All excited and then they disappear? How long have you been an aide?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

Specializes in CNA.

So many people post to the CNA section. They are so excited about starting class, passing their exam, getting their first job, etc. Then, they post about their shock and disappointment. After that, they disappear from this forum. I guess they had no idea what they were getting into.

So, how long have you been an aide?

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Specializes in LTC.

A year, 2 if you count the caregiving job I had before I actually became a CNA (that's why I took the class). And I guess I wasn't that shocked and disappointed when i started working in LTC. The job is stressful and sad and I can see how people are blown away (in a bad way) by what goes on and how little care/time you can actually give to these people. I usually try to focus on how lucky I am to work with cute old people every day rather than on how much of an assembly line it is.

The thing that bothers me is seeing residents neglected out of laziness. If your residents had to lay in urine for a long time but you were really busy and you did your best, then whatever- try to do a better job tomorrow... stagger your rounds, tweak your routine, figure it out. If you DID have the time to check but didn't want to bother and instead wrote "DRY" on the paperwork and went back to gossiping, that really upsets me. There are certain people at work whose residents have apparently been wet only twice by the end of the shift... funny because every time I have that resident she's wet AT LEAST 4 times. And I know you weren't THAT busy.

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lol, I noticed that too. However, im not an aide yet. I start my classes this fall.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Pedi/Tele.

I started when I was 14 years old... back then I didn't have the maturity level to handle the job.. jump foward to now I'm 40 and I love my job. I have been doing it again for almost 2 years. Now I'm in nursing school. I ended up getting a job in the hospital where I live. I love it! I started out on the med/surg side of the hospital and transferred over to the childrens hospital and I absolutely love the job. I can't wait to get my RN license and work as a nurse.

I do agree that people don't really understand what a CNA does. It is alot of hard work, dirty work and depressing work. You need to have the right mentality for it. I think the younger people who start can't deal with it, just like I couldn't. But I applaud the ones who do make a difference and just think.. one day it could be you in the nursing home. Do you want to lie in a wet bed?

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One week :specs: and I love it. Yes it is a hard and from time to time depressing...but I am considering myself lucky to have a chance working as a CNA.

franharmon I just don't have a time to read and write here. I get up in the morning, try to focus on studying. About 1.30pm I go to work, I am back after 10pm and usually sit with my husband and talk. We do not see each other during the day so that is moment we can spend together. I won't change it for writing here even if I really like being here :) And I wouldn't be surprised if on this forum would be more people like me ;) They may read from time to time but for writing they just do not have a time ;)

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I've been in LTC for 20yrs, a CNA for 10 of those 20 years. After my license expired I continued to work in Assisted Living facilities. My license expired due to the fact that I took a leave to care for my grandmother then my mother. I just decided that I would go on to get my ADN so I could better serve the elderly. :)

I loved being a CNA, although it's very hard work it's worth it. You really get a chance to make a difference in the people you come in contact with. Some of these people are just put into nursing homes because the family is just waiting for them to die. You may be the only one that has shown any kind of compassion to them during their illness or old age. I still breaks my heart to think of all the elderly people I have cared for ask why their family hasn't come to see them or if I have talked to their son/daughter who never even darken the door until said relative is literally on death's door. :cry:

I do recall that while getting my certification that we had a total of 25 in our class. When it came time for the state test we only had 10. Some who get into it do not realize how much work it really intails and give up during the clinical phase. Some are all gung-ho about it until they have to clean up a huge pile of poo.

That just my :twocents:

:wink2:

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Well I just passed my exam a couple of months ago and now I work in an LTCF. I've worked here for about a month. It is different than I imagined...I thought I would have more time to spend with the residents. But it is kind of like an assembly line. When I first started I would give them all partial bed baths in the am...now it just a quick wipe their face and their private area and change their clothes and diaper. Today I saw two residents crying...I only briefly got to speak with them b/c I was so busy! I never thought that would happened....after speaking with them I think it was depression. I just had to let the nurse know and keep moving. My body aches a WHOLE lot more than I thought it would. Although it is rougher than I originally imagined I still like it a lot more then my office job. I think I may eventually move to a hospital just for the experience and I'm getting beat up with all the hoyer lifts and heavy transfers every morning. Overall I like it...can't wait until I become a nurse though! =)

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Well I just passed my exam a couple of months ago and now I work in an LTCF. I've worked here for about a month. It is different than I imagined...I thought I would have more time to spend with the residents. But it is kind of like an assembly line. When I first started I would give them all partial bed baths in the am...now it just a quick wipe their face and their private area and change their clothes and diaper. Today I saw two residents crying...I only briefly got to speak with them b/c I was so busy! I never thought that would happened....after speaking with them I think it was depression. I just had to let the nurse know and keep moving. My body aches a WHOLE lot more than I thought it would. Although it is rougher than I originally imagined I still like it a lot more then my office job. I think I may eventually move to a hospital just for the experience and I'm getting beat up with all the hoyer lifts and heavy transfers every morning. Overall I like it...can't wait until I become a nurse though! =)

This is EXACTLY how I feel. I thought I would be getting to make a difference in people's lives.. I don't get that feeling when I work. I feel like what I do is meaningless. It's just an assembly line..

