I re-took my CNA skills test today. Had a different tester and thought everything would go fine.
Everything wen't completely smooth, until I did the blood pressure. THe stethescope they use is one of those training ones with 2 earpieces. So I go to take it, and do everything okay, I listen and get 130/90 . the tester jsut says "Write it down" So I did, then she says "Now do it again." My instructor gave me a bizarre look and I could tell she was getting nervous because her breathing picked up. So I take it again, this time I get 140 /95. This time the tester just says "You've failed this procedure." She said on the first time, SHE got 136/88 then the second time got 132/92, and I'm only allowed to be off by 4 of what she has. Even though NOTHING in the states procedure manual says that. All it says is "Accurately record the systolic and diastolic pressure." Nothing about 4 icrements or anything like that.
Blood pressure is pretty subjective isn't it? I've seen in practice 4 people take the same person's BP and come up with 4 separate readings. Yet she's going to FAIL me over that? Especially when the girl who went ahead of me fumbled through her whole test. Our instructor told me she though she was going to fail, but the tester passed her. Then me it was just "Nope, stop. YOu failed."
I don't get it. The written test was so easy a moron could pass it, but on the skills they want to pick pick pick pick at little tiny trivial things for an $8/hr job. Do I have "IDIOT" tattooed on my forehead?
Now I have one more chance to take the stupid thing, and if I fail that one, I have to retake the whole 105 hr training again. This is getting a little frustrating. I have worked my butt off for the last 4 months. Our DON told me that I'm a good aide and she loves having me. So have several other nurses, but some yo-yo from the state wants to come in and in 5 minutes tell me I don't know how to do my job.
Is it going to be like this when I start RN school this fall?
Tim