Exploring social‐based discrimination among nursing home certified nursing assistants

Abstract

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) provide the majority of direct care to nursing home residents in the United States and, therefore, are keys to ensuring optimal health outcomes for this frail older adult population. These diverse direct care workers, however, are often not recognized for their important contributions to older adult care and are subjected to poor working conditions. It is probable that social‐based discrimination lies at the core of poor treatment toward CNAs. This review uses perspectives from critical social theory to explore the phenomenon of social‐based discrimination toward CNAs that may originate from social order, power, and culture. Understanding manifestations of social‐based discrimination in nursing homes is critical to creating solutions for severe disparity problems among perceived lower‐class workers and subsequently improving resident care delivery.

The influence of empowered work environments on the psychological experiences of nursing assistants during COVID-19: a qualitative study

“…Those who spend the most time in patient care (i.e., nursing assistants [NA]) are critical to the quality of care and decision-making efforts in the face of uncertainty [4]. NAs have the potential to make significant contributions to patient care, yet they are underutilized, understudied, and commonly disregarded [5].…”

“…Despite the role NAs play in patient care, they experience abuse, disrespect, challenging physical labor, exclusion from important conversations, limited opportunities for advancement, and underpay [5]. These experiences have led to an unhappy and overworked direct care workforce, increased turnover, and inefficient processes.…”

The Influence of Empowered Work Environments on the Psychological Experiences of Nursing Assistants During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

“…4 NAs have the potential to make signi cant contributions to patient care, yet they are underutilized, understudied, and commonly disregarded. 5 NAs comprise an essential part of the patient care team. The patient support that NAs provide enhances the quality and comfort of a patient's stay at a healthcare facility.…”

“…Despite the role NAs play in patient care, they experience abuse, disrespect, challenging physical labor, exclusion from important conversations, limited opportunities for advancement, and underpay. 5 These experiences have led to an unhappy and overworked direct care workforce, increased turnover, and ine cient processes. Over the past two decades, there has been a push to elevate the role of NAs and underscore their value so they ultimately feel empowered.…”

COVID-19 Pandemic: Exacerbating Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Long-Term Services and Supports

“…Yet, direct care is often considered low-skilled work and is associated with low compensation. Typical salaries for these workers were under 30,000 USD per year in 2018, and immigrants and racial/ethnic minorities disproportionally fill these positions (Hurtado et al, 2012;Travers et al, 2020;True et al, 2020). Studies show that black direct care staff are more likely to report work-related strain and burnout compared to their white counterparts (Hurtado et al, 2012;Travers et al, 2020).…”