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:
We were supposed to start clinicals tomorrow but since our class has been so sick they've rearranged things. They don't want us to cause an epidemic in the nursing home. So we are going to go to clinicals Mon-Wed next week, it was supposed to be Thur,Fri, and Mon. They are giving us Friday off so we have a 3 day weekend to rest and recover from this crud that most of us have had and hopefully we'll all start well and fresh on Monday.
We've been in the lab this week. I'm getting the hang of it but things have to be "just so". None of it is complicated, it's just alot of steps to remember. We have 27 skills but only 5 will be chosen for us to do at state exams. Handwashing is one, so the other 4 could be anything. My instructor said that he has an almost 100% pass rate so that's reassuring. I think it would be easier if we weren't simulating alot of it. We have to pretend to do so much, I think it would be easier if we were actually DOING it instead of verbalizing that we SHOULD be doing it. But we have tomorrow morning in the lab to tie up the loose ends and then our BP test in the afternoon. OH YEAH!!
This is so cool. They got it approved for us to use Mr Sims. He's our programmable dummy. They can program his BP and his pulse rate so we can do those two things on the dummy instead of a real person for the state exam. That eliminates the risk of the observer making an error.
That sounds so cool ! Are you going to do other skills with the dummy or just those two?
Well we do pericare, catheter care, and empty the drainage bag on Mr Sims. I don't see why we couldn't do more with the dummy but I guess they want to see as much real contact as possible.
Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.
This is so cool. They got it approved for us to use Mr Sims. He's our programmable dummy. They can program his BP and his pulse rate so we can do those two things on the dummy instead of a real person for the state exam. That eliminates the risk of the observer making an error.
That's so cool that they can program the BP and pulse! The only way the answer is wrong is if YOU get it wrong, like you said.
When I enrolled in my class, I walked passed the classroom and they had a ton of baby dummies. I was wondering what specifically they used those for. Does anyone have those in their class?
My CNA class started on Monday 16th and my last class is supposed to be in April. So far i like it, the book is a bit intimidating, but for a stay at home mom of 14 yrs (have a 14, 11 and 5 yr old) anything is at this point LOL. We didnt get much done tonight though, major storms came thru and she decided it was safer to go home. Im glad she did cuz the winds got really bad here (ky).
I am new to this site, and was excited to find this thread
I finished my CNA course and internship 12/17/08 and have my state exam this Friday 2/20/09 wish me luck!!
With the holidays and then the state cancelling some exams in Jan. my exam date is much later than I thought it would be (I hope you don't experience the same!)
I will post here and let you know how the exam goes! We were told it will take 2 weeks to get our results by mail, I'll be waiting by the door for the postman everyday!!
SerendipityWomYn - I am in NY too, where are you? I just moved to Queens from Boston, so don't know the area too well. I think I will spend the two weeks waiting for my results researching where to apply, so that I am all ready to go once I get that certificate in hand! I also plan on going on to do a LPN and then RN (and would also love to run a marathon one day! and get married and have kids! I just don't have my timeline as planned out as yours!!) Oh, and I am 29 so if you are finished by 30 you're doing great!! Plenty of time to have kids after education!! Me on the other hand, geeesh, don't want to think about it right now, one step at a time!!
hello!! i'm pretty excited about starting my cna class march 31st. i registered for the class this past tuesday. got my text book and all the paperwork i need to fill out for the first day of class. i just wish it started sooner! but this will give me some time to start reading the text book, it came with a cd, so i will check that out too. after reading many posts, i realized that back in the early 90's i was basically doing the work of a cna, but wasn't one. i had worked in a care home for many years caring for residents. so i am familur with what a cna does for the most part. but i am still a little nervous, it's been a long time since i've done this type of work. but i'm looking forward to doing it again, but this time i will be a cna!! my goal, like many, is to get into an lvn program then eventually become a rn. my only regret is that i wish i would have done this years ago!! but life got in the way, as did bills! lol!! so i have been out of the medical field for close to 10 years. i really miss it and can't wait to get started doing something i have always wanted to do!! i guess.. it's better late than never!! i look forward to reading everyone's posts on thier cna experiences! this is a great thread!!!
