For the past three years I have wanted to become a CNA, but never had the opportunity to switch jobs. The time finally came and I was so excited! I studied my CNA skills nonstop, and passed my state test. I plan to start my LPN next September, and always felt that a good nurse is one who is willing and able to do it all. However, from day one, this job has challenged me. Let me start off with that the challenges have nothing to do with wiping butts and doing all the dirty work, but just on how to get it all done on time. The staff never really seemed to want to explain much in training. I find that people are constantly yelling at me and I feel like I am being pulled into four different directions. For example, after dinner almost every single resident wants my help getting ready for bed at the same time. I am polite and explain that I will be with them next, but some just freak out. Then in the middle of helping someone to the bathroom and getting their pajamas on, a nurse or another CNA will come find me to be like "Joan has to go to the bathroom". Knowing that the current resident I am working with takes at least 15 minutes to change into PJ's, put brief on, brush teeth, pull wheelchair out of bathroom and over to bed, and lift them up onto the bed, fix their sheets and such....and that's only if the resident doesn't start making me hunt stuff down in the room. I have one resident, who every night, has me searching for things (bag of candy, bottle of lotion, ect.) I feel as though a few of the nurses just expect me to do 15 minute jobs in 5 minutes, and don't realize how the residents are slow and confused. Tonight I had a resident who was supposedly having a reaction to some medication, and it was like he was on some LSD trip. He was hallucinating nonstop and thought people were breaking into a window, only he was referring to the hallway. He also kept trying to get up out of bed, even though he can't walk, and he would end up diagonal on his bed, so I would have to ask someone to help me straiten him and boost him back up. I fixed him twice, in between taking care of other residents. I was walking a resident to the shower room and noticed he had done it for the third time, and I called down to the nurse and explained how he might fall out of bed, and she told me to start the shower and leave the resident in the shower alone and go and fix the guy in bed all by myself. The lady in the shower was completely independent....but it's still not the point. she wanted me there to wash her back and help her dry off...and then I have to deal with that guy hanging out of bed....and all the nurse does is just give me a dead look. Is this job challenging for all new CNA's or is it just me?
