About to Start!!!

So, I just accepted a job as a Nurse Assistant at a hospital. I'm currently a pre-nursing student. I have no experience with healthcare. I learn very fast and I'm a very compassionate person! I'll be in a pool so I'll float all over the hospital. Can I get some pointers and what can I expect?!?!

I'm terrified but SO excited at the same time!!!

I first want to congradulate you on your new career move. I know you will do well because you have the zeal and you are excited... I must admit that there is good and bad to working in the float pool. When working in the pool expect to learn a lot. I say this because by floating every where you will be exposed to many different areas of nursing. The best advice I can give you is to take responisbility for your own learning and you will learn plenty... so much that by the time you get to skills in your 1st semester of NS school you will feel very confident. Take advantage of learning opprotunities and ask questions. Never be afraid to ask a question if you dont know what something is or how it works. The more you know the more efficient you will be and when working in as a float pool cna efficiency is a very good skill to have. Now the bad.. When working in the pool expect to get dumped on. When moving from one floor to another people will try to take advantage of you because the floor you are on is not your home. Sometimes you will get the crappiest, neediest, total care patients, and the sickest. Sometimes you will get on a floor and you are the only cna and the floor is full and the nures are lazy and do not want to help. The best advice I can give you is to not be afraid to ask for help and speak up for yourself. People are only going to do to you what you let them and I am telling you you dont want to get the worst assignments all the time bcause that is how we burn out as nurses. Other than that you should have fun and learn plenty. Good luck!

Thank you so much!!!! I've heard that it can be a dirty job and that you get pushed into things that aren't really yours to do however, I did take the position with the intent on learning everything I possibly can before I start my program and also to see which area I like and where I will go after I graduate (Hello, crazy run on sentence)! I want to learn everything possible and I'm not a push over so, from what you've said I think I'm going to do really well!!!!

Again that you so much!!!!

I agree with caewelike: use this as a learning experience and ask a lot of questions! And she's right about floating on different units- you'll get the extemely ill or difficult patients.

For now I'm completely OK with that! The more difficult and complex and ill the more I can learn from it!!!! Like I said before, I took the position to get the learning experience! I definitely took a pay cut to switch but I think it'll be worth it in the end!!!

The reason I say to make sure you speak up is because during the summer time its all fine and good to have a heavy load because you dont have the stress of school to worry about. However, when school starts it can be pretty overwhelming. Remember your biggest focus is to get into nursing school and stay in. You sound like you will have everything under control.

The reason I say to make sure you speak up is because during the summer time its all fine and good to have a heavy load because you dont have the stress of school to worry about. However, when school starts it can be pretty overwhelming. Remember your biggest focus is to get into nursing school and stay in. You sound like you will have everything under control.

Luckily, I'm contingent and only taking a class or 2 each semester through the winter '10 semester (done with those bad boys by end of April!!!). I don't start my actual program until Fall of 2011 so I have around a year and a half (unless they have an opening earlier!) to work/save money/get as much experience as I possibly can!!!! I've already mentioned to the manager that I'm going for the second degree program and she told me I could stay contingent and work just the bare minimum (3 shifts I believe) or I could leave and then come back after I'm an RN. I am going to try to make it work so I can stay in the hospital while I'm in school so I already have my foot in the door and I can just go for a promotion instead of a rehire... That's a bridge I'll cross when I come to it though!