Bad first day of clinicals

MissRN07 · Aug 6, 2007

some CNA's can have that attitude. I experienced the same, but i think its got to do with the fact that some of them are older CNAs and they see young nursing students going to school to have a higher position than them and it kinda throws them off, you know what i mean? Dont get me wrong though, some of them are VERY helpful. I also experienced having CNA's teach me things that RNs wouldn't at some hospitals. Keep your chin up :nurse:

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Aug 6, 2007

Washing butts with shaving cream helps with odor control, but you are right, she sounds like a lazy preceptor.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Aug 7, 2007

You will see and experience everything from soup to nuts through both clinicals, as a CNA and as an LPN. You get the good with the bad. I do remember once where someone washed a patient with shaving cream and she told me the same thing; that it cut down on odors (it actually did, but didn't want to do that myself).

Take it as a learning experience. Not every CNA or nurse will be what you expect them to be, and if there is a high volume of patients, you will see some amazing shortcuts that your heart may not allow you to do. Just use her example to show what type of CNA you will NOT be. The same will be for the nurse;believe me!

zooz · Aug 7, 2007

Take it as a learning experience. Not every CNA or nurse will be what you expect them to be, and if there is a high volume of patients, you will see some amazing shortcuts that your heart may not allow you to do. Just use her example to show what type of CNA you will NOT be.

Very true. Great advice!

Well, I had my last day of clinicals today. Let me tell you that I can completely understand what you're going through. I had my fair share of bad CNA preceptors during clinicals. Most hardly ever practiced hand hygiene or wore PPE, had bad attitudes, and were short-tempered with the residents. In general, they were unhappy, unwilling to help each other out and wanted to get out of there as fast as possible and get their paycheck. But, I had one CNA (out of six that I worked with) that was a shining example of how I would like to act when I become a CNA and--eventually, I hope--a nurse.

Just stick to your guns and do things how you were taught. I had to learn a lot of things during clinicals without much help from my preceptors. If they give you any flack when you have to do something a certain way (i.e. the correct way), and they start telling you how much longer it takes compared with doing it their way (which is most likely the incorrect way) just tell them you are required to do it this way. I used the "I'll get in trouble with my teacher if I do it any other way" excuse when they just wouldn't let it go that I needed to do it the correct way.

This situation is very frustrating, but it is doable. You'll make it through! :wink2:

Monica RN,BSN · Aug 7, 2007

so, saturday was my first day at a nursing home for clinicals. i had a terrible cna. first, she was very rough with the residents. she washed one of the patients with shaving cream! another, she ripped off the diaper quite forcefully. then she tells us, "just to let you know, we don't have time to follow the rules a lot of the time." then she just disappeared for a long time. when she finally reappeared she says, "i'm being lazy today" and just sat down at the nurses' station.
needless to say, i didn't learn anything. please tell me you actually get some sort of training when you first start as a cna. i'm freaking out because my lvn program starts in september and praying clinicals there will be better.

shame.. there is no valid excuse for laziness... the dear residents are the ones who suffer immensly. it is cna's like that, that give nursing homes a bad name and prompt investigations for neglect and abuse. the rough handling is abuse, the lack of doing care properly is neglect... so sad... disappearing for a long time is abandonment........reportthese typeof nonsense and ask for a different cna, (in the name of safety, caring and compassion) all of which that cna does not have... :angryfire:angryfire

what you should have done then and what i hope you will do in the future is to report these incidents to the don. one, it is the right thing to do as a resident advocate and two, nurses are mandated by law to report abuse, neglect or exploitation ... what this cna did is definately abuse in handling the residents roughl

Sensoria17 · Aug 7, 2007

Thanks Monica! I don't think it would do any good to report it. From what my CNA instructor told us, the DON isn't much better. She was involved in an incident where she was notified that a patient didn't seem to be doing well. She then just sort of looked the patient over without doing anything and went back to her charting. The patient later died that night. This is definitely just a bad nursing home.

amanda1229 · Aug 7, 2007

It may be hard, but I would either ask her to do things right because you are a student, or ask for another CNA to stick with. You are trying to learn skills to pass a test, it's not fair that you aren't getting taught correctly. It is true that in a LTCF, lots of aides will start to speed up and maybe skip a few steps here and there, but if you heart isn't in it that way then you don't have to take it in your real job OR your training.

