A thread for the newbies

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Since we seem to have a lot of new CNAs around lately, I thought it might make it easier for them to have a place to ask questions and see what may already have been answered. And for us 'oldie' CNAs to post hints of what we needed to know and had to ask when we first started.

I'll start with one I see a lot, here and in school.

The staff you are shadowing aren't wrong or lazy because they may do things differently than you are taught. ASK them why first, before you get all wound up. What is their reason for doing X that way? I see a lot of students (nursing but I saw it in cna class to) get together and say OMG did you see so and so do this??? They are such a bad aide/nurse. And most likely, those students have no idea what was really happening in that situation. Yes people will do things wrong but really, it doesn't happen as much as it appears by the posts here some days :) I understand we vent here, lord knows I do it too! But good nurses and aides happen too and are hopefully more the norm. Newbies, give your mentors the benefit of the doubt. There's good eggs and bad, ask about what you're seeing, then decide.

And one more...

Your first job is going to be HARD. You might go home crying every night for awhile, til you get the hang of it and break down the old aides' walls. We have all been there. We know how it goes. Doesn't make is suck any less for you RIGHT NOW but do know it will get better :) If it's for you, stick it out. If you decide it's not for you, there's absolutely no shame in that either.

Next?

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Specializes in Telemetry, School Nurse, Hospice.

Hi NM Nurse To Be,

First, I want to say thanks so much for posting this thread. I think its great. I came across Allnurses.com a few weeks ago and have been reading a lot, but this is the first time I have replied to anything. I appreciate you thinking of us newbies. :)

I am getting ready to make an entire career change in a couple of months. I am registered for CNA classes that begin in September and am also registered to complete my RN (after taking courses here and there for several years) in January. I have about a year and half left for my RN and would like to work as a CNA as I go through school. I know its tough work...physically and emotionally exhausting, but rewarding at the same time....I have several friends who are RN's but really don't know many CNA's to bounce ideas off of or get inspiration from. That's why I am here!

I have a new son! Since he was born, I have an overwhelming desire to help people. This may sound corny, but I need to somehow attempt to repay the blessing that has been given to me in this little boy. Hence my decision to change my direction. I have been in "Corporate America" for two decades and have had enough. :yeah:

I appreciate you (all) being here and look forward to learning more and getting some support...and just maybe giving some, too.

Take care and thanks again. :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.
Hi NM Nurse To Be,

First, I want to say thanks so much for posting this thread. I think its great. I came across Allnurses.com a few weeks ago and have been reading a lot, but this is the first time I have replied to anything. I appreciate you thinking of us newbies. :)

I am getting ready to make an entire career change in a couple of months. I am registered for CNA classes that begin in September and am also registered to complete my RN (after taking courses here and there for several years) in January. I have about a year and half left for my RN and would like to work as a CNA as I go through school. I know its tough work...physically and emotionally exhausting, but rewarding at the same time....I have several friends who are RN's but really don't know many CNA's to bounce ideas off of or get inspiration from. That's why I am here!

I have a new son! Since he was born, I have an overwhelming desire to help people. This may sound corny, but I need to somehow attempt to repay the blessing that has been given to me in this little boy. Hence my decision to change my direction. I have been in "Corporate America" for two decades and have had enough. :yeah:

I appreciate you (all) being here and look forward to learning more and getting some support...and just maybe giving some, too.

Take care and thanks again. :)

Oh good luck!! :yeah::yeah::yeah:You wont regret working as a CNA while working on your pre-reqs. Its a great way to gain experience, network,etc..

NM Nurse To Be-- I totally agree with you. I hope this doesnt offend anyone, but honestly I think that CNA class gives some people unrealistic expectations.Your patients/residents/clients will not be cheerful & happy like the ones on the videos you watch in class. The workload will be alot heavier than it was in clinicals. Being a CNA involves much more than taking vital signs & passing meal trays. Its a very hard job & it will take a lot out of you!

You wont always get the recognition you deserve for a job well done. But your patients/residents appreciate you, their family appreciates you & I appreciate you!!:D:D

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This is exactly the kind of thread I have been looking for!!!

