Fission mailed - portrait of a failure

[failedcna2012]

On 11/29/2012 I failed out of clinical ending my hopes of becoming a CNA in a timely manner by 2013.

I think this may have been my final chance at getting out of my mom's house with a job that actually leads to a living wage. I suppose that this pales in comparison to the pain I'm feeling inside right now as my own mother has excommunicated me.

Let me say that the experience that I gained while in class, though fascinating, will prove to be useless and I'm out almost a grand for failed training, equipment, and books.

I was always under the impression that the capacity of a student was to learn a trade under the direct supervision of an instructor or a full-fledged CNA, but I was wrong. I know now that by being alive in the same room as an elderly person that I should consider the resident in imminent jeopardy. No matter what I did (or tried to undo), my instructor would write me up and say that I put the person at risk of serious injury.

Rather than try to fight it, I'm just going to have to try to man up and get another dead end job. Maybe I'll be able to fallback on my bachelor's in mass communications or the certification in pharmacy tech.

For those of you who are thinking of nursing in any capacity especially CNA there's some things to be aware of:

1. You will be in contact with bodily fluids including urine and feces

2. Incompetence in any form will not be tolerated

3. During clinical experiences you may or may not be directly supervised

4. The end of your painful experience will yield you an even more stressful job

5. Anyone can fail out

Sorry to be such a downer. It's kinda hard to stay optimistic after a major failure. My advice is not meant to discourage anyone who wishes to be a CNA. I urge those who are interested in being a CNA to do research before you begin taking classes.

http://www.bls.gov (this is the website for the government's bureau of labor statistics website. If you search under cna it will give you a brief description of what to expect from a career path, avg salary, etc)

CNA upgrades to LPN upgrades to RN

Good luck to all the successful CNAs out there and those who decide to become CNAs.

[JDZ344]

Maybe you could share with us what you got written up for, and we can help you to go through what went wrong and how you can learn from it?

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

I was hired as an NA at a large hospital in the region without any kind of certificate.

I was, however, in nursing school.

Once you're accepted into a program, some opportunities may open up for you.

I am sorry about your experience. I worked as a Nurse's Aid for a year and then as a Nurse Tech for a year (whose duties in addition to starting IVs and installing urinary catheters included all the things NAs did as well). The labor can be backbreaking, but it is a way in. Now, as an RN, I have found that if I want my patients to be cared for promptly and appropriately, I often still have to do a lot of those things that are usually thought to be work for unlicensed personnel.

An adjunct to this is that I am now known as the nurse who will help so I get asked by aids to help with toileting patients they would do on their own for other, less helpful nurses on the unit. On the other hand, I rarely have trouble getting them to help me with dressing changes and so on...

[funtimes]

No use in crying over spilled milk. Just learn from it and move on. You may have just had a really uptight instructor. Failure is a part of life. People who dont have failures early on in life have trouble dealing with adversity when it comes up, especially in health care where you have to have thick skin and mistakes can have grave consequences. so look at this as a learning experience.

[failedcna2012]

@KatieP86: The instructor deemed me a hazard three times. I would rather leave the work to trained professionals so that I don't end up hurting anyone.

@anoetos: Thank you for your words of wisdom. I'll have to look into alternatives that you suggested when or if I should make another go for the nursing field.

@funtimes: Dropping a grand on a failed course is a bit of a hard pill to swallow. The money I can overlook, but the excommunication is a little more tricky. As my instructor used to say 'No easy answers'. No crying intended.

Nursing is a great profession that allows those that succeed to have a vast amount of opportunities while serving as an essential role in the healthcare system. To better prepare future prospective candidates I believe it's only fair that they be aware of all the bad and the good associated with the field.

From the perspective of a student coming off of the street with no prior medical patient related training, CNA training programs can be a shock to the system.

For instance, BM, urine, and blood is not everyone's cup of tea. It still has to be done. The frequency may vary depending on which direction you go.

to add to my original post:

6. Training scrubs will not be a perfect fit

7. communication with residence may be difficult

[Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN]

I'm really sorry you're going through this. I understand what kind of downer it must be to have to sit there and look at it this way. Honestly, I probably would be reacting exactly how you are, if not worse. Just know there has to be some sort of sunshine at the end of this tunnel.

What was your end goal if you don't mind my asking? Was it just to be a CNA?

[loriangel14, RN]

Did you find that being a CNA was not what you expected? Were you suprised by the points that you have listed?

How would we know how long before your mom will speak to you again? We don't know her at all.

[nursel56]

I'm sorry your mother would refuse to speak to you because of your issues in your CNA clinical. I know the other CNAs here would be happy to help you gain some insight into why you were deemed a hazard three times and tips on succeeding in clinicals, but nobody is forced to share what they are uncomfortable with here.

You sound quite intelligent, and have a sense of humor and I'm sure you are not a failure. Getting out from under Mom's toxic attitudes would be my first priority so perhaps getting a job with your other degree or pursuing the pharmacy tech job would be best for your overall well-being. Best wishes!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

2. Incompetence in any form will not be tolerated.

I respectfully disagree. After having been in nursing for the past seven years, I've seen more than my fair share of incompetent RNs, LPNs, and CNAs fly under the radar. They all have jobs, and as long as management turns a blind eye to their incompetence, they will continue to maintain employment.

Incompetence is tolerated in certain toxic environments, unfortunately.

[esand]

I feel for you majorly. And to the person being rude about the poll, it's obviously a joke...

[becalee26]

I would think that going into a CNA program most people would be aware that they would be coming in contact with BM, urine, and blood . It's a big part of the job description. Being a CNA is not for everyone and if training CNA's have an issue with coming in contact with the BM, urine, and blood then going into the medical field might not be the best carreer choice?

Could you take the program again at a different facility? Maybe it was just the teacher and that in another program you'd be fine? I know it's costly and takes up time but if it's something you really want to do then don't give up.

Give you mom some time to process. Maybe if you sit down with her and discuss your situation the two of you could come up with your next plan.

[FutureC.N.A]

I'm sorry to hear that you failed your clinicals. I really do understand how you feel. I made it through my clinicals, although every day felt like a miracle that I made it through without quitting. I also feel like a failure because even though I made it through training and even passed the state certification test, I never got a job. I job hunted every single day and went on interviews at different hospitals but nobody would hire me due to lack of experience. ) It's been about four months since I became certified and now all I do is work for minimum wage at a gas station. My parents are also angry/disappointed and every day they remind me of my failure by telling me I need to be finding a CNA job. My mom and I also still get in to arguments about it a lot. Honestly, at this point, I don't even want to continue finding a CNA job because the only openings around the small town that I live in are in nursing homes and with home health agencies. I just look back at it as a great, eye opening, learning experience. I believe everything happens for a reason and like my CNA instructor said, "Taking a CNA training course not only makes you realize how things are in this profession but it also helps you learn a lot about yourself."