HELP! I DON"T WANT TO GO THROUGH CNA first...

Nurses General Nursing

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This is really not to put any profession down but I've dreamed of being a nurse for soooo long, now only to discover that before entering my LVN program, I have to get the CNA title first! I am horrified of having to do some of the tasks described! This is not whaat I dreamed of all these years, I was thinking more along the lines of changing newborn diapers, not old folk diapers! CAN ANYONE BRING ANY CONSOLATION?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Perinatal, Float.

quote: "Plus, the 'oldies' can be just as cute as the 'little' ones"

I'll never forget little white-haired Nona who was chair-bound, but would sing "You are My Sunshine" whenever I asked! brings tears to my eyes. (this was when I was about 7 yrs old and my LPN mom would take me to work with her before I had to go to school) This could be a big part of why I am a nurse today. I eventually worked at this same small nursing home cleaning up poop which we had to spray off the pads ourselves and soak them in bleach water and NO gloves!!!! At least we have gloves today....

Specializes in retail NP.

i admit, i was much like the poster the first semester of nusing school. for the rn program i just completed, the first semester was all about learning the role of the cna. i have to say i hated it. i was not keen on the code browns and the long term care setting. i didn't think i was better than any of it, just 'grossed' out and more uncomfortable (i think the fact i was still 'green' and new to nursing had more to do with it). anyway, i digress. the following semesters i made sure to do more than my share to understand total patient care and get my gloves dirty when i could to learn quicker and less 'sicker' techniques. by my last semester, nothing really fazed me...i had a paraplegic with a stage 4 tunneled decubitus ulcer in his perirectal area. he was undergoing maggot treatment to debride the escar. when i came in that morning, took report and started my assessment on this gentleman, i realized 90% or so of the maggots had escaped the incorrect dressing!!! the man had rogue maggots in his scrotal area, in his thigh hair, in the massive bm he had expelled, throughout the sheets and on the floor. instead of freaking the heck out, i knew the guy needed to be treated like a human being, first and foremost. i got in, double gloved, after reading the order for the correct dressing change, cleaned his rectal area and bedding. at that moment, i realized c. diff, diarrhea, stool specimens or anything bowel related i had conquered.

hang in there. i know the feeling, but your outlook will most likely change.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
This is really not to put any profession down but I've dreamed of being a nurse for soooo long, now only to discover that before entering my LVN program, I have to get the CNA title first! I am horrified of having to do some of the tasks described! This is not whaat I dreamed of all these years, I was thinking more along the lines of changing newborn diapers, not old folk diapers! CAN ANYONE BRING ANY CONSOLATION?

I can understand. Poop and stuff is not much fun to deal with. But even as an LPN or an RN your going to be wiping butts, emptying ostomy bags (or worse), measuring pee, suctioning out nasty things from a persons airways, getting thrown up on--it can get dirty. As a student you will NOT be able to stay away from that, it's just the way it is. As a student nurse your basically doing a lot of the CNA stuff (as well as learning nursing skills). I've had to gown up as a student nurse to go wipe a butt because the BM was all over the place. Somehow you learn to get through it all and it makes you a better person.

It's also not as bad as you think it will be and you can get through it and then go on to the babies if that is what you desire :)

Wow. I disagree with the other posters. I never wanted to be a CNA either. It is many many more pts and a lot of back breaking work to be a CNA. I do not have any problems with diapering and cleaning people, just not 12 people a day over and over!!!! As an RN I have only 4-5 pts on med/surg with no CNA. I do everything myself unless the pt is large and then another nurse helps.

If at all possible you should look for a school that does not have that requirement. I went straight to RN with no prior experience and had scholarships and loans to get me through school. I don't think every nurse has to be a CNA first.

Best of luck!!

Ahhh, but that wasn't the point of the post! The OP doesn't want to be a CNA because she doesn't want to deal with poopy diapers from adults!

Sorry, but I do agree with the others. Not that you should be a CNA first, but that if poopy diapers is your reason for not wanting to do it, then nursing is not for you. And with the way LDRP units are now, the babies room in with their moms so you will not be in the nursery with just babies unless you go into NICU, and I doubt NICUs hire LVNs.

Specializes in ER.

Schools who require you became a CNA first are doing themselves and the student a big favor. There are many who say they want to be a nurse but have no idea what it involves. Those who have been on the unit firsthand have a much broader understanding of what it means to be a nurse and what it takes to be a nurse. I do think they should have priority getting into school as they already have gotten over any illusions of Nancy Nurse floating into a room and getting the glory for saving a life. Life is messy, life is real.

Be aware that when no one else wants to do it, or says it is not their job....the nurse does it (especially the RN). It may be changing a soiled bed, cleaning up a bloody floor, or delivering meal trays, but it needs to get done.

I have had houskeeping refuse to clean a room because it is too dirty, so who do you think the responsibility falls to? The nurse of course.

I worked in a hospital where they laid off all the phlebotomists, housekeepers, transporters, and those who deliver meal trays, so who do you think had the responsibility for these things? The RN of course.