My situation is pretty similar to vegmom's. I put in my notice at my corporate job just last week to start my CNA course mid-July. I will also be (hopefully) starting NS in January. I realize this forum is used as a sort of venting session if you will, but it is so disheartening to see so many CNA's telling us noobs to "run for our lives". I understand it is a tough job, but there has GOT to be some good in it right?!?

I look forward to hearing more advice from the "oldies". :) I am really excited about the career change and cannot wait to get started! It will be so helpful to hear how I can make the experience better.

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Specializes in LTC.

I have to second that the class gives people unrealistic expectations. It teaches you how to take care of like, 2 residents, both walkie-talkies.

In reality you will have to take care of like 10 residents and some of them will be combative and/or verbally abusive; a few will have OCD about the way their care is done, wrongly accuse you things like abuse and neglect, and never take their thumb off that call bell; some will be very contracted and therefore hard to bathe and dress; some will be very hard to feed; people will fling themselves down in the middle of a transfer; etc. It's nothing like practicing on your classmates. Your clinicals might give you a taste of some of these difficulties but it's still just one at a time.

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Specializes in Telemetry, School Nurse, Hospice.

Hi Kyla.ann & Kimberly,

So glad to see you here, too! Congrats, Kyla, for taking that leap of faith. I just had to do it too. I know that medicine is also a "business" now, but I come from such a "profit profit profit" mentality in my current profession that I was beginning to feel like my soul was shrinking!!!! I have always wanted to help people. My passion is Nutritional Counseling and I eventually would love to be able to teach people how to treat and prevent disease through nutrition vs. medication ...but since having my son, the thought of working in Labor and Delivery...and helping new moms to learn how to breastfeed, etc... very much interests me too. That's what I love about the RN path...there are so many opportunities and so many directions in which we can go.

I am currently home with my son while my husband works full time...and its tough. We definitely need to pick up a second part time income, so I thought that becoming a CNA would be a great option...I can work part time or per diem and, since assisted living and hospitals require staff 24/7, I will be able to work the shifts opposite my husband while I go to NS (we do not want to use daycare as an option...our son is only 7 months old right now....) ... I know it will be tough, Kyla...but ...I agree with you...I was hoping to find some encouragement too...

Do you know anyone in the field? Funny, I was talking to my neighbor just last night...I have lived next door to her for 3 years and never knew she was a CNA. :) ...She said she has been doing it for 25 years and "absolutely loves" it. That was a big plus!

What made you decide to start CNA training?

Hope to hear from you soon. And I hope NM comes back...she sounded great too! Have a wonderful holiday weekend. :nurse:

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Specializes in geriatrics, dementia, ortho.

Hi KylaAnn and Vegmom, welcome to being a CNA! :redpinkhe

Although actually, I'm not even a CNA, I just have my NAR, however I am still a nurse's aide and work alongside CNA's at an assisted living facility. I'm fairly new to the field as well (next fall will be my 1 year anniversary) and just wanted to pass on a tip for beginning: you may want to try working home care or Assisted Living first before going into a LTC/Skilled Nursing facility, simply because the patient load tends to be lighter in those first two options and can give you time to get confident with your skills. Also, it may be easier to get hired at a homecare agency or AL facility when you are fresh out of your training.

I love my job and getting to make my residents feel better every day, even though it's sad at times too. I have always worked in the helping professions but this is by far the best fit for me. Hope it will be for you too as well! :hug:

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I am back :) I'm glad to see this thread taking off, I was hoping some of the newer kids here would feel welcome. I'm home from work this week (and clinicals too, which is not a good thing) because I got an abcess on my neck that turned out to be MRSA. So I have a bonus holiday weekend!

I ended up in the medical field after a lifetime outside with horses and kids. It's quite a change! And while I was so totally inept and awful to start with, I know I do a good job now. I wasn't sure for a LONG time that I would ever be good at this. And since my plan was an LPN (doing that now and looking to go on to a BSN at least), I sure hoped I would get the hang of it eventually :D

For those who ask about doing this pre- or during nursing school, I can't even tell you how much I say YES! Some folks will poohpooh it as not that helpful but for myself (and others in my class), we had so much an easier time with clinicals in particular but even theory because we are exposed to a lot of conditions along the way. You will get comfortable walking into someone's room to do things they may not enjoy, you figure out how to talk to people who may not communicate very well, you hear doctors and nurses interacting and you learn what kind of nurse you want to be.

