This thread is for those of us who are enrolled in a CNA course right now, and/OR will be certified between March and April. Here is where we rant, network, and/or brag about the way our course (s) are going, our experiences finding a job after our course/internship is completed, and what our plans are for the future (Nursing school, etc.).
We started this topic in another thread, lets keep this going! :heartbeat
Here is a little YouTube humor for all of us potential CNA's. A typical day in the life of a Certified Nursing Assistant:
I am doing well. The class is going well. We had our second day of clinicals this past Tuesday. I have not yet had direct patient contact. This past clinical was bedmaking only - non occupied beds. Next week we have our clinical where we begin to provide patient care. My clinicals seem to be different from everyone else - I have them porificed within my program and then a full week at the end.
My program will end on March 25 and we have our exam shortly after that.
Serendipity - do you have any job prospects lined up - or an area you wish to work in?
Just finished my CNA course last night thank goodness!! I did well. I know I passed the course. Just need to take my state exam (which I'm super nervous about) sometime soon. My instructor was great, even though she was my sister! I do no have any jobs lined up because I will make less if I take a CNA job than what I am making right now working at the hosptial I am at. I am just going to hang out and do my current job and maybe work PRN at a staffing agency that my sister works for as a RN because they generally pay more for PRN people just so that I can keep my license once I get it. I have to have my CNA license for nursing school in the fall so it wasn't a waste of time or anything! Glad I got it over with though.
Just came back from the state boards today ! Waited forever to get my fingerprints done but once I got to the BON office it only took about 25 minutes. I got a paper that says I have a temp. license but the # hasn't shown up in the computer system yet. So idk how long that will take but I want to start applying to jobs like right now!! Lol. How is everyone doing?
:ancong!: To those of you who have completed your course (s) and internships, and good luck to those of you who are getting ready for your Board Exams!!
My class is officially over on March 19th (10 Days!) then I have my 30Hr internship. After that, its time for ME to take the Board Exam. I'm most worried about the clinical part. Which skills do you guys feel you need to work on? Skills that are the most challenging for you?
Soon we will all be CNA's then we can talk about our 1st jobs!
I have finished my clinicals and just have two more days of classse left and I am done with my CNA course!!
Clinicals weren't bad, but very tiring! I was lucky enough to be in the rehab hallway, so most of the residents I were assigned to only needed partial help. I got to see two go home during the weekend I was there!
We learned all the skills that could potentially be tested on the state test and were able to perform all 20 during my weekend at the LCTF. It was such a different experience performing them on a real person, but everyone was so nice there. We were there Saturday and Sunday from 6:45am - 3:30pm. It was rough with the time change and not being a morning person!!
The facility was the nicest I have EVER seen. Their hospice hallway is like a five star hotel with individual rooms, huge bathrooms, and huge flat screen TVs. The entire place isn't quite that nice, but still very nice. Everything is new and up to date and absolutely beautiful. They have a regular dining room and a formal dining room. They have lounges for each hallway with huge plasma TVs, tons of books and games. Each room has its own back patio. The courtyard is beautiful with trees, flowers, and a huge fountain. The living room area has lavish couches and a huge grand piano. I was BEYOND impressed with the facility.
The STNAs that are normally employed in that hallway have about 10 residents to themselves for a 12 hour shift. We were only assigned to 2 residents for 8 hours and I was EXHAUSTED!! WOW! I respect those who work in LTCF, especially as STNAs. I know I could never do it - not my cup of tea. However, it was an amazing learning experience I can take with me to my BSN program in the fall.
Curious.... I live in Ohio and here, nurse aids aren't certified, they are state tested (STNA versus CNA). Any other states where nurse aids are STNAs instead of CNAs?
Greetings All and Congrats to you for all of your progress! I also reside in Queens, NY and attended my first class last night. I am so excited and looking forward to the steps ahead of me. My class ends on April 10th and then its off to my internship. I just wanted to share some information since I realize that your class cost was kinda steep. The department of labor provides educational grants of up to $2500. The entire cost of my class was covered and it was $799. If you are interested in proceeding on to the Nursing Tech (Phlebotomy and EKG) then you could definitely look into this once you have obtained your certification. See you again soon with my progress report.
Hey guys!! I passed both written and skills!! I'm A CNA!!!! I got an 89 on the written!!! 10 pts lower than my class grade but that's okay.
