First real CNA job tomorrow and so nervous!!!!

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Sep 23, 2015

If you're working noc shift, be prepared to be bored! I worked noc at a 50 bed LTC facility and we would come in, do rounds, stock the resident's rooms, sit around for a couple hours and answer lights until rounds, sit around and answer lights again, do rounds one last time then start helping people get ready for the day.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Sep 23, 2015

However, coming in at 7PM will be different. Most likely you'll also be helping evening shift get residents into bed. The toughest part is getting to know everyone and their routines. You'll do fine! Ask as many questions as you need to and good luck â˜ºï¸

Lulu Belle, RN, EMT-B · Sep 23, 2015

You'll be golden!! Working in LTC is all about getting a routine down and planning your shift. Yes, you can have a crazy shift, but those are the ones that fly by.

I work 3-11, not night shift, but I can tell you what my shift is like.

I clock in, check my assignment, and print it. I go ahead and do my rounds, changing/toiletting as needed. Then I head back to the nurse's station and see who needs vitals, weights, and showers. I get my vitals and weights done asap and chart them. Then I put all the linens I will need for my shift in my resident's rooms. Then I do dinner-related things, but you don't have to worry about that.

Once dishes are cleared from dinner I take a mini-break by sitting down and recording my Q15s and I&O's thus far.

Then it's around 7 and it's crunch time. I try to have all my residents in bed and their nighttime briefs on by 10:30 so I can sit down and chart. It's a mini-marathon but a fun one. I guess this will be applicable to you since you're coming in at 7.

From what I hear, you're on your feet answering call lights a lot on night shift (more so in rehab, less in LTC). You'll have to reposition residents, do rounds, and get some up for the day as well.

It's tough at first but I PROMISE it gets easier and even enjoyable.

VicChic20 · Sep 24, 2015

First, take 5 deep breaths and let out that anxiety. It is normal to feel nervous going into any new job because you're walking into an envirionment you're not used to and it feels foreign. When I was fresh out of CNA school 5 years ago, my first and still current job is at a nursing home and I work nights. I was one nervous chick. Never had any real job experience at all. Just go in tomorrow, take a deep breath before entering and do your best to learn everything there is to know during you orientation. There is a lot of new information and policies that the LTC facility will have, so try to pay attention and engage in the training. I don't mind working in LTC workplaces, depending on how many residents you have, it can get stressful during the day shift/evening shift. Night shift can be hectic as well. There will be some nights that a few residents don't sleep at all and they are moving around in bed. Sometimes we have to get the resident up and come sit with us at the nurse's station because they are almost going to fall out of bed. Then there will be some nights where it is calm and there's more free time. At my facility, we have only 40 residents, all 1 floor. There are 2 aides and 1 nurse, and the main duties we have to do are 2 sets of rounds on the residents. The other aide and I go down each hallway together, so that when we do our 2-assist residents, we are close by. We also get 4 residents up and dressed between 6:30 and 7:30am, and that's the end of my shift. We have other small duties, too such as filling up new water pitchers with the new date and passing them and stock gloves in the resident's rooms, and answer call lights.

I think the change in facility won't be too dramatic since you've already worked at an assisted living place, so you have some idea of what duties you'll have to do. I wish you luck and to just relax!

slilly · Sep 28, 2015

For me working at hospice facility I have recently been working nights more so than days, and it's been more relaxed it seems like cause all of my patients have been fed and most are usually sleeping during the night. When they do wake up and need to be changed that's when I go in and bathe them and get them ready for the rest of the night. Other than that I keep busy with laundry and checking in on my patients and repositioning and changing as needed. Keeping them in bed and comfty is my main goal for a good night.