Funny thing from clinicals last week... another student and I got to go with a patient to his colonoscopy. Which in itself was pretty cool. After the procedure, the doc (who was a switch from the one who was expecting us) says so who are you two? We told him and he looked at us both and laughs 'so I'm guessing this isn't a first career for either of you?' :D He was funny and happy to answer our questions after the procedure.

I can tell you, I never thought I'd be in this particular place at this point in my life! But I am and I enjoy it and (now at least) I am good at it. I would be finding nursing school SO much harder if it was my first exposure to the medical field! I know there are those who do it that way and it works fine but for me, at this point in my life, I don't think I'd have made it.

And for all those here who have REALLY bad first jobs as a CNA, know there are better out there. It might take some doing but they don't ALL suck quite as bad as you have it now. Might be worth trying something else before giving up on the whole field. What I find is that for someone who really cares about their work and doing a good job by their patients, a lot of facilities are not a good fit. Mine isn't particularly for me right now but with school, it's not really the time to change jobs, so I make do and do the best I can those nights I'm there.

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Specializes in Telemetry, School Nurse, Hospice.

Hi NM and Alligator!

So glad to hear back from you both. NM, you make me chuckle...it seems like you have a great sense of humor, and I'm sure that helps you in your field, and helps your patients, too. How long have you been a CNA? I apologize if you mentioned that already and I overlooked it. I had to chuckle with your Doctor's "first career" comment, too. I turned 40 last week and have already wondered if I will be the oldest in my class. :jester: No matter, I think I have started this journey at exactly the right time. Any younger, and I may not have the philosophy I have now.

I am so sorry to hear about your "unplanned" holiday. How are you feeling? I have a friend that had a similar reaction to a spider bite. Is this the first time you have had MRSA complications? It was for her. She thought she actually picked it up in the hospital, but they told her she "colonizes" MRSA, so this could happen again if she suffers a similar wound. Scary stuff! I hope your facility is being understanding with your time off....which brings me to: Do you find that CNA work/hours are flexible? I have this idea that because CNA's are needed in hospitals, LTC facilities and AL facilities, and these all require 24/7 care, that I will not have a hard time looking for a position with flexible hours. In short, my husband works early days, so I would like to work afternoons, evenings, or overnights, when he is home to care for our new son. Also...I am hoping for something part-time to start, so I have time with the family and for my studies (my core nursing classes start in January).

The other thing I am reading a lot about (and am curious about) is ...how much "heavy lifting" is actually involved in being a CNA. I'm relatively strong and don't mind physical labor, but I do have a back muscle that gives me a bit of trouble from time to time. It usually acts up when I try to bend and lift something "the wrong way"....from some of the posts I have seen, it seems like CNA's are moving patients all day long! I am assuming that we will be taught proper lifting procedures in school, and I am also assuming that if a patient is particularly large or difficult to move, that perhaps I would get assistance from another CNA to do a transfer, etc. Am I assuming incorrectly? I just want to go into this with my eyes WIDE OPEN. :eek:

I am so excited about starting this new adventure...and so glad that you are all here for advice and info! Talk to you soon. :o

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Specializes in Telemetry, School Nurse, Hospice.

Kyla.ann...I know this is funny, but I just ran across this post from (almost) two years ago! I've been away from Allnurses for a while (school keeps me busy), but I wanted to check in with you and see...are you still doing CNA work? I have been at my facility for about a year and a half now...and am waiting for "the letter" from NS...they say I'll hear something by May 1st...pins and needles! Anyway...I just wondered how you were doing. Hope to hear from you! :)

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I just started CNA classes this week at Job Corps and I'm so excited! We took our first test and I just got my scrubs today. I can't wait to wear them. I'm also planning on working as a CNA while I obtain my RN degree.

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