Clinicals will only last for so long, so you'll probably never see this aide again. I say, just go to your instructor and ask for someone new, or ask the aide politely to do it the right way, the way he/she was probably taught for her test.

As a CNA with a real job, you won't get "training" with the residents -- you'll only get familiar with the residents and orientated to the workplace. They'll expect you to know these things. Some places even have their own little skills test, where you perform three or four skills for them before hire. Again, I would strongly recommend getting help from someone else -- lazy and incorrect aides aren't going to help you.

Hydakins · Aug 11, 2007

I had a similar experience and I asked to work alongside another CNA. BUT, in school, the teacher did tell us that what we learn in the classroom is for the exam and that we will learn shortcuts and time savers while we are actually working. Laziness and extra rough care should not be tolerated though. I would ask my clinical instructor to change the CNA if possible and just give the reasons in a nice manner as to keep someone from losing their job. The person who said that you will do things according to each patients needs or wants is correct as I learned in my internship. Good Luck!

snowboardgirl · Aug 17, 2007

I know how you must have felt, I my self just finishing up with CNA clinicals next tuesday. Wow what a ride. I called my mother in law who is a retired RN and said, I never thought choosing to help my community as a nurse and helping people, would I have experienced such nasty, horrible compassion and bad habits as I have in my CNA clinicals.

I actually had to close the door with one of my instructors and make sure he knew what was happening. I told him the CNA I am following is never around, ignors me when I ask for assistance, and walks away. I actually said a lot more that his eyes opened hearing that language from my mouth, but I had to let it out to him I was completely upset!!!! For goodness sake, I made a decision to become a nurse to help patients/residents and to work with team members who have the same goal.

He did tell me he is sorry that I am just like him, wondering how the heck some nurses got there license and still work because they lack the care and safety practices. But not every team member will work as hard and true as people like us and not to expect every team member to work just like yourself, but to work with your own spirit of what is correct, right.

I also agree with another response above, that once the CNA's I worked with got wind that I had my pre-rqs finished for RN program, and my AA in business mang. they don't like the feeling some new students have more education and actually are happy with patient/resident care.

Other great advice my teacher said is to obviously remember the CNA's are a team member so not to get into a dispute over right or wrong, but to make sure to let the "bad" CNA know that you did the care in a proper manner. Example, my CNA would dissapear for brief changes and I know she never did oral care! So he told me to let her know I took care of it, and maybe it will start to set in her mind. But also if it happens again to report it!

This is for anyone who wants to check out- This is a site I was told about that nurses of all levels can report to Anonymously, all you need is facilities place name & address if possible, residents name or patient, room number, (date and Time if possible) and the occurance. The Foundation Aiding the Elderly - they have been around for 25 yrs. This foundation will make the report out and file it for any wrong happenings that should be reported, and your name will never be revealed. I haven't checked it out yet, but its a good source.

Keep your chin up and I will learn to as well. My mother in law said, take the good and keep the pride that you are making a difference in patient care, and keep smiling. -

suanna · Aug 17, 2007

Shaving cream is OK, the rest is not, although the CNA was most likely just being honest. "By the book" may mean some patients get no care because you are spending so much time following the "rules", but prioritizing care and focusing on the problem at hand doesn't excuse being unkind or rough. Give her another day- she may just have been rushed or unfocused that day. If you witness abusive care as a "nurse to be" you have an obligation to intervene. That is why nurses are in charge not CNAs. The patient advoate role is sometimes 80% of our job.

fleur-de-lis, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2007

I agree with everyone that the CNA sounds awful, but the shaving cream is a trick I learned in clinicals in the ICU. Believe it or not, it really softens the skin and smells great! It rinses easily also, whereas soap is hard to get off in a bed bath situation.

In my opinion, you did learn something in this sad situation. At the very least, you learned that you can learn something from everyone. Even if they seem to be useless, they may have some little nugget of information that you will use later as a nurse. Or, if they are completely useless, at least you are learning how you do not want to practice nursing.

I'm glad that you are questioning practices that seem off the wall - don't lose that! Good luck!