Daily duties of CNAs?

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · May 13, 2011

Daily routine- wash people up, dress them, get them out of bed, change sheets, serve breakfast trays, spoon feed people, collect dirty trays. Take everyone to the bathroom, change their Depends, clean their butts, lay them back down. Pass out drinks and clean water pitchers. Give a couple showers. Take vital signs. Get everyone out of bed again, toilet/change them all. Take 30 minutes for lunch break. Wheel people to the dining room for lunch. Pass trays and feed, truck them all back to their rooms. Toilet again, take those who are able for a walk in the hallway, lay most of them down again. Pass out snacks, clip and clean fingernails, wheel people to activities, fill laundry carts, do paperwork, and go home.

I work in a nursing home, mainly on a dementia unit where the people are completely or almost completely dependent. Poop is gross, yeah, but you get over it pretty quick. It's not the only gross thing you will encounter- a lot of people have seriously stinky pee, flaky, greasy skin, smelly crotches, rotten fat folds, rotten teeth, slimy dentures, trachs bubbling with sputum, or they come to the place to get rehab for nasty wounds. You get over that stuff too. Nothing bothers me anymore. You're so busy and focused on getting your work done that it's hard to dwell on how gross things are. The worst part of the job for most CNAs is having to deal with frustrating residents. A lot of them are mean and will verbally or physically attack you. Or they just don't want to cooperate with any care, and it's annoying. The workload is really tough too- you feel like you're always rushing. And lifting people from bed to chair or chair to toilet can wipe you out. Plus you will have contracted people who are really hard to dress. So that stuff is all way worse than bad smells.

cj2011 · May 13, 2011

Well as a CNA working at a State facility i run into a lot "smells" that used to bother me. I have been doing this for almost 5 years and have learned to cope with it (holding my nose, for one).

on a daily basis, I change attends (grown up diapers), bathe and groom individuals, feed them, take vital signs and ect.. Every now and then when someone gets sick i run into vomit and thankfully i work with understanding co-workers who will usually handling incidents like this for me (vomit is my weakness, no matter how much i hold my nose, i still see it!) but it is doable.

Jen411 · May 13, 2011

Daily routine- wash people up, dress them, get them out of bed, change sheets, serve breakfast trays, spoon feed people, collect dirty trays. Take everyone to the bathroom, change their Depends, clean their butts, lay them back down. Pass out drinks and clean water pitchers. Give a couple showers. Take vital signs. Get everyone out of bed again, toilet/change them all. Take 30 minutes for lunch break. Wheel people to the dining room for lunch. Pass trays and feed, truck them all back to their rooms. Toilet again, take those who are able for a walk in the hallway, lay most of them down again. Pass out snacks, clip and clean fingernails, wheel people to activities, fill laundry carts, do paperwork, and go home.
I work in a nursing home, mainly on a dementia unit where the people are completely or almost completely dependent. Poop is gross, yeah, but you get over it pretty quick. It's not the only gross thing you will encounter- a lot of people have seriously stinky pee, flaky, greasy skin, smelly crotches, rotten fat folds, rotten teeth, slimy dentures, trachs bubbling with sputum, or they come to the place to get rehab for nasty wounds. You get over that stuff too. Nothing bothers me anymore. You're so busy and focused on getting your work done that it's hard to dwell on how gross things are. The worst part of the job for most CNAs is having to deal with frustrating residents. A lot of them are mean and will verbally or physically attack you. Or they just don't want to cooperate with any care, and it's annoying. The workload is really tough too- you feel like you're always rushing. And lifting people from bed to chair or chair to toilet can wipe you out. Plus you will have contracted people who are really hard to dress. So that stuff is all way worse than bad smells.

Well said!

AJ_427 · May 13, 2011

Well I work in a facility for developmentally disabled and my routine may be a little bit different.

For the afternoon shift. First, we get everyone off the buses (from school) and into activity rooms. We change diapers and clothes (if wet). During that time we also do activities like drawing, massage, playing with ball, etc. Then we go upstairs and feed everyone. Afterwards, we shower everyone (that is anywhere from 8-14 showers). I usually finish by 9 or 9:30 pm so that leaves me with final rounds, charting, waiting for my relief and then I go home.

For the night shift. I check if anyone is wet and I change them. Then I put out clothes for the next morning (this includes going through a huge pile of socks that laundry people never pair together). I take temps. Check with nurse if anyone is getting enema/suppository. Then I change everyone again. Afterwards, I clean the wheelchairs. Depending on what unit I work at, I get up anywhere from 6 to 8 people (we start at 3:30 am, 4:15 am, or 5:00 am). I know the times sound crazy but these residents are heavy, stiff, very difficult, and they like to fight with us so we start early. But we usually just dress them and leave them in beds until we are ready to put them in their chairs.

Depending on what unit and shift I work, I do shavings, change diapers, suction, take temps, clip nails, brush teeth, organize clothes, prepare beds, clean wheelchairs, and get up people in the morning.

The smell is bad at first. I have a resident that has a lot of secretions and the first time I had to clean his mouth, I gagged so much that I had tears in my eyes. After a while you won't even smell the BM. Sometimes urine is much worse than poop. Vomit is not that bad either, but you will probably gag a few times at first.

You have to know what you are getting yourself into. It is a tough job. I am lucky if I come home with no bruises. I had my hair pulled, I've been pulled to the floor, I had a sharp corner of a book shoved into my stomach, I've been punched, slapped, scratched, kicked and the list goes on. After you get to know your residents, you will learn how to avoid this. I often say to new people (even nurses) that I don't bother learning their names since people come and go all the time. Try and see if you like it.

Good luck!

PS- I hope I didn't discourage you :]

yousoldtheworld · May 14, 2011

Another person who works at a DD facility! Awesome!

Anyway, the post that AJ_427 is very very similar to my daily routine, except that my shift is 2 pm-10 pm, so once they are in bed and changed, I go home.

When I worked 3rd shift, it was similar to the routine she listed, as well. Wheelchair cleaning, rounds, gathering socks, putting away laundry, getting out the next day's clothes, etc etc.

Working with developmentally disabled kids and young adults is a lot different than geriatrics, so while the routines sound similar, the actual work itself is a lot different.