First CNA Job

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · May 12, 2011

You'll probably be following someone around without doing much yourself on the first day or two. And you'll probably go home and be like, "um what just happened?" There are so many people, the pace is fast, and the routine becomes a blur. And that routine is what you'll need to know when your orientation is done. If your trainer is nice she can help you make a cheat sheet.

I started on 3-11, and one thing that really threw me was that before dinner the CNAs would pair up and take different sides of the hallway and take everyone to the bathroom. Then after dinner they would split up and do their own assignments which were scattered throughout the hallway. So sometimes, depending on what assignment you had, the people you dealt with before dinner weren't all the same as the people you dealt with after dinner. No one ever explained that to me though, and I remember getting pretty confused about who I was supposed to be taking care of.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · May 12, 2011

Oh and I also didn't know the routine for things like vitals and snacks. Trainees really slow you down, so the person I was with never had time for any of that and someone else would always end up doing it. So when I got off training I was so frazzled I didn't even think of it, nor did I have time because I was so slow.

Normally one person would do all the vitals and not just those of "their" residents. But since people aren't always very nice to new CNAs, when I first started this girl did all the vitals except mine and then threw me under the bus for not doing my own. I ended up having to go around at 10pm doing my vitals, and the nurse was annoyed that they were so late.

It's that kind of thing that I wished I'd concentrated on. All butts get wiped pretty much the same, and if a resident doesn't like the way you are doing it they will probably tell you on the spot. However, they are not able to tell you who your showers are and that you forgot to do all your vitals, so if you don't know the routine very well you're kind of screwed.

CelesteR903 · May 12, 2011

They did give me a packet that included a timeline of when they want things done and what each shift is responsible for. Is that what you mean by routine? I'm really nervous. My last day of clinicals I got a horrible CNA who left people on the toilet while she went out and smoked and then tried to convince me I should throw out a bedpan for her because it wasn't going to come clean. I really hope I don't get someone like that for my orientation here.

GSOnurse · May 17, 2011

Make sure to ask lots of questions. If you don't know or remember how to do something, ask another CNA. If for some reason you finish your rounds, ask another CNA if they need help. This will help you quickly make friends that will help you out, when the time comes.

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · May 17, 2011

There's the routine that the facility has, like meal times and stuff, then there's the routine YOU have. You'll learn that the lady down at the end of the hall takes 2 and a half hours to go to the bathroom so get her up first. Things like that. You'll also learn that each person is different and has their own way of doing things. You'll pick that up as you get to know them.