About laughing at yourself.

Published

I'm no expert. I've been working as a CNA for four months. But I wanted to take a few moments to sit back and share some laughs. Maybe some of you other newbies will get a kick out of this.

Do you even remember why you wanted to become a CNA?

Do you remember telling yourself (and maybe others) that you were gonna be great?

Do you remember when your biggest worry was at what step the clothing protector came off?

At the end of a particularly stressful day, I often laugh and laugh and laugh at myself. I've learned how. I've learned that a good day is when you get everything done, and a bad day, well, actually, you're not allowed to leave work undone, so even on a rough day, I tend to clock out with at least a shaky "I made it!". I don't remember why I wanted to do this work. Some days I feel like it's the last thing I want to do. And then a kind of patience that my twenty one year old self has never known before settles over me when I spend forty minutes in a room with the most demanding residents. Oddly enough, I have as much fondness for the residents who've gotten in a few punches as I do for the ones who tell me I'm doing great and thank me profusely for responding to their lights.

Oh yeah, I won't deny it. In the past four months I have cried right on the floor, I have snapped at (and quickly apologized to) my coworkers. I have learned that there is no such thing as a "sick day" for us part-timers, and that if our charting (computerized of course) didn't reset when our shifts were supposed to end, I'd probably stay late almost every day, and gladly.

As I said, I have also learned to laugh. I have learned not to skip my breaks if I can manage it, because ten minutes of peace and quiet is like a trip to the spa. And while I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for entry into an RN program, the only thing left to motivate me is my job. Because while I have been bitten, punched, kicked, spit on, slapped, pooped, peed, and bled on; and while I can't imagine why I signed up for this to begin with, I can't imagine ever doing anything else.

So please, take a minute to laugh with me. For the other newbies like me, what have you learned over your time at your facility(ies)? How have you changed? I see the motivation on the board, and then the disillusionment, but I don't think anybody every talks about the moment when it hits us, what being a CNA really is. I see now why all the veterans laugh at us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Which department do you work in? Why not switch departments?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

If you don't laugh, you'll go crazy!

You're not letting the bad days drag you down and that is so awesome! It's the little moments that make it worth it at the end of the day. Despite those terrible days, you can clock out at the end of your shift and the next day can be totally different. (Thank goodness!)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

xinspiredx: I don't actually want to switch departments. What I am sharing is not a lack of love for my job. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned in my short time at my facility. Being as young as I am, being a CNA has taught me stress management, time management, and patience. When I said I can't remember why I wanted to do this, I mean only that being a CNA was not what I thought it would be. It's a whole lot more. But I see so many people here start their first jobs frustrated and disillusioned and worried, and they should know that they can do it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think that working as a CNA in LTC is a make you or break you position. In my case, CNA made me realize that I wanted to do more in life and that if I could survive three months of LTC, I could definately survive any course a college could throw at me.

My hardest professors were not as hard as getting punched, kicked, cursed at and spit on by residents. We all know about the smells. No lab or even college restroom can even come close. If the work had not been what it was, I might not have gone on and gotten my MA degree and then I would not have the job that I start on Monday, my dream job.

But the dark side of CNA work can break a person. I've known some very nice caring people who were turned cold by the work they were doing. People who got into it to help people but because of the nature of the work and the company find themselves taking short cuts and saying mean things about their residents. People who find it hard to smile on a day off because they know what they're going to have to face at work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

But the dark side of CNA work can break a person. I've known some very nice caring people who were turned cold by the work they were doing. People who got into it to help people but because of the nature of the work and the company find themselves taking short cuts and saying mean things about their residents. People who find it hard to smile on a day off because they know what they're going to have to face at work.

This is so true! It can break you. I've seen so many people with good intentions come into my facility and just couldn't handle it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Great post!!!

I totally agree....I got my CNA cert last April, got reciprocity in RI in June, and was hired to my floor in a local hospital in early September.

I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. There I was, this tiny 20 year old, being thrown into the busiest floor with absolutely no experience. But laughing at myself helps. I could have never imagined seeing all I've seen, or finding the strength(physical and emotional) to do all I've done. My first day I found myself hyperventilating and sobbing in the bathroom because a patient died and it was the first time I'd really seen someone die or someone dead NOT at a funeral. I've had nights where I get everything done before 7, and nights where I don't leave till after 8.

Not too long after starting, I thought maybe nursing wasn't for me.....but after going back and forth, I'm settled. No matter how frustrating or exhausting this job is, I love it. I love my coworkers, I love my patients, I love their appreciation, I love the laughs we have when they hate us and say mean things(because if not laughs...we'd just cry). I love the other aide I work with, I love the nurses....I love it all. At the end of the day, a single "Thank you" can make all the smells and the back aches and the vicious words worth it. At the end of the day, as stressed as I may be as I head home while the rest of the world is waking up....I smile. Rough nights or not, I love my job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You guys are all absolutely amazing, and 100% correct. I came back to this post I made after a rough weekend shift and a spat with a coworker that left me in tears. And while I know I've got a long way to go (and maybe that I've gotta let that skin get a little thicker), when things feel at their worst I remember that I could work anywhere for a paycheck. I am here for THEM. Thank you for all of your inspiration and encouragement. Kelsey, I know the feeling about being back and forth, but at the same time, I still don't want to do anything else! At the end of the day, no matter what went wrong, I still love what I do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.
I am here for THEM.

And THAT is what it's all about! God bless you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was hired to my position with out too much experience, and there were def. some days where I thought I was going to quit. I work in the busiest part of the hospital where most of the workers have years of experience before going down. I love my job, and I still don't feel 100% comfortable all the time even after almost a year, but I take each day as it goes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion