For instance, in late spring several new aides who trained in the nurse aide class were hired. Even though most of them were good aides, only one is still employed.

Most nursing homes expect aides to give two weeks’ notice. But at some facilities, when an aide puts in that notice, he or she can be escorted to the door. Some companies feel employees working on notice can be detrimental to the facility.

I know aides get burned out and just quit. Most know they can get another job elsewhere quite easily, and some decide to do home health because they believe it to be a less stressful environment. Personally, I’m always curious to see what they write on exit questionnaires upon leaving.