They didn't give me questions and answers that I missed but they did give me a list of "vocabulary to study" so I thought I'd pass that on to you. Each of these were in my mental list of possible wrong answers.
hair care, care plan, colostomy bag, constipation, oral temperature, sharps container, antisepsis, rights, confidentiality, ethics
Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing well. Last night was the first night of my Multi-Skilled Med. Tech. course. I thought we'd start with the CNA class first but we've started with Phlebotomy. It's a really small class, there were supposed to be 5 of us and only 4 of us showed up. Our instructor has been a phlebotomist for 30 years. She's really bright and cheery and has lots of funny stories. LOL She keeps the class interesting. She lectures with PP and gives us a printout of the slides for us to take notes on and she gives us a worksheet for that particular chapter (She told us that most of her ?s for quizzes and exams comes from the worksheet which was very helpful.). We meet every Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday from 6-945 and the class will be over on May 15th. I haven't been in school since 2005 so I definitely have to get used to being in a class for 3+ hours, after we came back from break I was getting a little sleepy. I'm really excited about finally being back in school though and learning some new skills.
It's going to be an interesting class and I can't wait to get into the good stuff. The only part I'm nervous about is the sticking each other part. Which we'll be doing in 3 weeks. Oh and we go to lab on Wednesdays and we don't do clinicals until after the class is completed. After that I'm not sure which class is next but I still have the EKG class, CNA class (CPR is incorporated in there somewhere), and Med. Terminology. I was told the entire MSMT course would be over at the beginning of July but I'm not seeing how that's possible since this one isn't over until May. We should be getting our schedules on Wednesday so we shall see. :)
The only part I'm nervous about is the sticking each other part. Which we'll be doing in 3 weeks.
Is it a requirement of the course to be a "guinea pig" for phlebotomy? I know in most nursing programs they have fake arms with fake veins for practicing. They're actually pretty realistic.
Anyways, I have no problems with blood (shadowed a lot in the OR) and no problems with needles (I have enjoyed watching since I was 5). However, I get REALLY bad vasal vagal reactions to blood draws. Even halfway through a tube of blood I will break out into a cold sweat, get light headed, dizzy, and feel very nauseous. I am fine drawing other people's blood, but I cannot stand to have mine drawn!! I was thinking about taking a phlebotomy course (this location doesn't have the fake arms so they use each other), but now I'm not so sure. Do you know if your course requires you to be a guinea pig or if you can opt out?
Is it a requirement of the course to be a "guinea pig" for phlebotomy? I know in most nursing programs they have fake arms with fake veins for practicing. They're actually pretty realistic.
Anyways, I have no problems with blood (shadowed a lot in the OR) and no problems with needles (I have enjoyed watching since I was 5). However, I get REALLY bad vasal vagal reactions to blood draws. Even halfway through a tube of blood I will break out into a cold sweat, get light headed, dizzy, and feel very nauseous. I am fine drawing other people's blood, but I cannot stand to have mine drawn!! I was thinking about taking a phlebotomy course (this location doesn't have the fake arms so they use each other), but now I'm not so sure. Do you know if your course requires you to be a guinea pig or if you can opt out?
Well, we will get to practice on the mannys too but that will be in the lab. Our first lab will be next Wednesday. As far as opting out, I'm not sure. I didn't even ask our instructor. Needles and getting blood drawn has never phased me much, not even as a kid. And seeing blood and organs has never been a problem for me either. I'm only worried because we're all newbies here and I don't want someone sticking me over and over again because she can't find my vein. Having one or two needles is ok but getting stuck over and over again does start to hurt afterwhile and my arm(s) become sore. It's only a small class of 4 anyway so I'm not sure how it would work if I decided I didn't want to participate. I think I'll wait to see what it all entails before I decide not to participate. It won't be for a few more weeks anyway. :)
Are you planning on taking the phlebotomy course for a PCT position??
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Which we'll be doing in 3 weeks. Oh and we go to lab on Wednesdays and we don't do clinicals until after the class is completed. After that I'm not sure which class is next but I still have the EKG class, CNA class (CPR is incorporated in there somewhere), and Med. Terminology. I was told the entire MSMT course would be over at the beginning of July but I'm not seeing how that's possible since this one isn't over until May. 
We should be getting our schedules on Wednesday so we shall see. :)
Starbite
4 Posts
I start April 27! So excited!!!