New CNA in a big hospital

Students CNA/MA

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I am a pretty new CNA. I recently (within the past few months) started working in a hospital as a float. I work on just about every floor except OB/Birth place. Doing this has been great, I am learning a lot of different things and I get to see a lot. However, there is a down side there is so much information that sometimes I feel really inadequate. I ask plenty of questions, but I also do not want to be a nuisance to the nurses and other CNAs. I am perfectly fine with all of the CNA work, skills and whatnot. But I feel totally at a loss 70% of the time a nurse is talking to me :confused:. I am trying to figure out if anyone can recommend a book or a website that could help me. I mostly feel at a loss with some medical terminology and diagnostic terms. :o

I want to educate myself more, I am doing my pre-requisites to get into a nursing program, but i have not taken any terminology classes, pathology or pharmacology classes yet. please help!

NM nurse to be

172 Posts

Since you are doing pre-req's already, could you find out what the med-surg text book is that your school is using? Now I know that they will likely change editions between now and then but it would be a huge help to you to be able to read up on what your patients are dealing with at the time. And the big plus there is you would have a HUGE head start in class when you get there :)

It's great you are in a hospital already! Doing and seeing what you do will be SO helpful once you get to clinicals! The other thing I want to mention is that once you identify which nurses are inclined to share their knowledge, take them up on it! They would rather you ask a question than do something wrong anyway. And some really like to help the new kid along. The trick is knowing when (and who) to approach with a question. They will love you for it.

Good luck!

e71x

15 Posts

Hello, I'm also a new CNA and working in the hospital is my first job as CNA. Like you, I also am totally lost whenever, I get floated to a different unit/floor. The person above me have wonderful advice. I look for the nurse who I think is ok with me having some of her time to explain how things in the floor work. I also ask a lot of questions on what things that need to be crucially done and routinely done on the floor from the previous CNAs when they're doing reports. I also ask the charge nurse if they have a print copy of CNA duties on their floor, some floors have, some don't.

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