CNA's what is your typical day is like working the 7p to 7a shift

I worked briefly in a nursing home before getting accepted to the hospital as a CNA/transporter, but here is some information I can give you. I worked the 3pm-11:30pm shift and it is way less hectic than the morning shift. Occasionally you will have to give baths, but most of the care really is just cleaning up after patients and making sure they are turned every 2 hours. I would think that nightshift has even less going on, so you'll just have to take it from there! good luck!

I work as a PCNA (patient care nursing assistant, basically like a CNA only I'm not "certified") on an internal medicine/telemetry unit (med-surg) so it's different from a nursing home, but I work the 7p-7a shift so maybe I can give you some insight on that.

* VS Q4H (1900, 2300, 0300 for those on telemetry units which is about 90% of our patients...those who aren't on telemetry or Q4H vitals are Q8H, so 2300 and 0300)
* turn any patients that need turning Q2H
* blood glucose checks (AC/HS) at 2100, or if they are Q6H checks then at 0000 and 0600
* I/O's at 2200 and 0600
* daily weights at 0600
* we do QC's (quality controls) on our glucose machines at 0100. They lock out at that time so we have to run control tests to make sure they're working.
* if we have a new admit, we're responsible for obtaining VS and height/weight.
* everything else involves things like getting patients some water or another blanket or helping them up to the bathroom...on my incontinent patients I do incontinence checks Q1H or sometimes sooner.

We're also required to give any sitters breaks for about 30-40 minutes and we may also be pulled off the floor to sit for a patient who needs it. Generally I've found the night shift to have a lot more "sitting around time" than the day shift, but that doesn't mean that the night shift can get crazy, too!

what's it's like working in the alzheimer unit:
Interesting! On the Alz unit I work on we have wanderers that would walk up and down the hall all night long, no matter how many times you put them back to bed. A couple residents scream all night long for no apparent reason. And there's usually a couple escape artists that try to make their grand escape because it's night time. Never a dull moment.

what things would i have to do on the 7p to7a shift
It's similar to the other 2 shifts except you get to move at a slower pace.

And A run down on what u do on your shift
At the LTC where I work I do the following every night:
Fold and pass clean linen
Empty Foley's
Do rounds 2x, changing soakers,briefs, and usually entire beds.(on average 30 full beds)
TPR'S
then at 5am start getting people up, washed, and dressed. If there's only me on 4 people.(that's typically the case)
Do the books
Take dirty linen to laundry.

*I like working 3rd shift the best, if you can handle the sleep schedule you'll do well.*