I'm finished with theory:w00t: Got a 98 on my final ! Now on to clinicals. We went for a tour of the facility today. Its a really nice place & its only like 7 minutes from my house so that's a definite plus. Not only is it a nursing home, it has an assisted living section, independent living & a skilled nursing facility section. Really nice place all around. In fact a couple of us wanna even work there :) So maybe I'll see if they're hiring. Anyways the residents all seemed so nice. One couldn't hear but she had a dry-erase board and she wrote "its nice to meet all of you, i hope to see you again". We met a few people who are suffering from dementia. One kept yelling out "mother" really loudly. And then one of the residents yelled "your mother isn't coming !shut up!!" It was sad Then a couple of the dementia patients are prone to falling, so their bed is very low(like ground level) and each side is covered with mats so just in case they fall it will cushion it some. We met one and she was really nice but she kept saying how she was in so much pain.. I wondered if the staff had given her anything for it? Then we visted the assisted living part of the nursing home & that was nice too. Well anyways the nursing home section had 38 residents I think & there were 5 CNA's for each shift. The residents get divided into "teams" so each CNA will take care of 7 or 8 patients. We only saw one CNA while we were there so I guess the others were busy on the floor. Anyways I think things will go alright at this place.
Just got accepted into a cna class and it starts on the 2nd and ends april 1st. Im so excited to be starting. Right now Im a sitter at a nursing home and I eventually want to be a lpn.
I've completed my class and internship and take my state exam tomorrow!! (taking a break from studying)
The tips I have are:
Bring a pencil and notebook to every class, take your own notes. Our instructor gave us typed up notes but they were limited - I like to have very detailed notes including what to say to the Resident/dummy/Ms. Jones also where to stand, pictures of how to set up your supplies, etc. it makes it easier (for me)to remember now that I am studying those skills weeks later.
Also, we had a test every Friday and homework due. Put every effort you can into this, it will pay off. I saw some girls sharing answers and scribbling them in just before handing in their HW, we all know this won't pay off in the end. Do the reading, do the homework and study for the tests, it will save you a lot of heartache in the end. (I'm proud to say I had a 94% avg. on my tests, so I'm very comfortable with the written material and have been spending most of my study time now prepping for the skills part of the exam) Our book also came with a CD and I took all the practice quizzes each week to go along with our reading (unfortunately they were much easier than the tests we had in class, but it was good prep for vocab etc.)
Also, my biggest tip - sit up front!!! From day one I went in and sat in the front row - intimidating yes, but worth it!!! (funny thing is we all kept sitting in the same seats for the whole course) Get a good view, don't be afraid to stand up, move around, etc. you are paying to learn, so get the most out of it that you can!
And last but not least, make friends, and be supportive! I have been studying for the last couple weeks with a girl from class, it is soo helpful to get together and discuss, and practice (sometimes one of us forgets how something was done, but the other remembers, and vice versa, it also helps me stay focussed when I am with someone else - although this can go both ways! we don't take too many breaks to chat!) It will also be helpful after your class is done to have phone numbers/emails for those in your class, you can network with each other, let each other know of job openings, good places to work, bad experiences, etc.
Good luck to all of you/us in our new career paths!!
I am soon taking my state test. I went to a great long established program that is taught by a lady who used to administer the state test in my state.
No offense to anyone, but this class was a joke. I did other homework during and never paid attention and still got a 100% in the class... none of the material was really new to me. I'm starting a 1 year Accelerated BSN program in the fall... I need something that is intellectually stimulating.
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LOL. We didnt get much done tonight though, major storms came thru and she decided it was safer to go home. Im glad she did cuz the winds got really bad here (ky).
Then a couple of the dementia patients are prone to falling, so their bed is very low(like ground level) and each side is covered with mats so just in case they fall it will cushion it some. We met one and she was really nice but she kept saying how she was in so much pain.. I wondered if the staff had given her anything for it? Then we visted the assisted living part of the nursing home & that was nice too. Well anyways the nursing home section had 38 residents I think & there were 5 CNA's for each shift. The residents get divided into "teams" so each CNA will take care of 7 or 8 patients. We only saw one CNA while we were there so I guess the others were busy on the floor. Anyways I think things will go alright at this place.
KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN
1,641 Posts
That sounds so cool ! Are you going to do other skills with the dummy or just those two?