6a-8a - Get residents ready for breakfast, transfer to dining room, pass trays

8-9 - Breakfast/feeding

9-11 - Get the residents who eat breakfast in their rooms up for the day, do paperwork, answer call bells, take AM break, do whatever else needs to be done

11-11:30 - Lunch

11:30-12 - Transfer residents to dining room, pass trays to those who eat in their rooms

12-1 - Lunch/feeding

1-2 - Transfer residents back to rooms, do afternoon changes, finish paperwork (I&O's, Qchecks), go home at 2

I wish I had a different job.. I've been a CNA for only 2 months but I'm still sort of new.. I am getting better and more competent.. I've only had a resident late for breakfast one time since I started off orientation.. but sometimes I still feel like an idiot when I am at work. I'm getting better, but I think I am still just an average aide. The job duties themselves aren't the easiest, but I really don't mind them. I don't necessarily hate the job itself, what I hate is the way I feel about myself when I am there. I have bad dreams about it sometimes, I dread going in.. Some days are fine, others make me feel like an incompetent moron and I feel like I'm the idiot that everyone hates working with. :(

I sweat the small stuff. I'm still learning that it's okay to say "no" sometimes. I feel like if I say "no" to the residents for something or I don't tend to their every whim ASAP I am being disrespectful. I'm very timid and I need to grow a backbone. I worry about the smallest thing and I get so worked up and stressed out about it. :( I blame myself for everything even if it wasn't my fault. I don't know if it's because of my low self esteem or if it's because I really am an idiot.

I am very grateful that I have a job. I just wish I liked it more. I wish I could get into an office or clerical type of job but I have no experience in that field and I don't know how to use Excel.

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Specializes in Alzheimers and geriatric patients.

6 years. This job is definately not for everyone. I think a lot of CNA's go into the job not knowing what it entails so when they find out it overwhelms them and they get discouraged and quit. Others are used to cathching on to things very quickly so when they are still having problems after a week or so they give up. This job is HARD! Don't give up! It'll get easier. Good Luck to you all!!

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Hey Comfortably Numb...I feel you girl. I actually plan on looking for another job in the healthcare industry soon. I love the field but I feel like I NEED AN AID. lol. All the work we have to do and the we get in trouble for the smallest thing. If I don't have all my bed made right after breakfast the nurse is running behind me making my beds (she made 2) like I'm behind...then later on I hear about it. Its close to being impossible. I would like it more if I could catch on...this is my 4th week and it's coming but not soon enough. How much do ppl in dietary make??/ seriously I want to know and I don't want to ask anyone at my job for obvious reasons?? Hopefully I'll have a better day tommorrow. Just for the record I hope I'm not being discouraging for all the prospective cna's ...it is fulfilling just really busy =)

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I am just curious. I know what is involved, I know I can do the job and I'm waiting for a callback from a home that will train me (supposedly if I was accepted i'll receive a call in the next week) and I'm super nervous. However I am doing this so I can support myself just till I can get back in college and into nursing school. Do more CNA's do the job as a career or are there alot of people like me who want to go into nursing? Does anybody actually have the time for nursing school? I feel like becoming a nurse AND affording to live involves never stopping to eat sleep or **** EVER.

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I am just curious. I know what is involved, I know I can do the job and I'm waiting for a callback from a home that will train me (supposedly if I was accepted i'll receive a call in the next week) and I'm super nervous. However I am doing this so I can support myself just till I can get back in college and into nursing school. Do more CNA's do the job as a career or are there alot of people like me who want to go into nursing? Does anybody actually have the time for nursing school? I feel like becoming a nurse AND affording to live involves never stopping to eat sleep or **** EVER.

I've met people who made a career out of being a CNA. They've been CNAs for years. Some of the one's I've met usually have kids, so they work a lot of hours and don't have time to go back to school.Then there are others, like myself, who are going to nursing school.

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