CNA only...

Silverdragon102, BSN · Apr 29, 2010

moved to the CNA forum

Ev1987 · Apr 29, 2010

I work in a nursing home, where most of the residents are elderly. The work can be hard and stressful due to time management. I enjoy what I do, and the work pays off because working as a cna is a rewarding career. I'm a bit curious as to why you have doubts about working with the elderly, many cna's do in fact work with seniors.

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 29, 2010

I almost quit class when I found out I had to do clinicals in a nursing home. I did not even want to think about having to deal with an "old person." I was so set on doing clinicals and working in a hospital (I had such an inaccurate perception of the field all the way around :)). I followed my teacher's advice and just tried clinicals in a nursing home.

I loved it.

Yes, it was/is very hard. But I'm happy I made the choice. Now I would rather work with seniors than middle aged- or younger adults.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2010

Where do you work?

I work at an assisted living facility that exclusively caters to those with Alzheimers or other forms of dementia. I also work as a private duty aide at a continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

Is it hard?

The assisted living job is, yes. The private duty-no.

Does the hard work pay off?

It all depends on how YOU view it. I like to think that at the end of my shift, I've made a difference in someone's life. The pay is sucky & we're often mistreated, understaffed, etc..but you have to remember that the #1 priority is to the residents.

I didn't want to work with the elderly either at first. But I really do enjoy them, and you can learn a lot from them. Working in a nursing home isn't the only place a CNA is limited to though. You can work in home health, hospice, assisted living, and depending on where you live some doctors offices hire CNA's. Give it a try though. You may just like working with the elderly :)

mickey_RN · Apr 29, 2010

I almost quit class when I found out I had to do clinicals in a nursing home. I did not even want to think about having to deal with an "old person." I was so set on doing clinicals and working in a hospital (I had such an inaccurate perception of the field all the way around :)). I followed my teacher's advice and just tried clinicals in a nursing home.
I loved it.
Yes, it was/is very hard. But I'm happy I made the choice. Now I would rather work with seniors than middle aged- or younger adults.

Same here! "Old People" scared the crap out of me, but I actually am looking forward to working in a nursing home. Not because of the work, but because of the residents...

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 29, 2010

Totally agree.

Financial paycheck = sucks.

Emotional paycheck = Bingo!!

juliaann · Apr 30, 2010

Where do you work? I worked for a year on the med/surg unit of a hospital. I've since transfered to the cardiovascular department.

Do you like your job as a CNA? I disliked some co-worker drama, some staffing problems, and feeling like I never got to everything I needed to by the end of the day. It was very draining. The experience, though, was invaluable.

Is it hard? At times. There were days I would cry in the breakroom at work because I was so frustrated with having too many patients and them all needing things from me...it wasn't their fault, but I just didn't have enough time to do everything. And sometimes I had to work with some really rude, unhelpful nurses.

Does the hard work pay off? Definitely. I know I'm going to be an awesome nurse. I know I can cut it on a busy med/surg floor. I know I like direct patient care. I know I have the right brain for it. The experience, and the confidence, is totally, totally worth it.

I'm taking a CNA course and not sure if I like to work with ederly...

To be honest, me either. I *hated* my LTC clinicals. But I love working in a hospital. A lot of our patients are elderly, but it's such a different environment, their age doesn't really play a factor. They're just *patients* now.

Maybe you'll just need to find the right work environment that fits for you? CNA experiences are so different from type of facility, and from facility to facility. Good luck!