Advice on becoming a cna

Ninja Nurse, ASN · Mar 17, 2009

Hi Mike, imo today there are more males in nursing (all aspects) than yesterday, and tomorrow there will be even more, just as long as you stick it out.

Good Luck

bigbadduck · Mar 17, 2009

absolutely! there are plenty of males. go for it! they need you, too!! :heartbeat your caring is already showing!!

sonomala · Mar 18, 2009

We have males where I work and they are the most popular of all with male and female residents. They ask for them all the time and look forwards to their shifts.

Ninja Nurse, ASN · Mar 19, 2009

Oh yea, and the other women cna's LOVE men cna's b/c you guys have the muscles to help w/ lifts. Don't get me wrong, we got'em too but ya know what I mean. :wink2:

mcnasty · Apr 14, 2009

i always think of the guy from that movie "the savages" with laura linney and phillip seymore hoffman. not sure if he was an orderly or cna- but he told the daughter (about her father) ... "he likes tater tots... i try to get him extra when i can"... it was so touching. i think male cna's must have a certain way with other men. i hope i get to work with some. its an interesting dynamic between men. and yes! i will be extremely grateful if one lets me borrow his muscles every now and then. :)

texastaz · Apr 14, 2009

You will be to popular. I think the patients get tired of seeing women all the time so in general when there is a man-they automaticly like you.

Serendipity, PCT · Apr 14, 2009

Oh yea, and the other women cna's LOVE men cna's b/c you guys have the muscles to help w/ lifts. Don't get me wrong, we got'em too but ya know what I mean. :wink2:

I did my Internship with a guy who wanted to partner with ME because I am strong! I mean, I am 6FT, but I'm not stocky. Womyn didn't last in health care this long by being weaklings! LOL :up:

Lorissa · Oct 17, 2011

Is that really what you want to do? You will be doing most of the work that has to deal with pee and poop. You will be answering lights constantly while every one else sit on their a.. Every single person in the building except kitchen help will be your boss. If i was 21 again I would have done what i could do to stay out of the field. I have done it for lots of years and hated it. Loved my residents but hated the lazy staff. The nurses who leave me as the only one on the floor so they could smoke cigs all day. The nurses that would come in and sign their name so they could hide in their office so i could work a floor alone which was illegal and hard on the residents. Lots of nurses who like you are not as deserving of respect as they are. Stay out of it. trust me. there are better jobs out there.

northernguy · Oct 17, 2011

Being a male isnt as big a problem as youd think. It does pop up from time to time though. If someone objects to having a male take care of them and there isnt a female CNA who can simply switch patients/residents with me, then I usually ask them if they have ever had a male Doctor, and explain to them this is no different, and that Ive gone through the same training the female aides have and have taken care of many people. If they still seem uncomfortable and it becomes necessary for a female aide or nurse to take care of the patient, its important that you make sure they know you arent offended or angry and that its certainly their right and you understand, and that if they need your help for anything else to not hesitate to ask.

You will often find many patients, male and female, respond better to male aides for some reason. maybe its because some of them see women as more judgemental and men easier to get along with, or maybe its just because they want someone physically stronger helping them.