Yes, as a nurse you can delegate certain tasks, but the bottom line is it is YOUR responsibility to make sure things get done. So get over the attitude that certain things are worthy of your time and certain things are not.

Why do you have to be a CNA in order to get into LVN school?

I agree that BM and other bodily wastes are pukesome but they are a pretty big part of the job.

I also agree that being a capable CNA would probably help you in nursing school.

Good luck and I hope you realize your goals.

BTW: Don't feel guilty about this. You just might not be cut out to work the bedside. Your calling might be in Administration, Teaching, Research, Sales, inspecting Nursing homes, dialysis centers, etc. for the state or federal government, or some other non-bedside role.

God bless you.

Specializes in CVICU, MICU, CCRN-CSC.

When I worked as a tech/CNA on a gyno-sug floor that is how I became comfortable talking and interacting with patients and families at their best and worst times in life. I had never worked in a health care setting before. I also knew from that experience that this was the career I wanted to have. The good and the bad. Don't have "new nurse itis". It takes us all CNA's (if you don't have a good one, your day is MUCH worse), RN's, housekeeping, dietary, lab ect...as a nurse, you will be all of those. Usually multiple times a day. So if you don't want to wipe poop, feed people, clean blood, poop, puke up a gazilion times a day don't be a nurse. I think the experience will be good for you and let you know if it is really what you want to do. Since you don't know what nurses REALLY do, obviously.

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
Is the opening post a joke?

It is possible, since he/she has not responded to the posters to even ask questions. On the other hand, maybe he/she is reading every single post and getting a better understanding that nurses do not float around all day holding babies, waiting for doctor's orders, and hearing people say "Wow, you're a nurse"?

OP: Nursing school is full of poop, but you will find that there is a reason why Registered Nurses and LVNs are involved in the TOTAL care of the patient once you start school, assuming you don't change your mind. I am with the others, I do not think you know what nurses do since you are shocked that a Registered Nurse and LVNs clean poop. It may be best for you to read more threads on this board and to volunteer in a long term care facility. Many LVNs work in those settings and it will better assist you in planning your future. You may even have the opportunity to talk to a few Registered Nurses and shadow them as well.

You should consider changing schools. There are nursing schools that do not require you to be a CNA first. Or maybe you should go straight for your RN and bypass LVN, unless LVN is your goal.

Regardless, you will have to deal with bodily fluids. The one I dislike most is phlegm. I have an LVN co-worker who gags at vomit - she works through it and takes care of the patient but has an involuntary gagging reflex.

As to whether being a CNA first makes you a better nurse in regards to team work - I disagree with that.

You learn all the CNA stuff the first few weeks of nursing school. And that is essentially what you do with patients AT FIRST on clinical.

I have met many nurses who were CNA to LVN to RN who are NOT team players, who ignore call lights, who look for the CNA to do the distasteful jobs.

What matters is each person's own personal integrity - and being a CNA first does not guarantee that. Some former CNA's are so grateful to not be a CNA anymore that they avoid all "CNA" things. It CAN be helpful for some people who want a head start. But for me, someone with NO medical background, it was fine that I did not do the CNA thing. I love my CNA's and we are a team.

Since you don't want to do this, the only option you have is look for another school.

Or decide you want to be a nurse and just do it.

steph

Specializes in Med...surg...neuro...home health....

In my opinion...if you dont want to wipe butts...oral care or turn and postion...go to beauty school

This is really not to put any profession down but I've dreamed of being a nurse for soooo long, now only to discover that before entering my LVN program, I have to get the CNA title first! I am horrified of having to do some of the tasks described! This is not whaat I dreamed of all these years, I was thinking more along the lines of changing newborn diapers, not old folk diapers! CAN ANYONE BRING ANY CONSOLATION?

Do me a favor and don't become a nurse if this is the attitude you have.

Specializes in ER/Nuero/PHN/LTC/Skilled/Alzheimer's.

OP:

Perhaps you should ask if you can job-shadow a nurse before making the decision to go through nursing school. Many places offer that to people who may be interested in certain jobs. You'll get a better idea of what a nurse does and perhaps gain some respect for those who are CNAs. I worked as a CNA through my first year of nursing until I got my LPN in a two year RN program.

It is a hard job and very necessary. The purpose of a CNA is to assist (hence the A at the end) the nurse. With the amount of pts. a nurse has in a day and all the responsibilities we are held accountable for, we just do not have the time to do a lot of the one-on-one pt. care. That is where the CNA comes in. I work with some excellent CNAs that I would have care for any of my family members if they happened to be in the hospital. My job would be so much more difficult without them.

Plus in every job you have to start from the "bottom" up and I get along better with CNAs than some nurses because I know their job is hard and give them the appropriate respect. And even as an RN I don't get out of wiping the occasional butt or changing a bed. Plus as a nurse we sometimes have to see the bodily functions to be able to accurately assess our pts' health status. That is part of this profession, like it or not.

So you can choose to look at it as less than you if you like, but you'll still have to do it as a nurse. If that makes you change your mind perhaps that is the best thing. Good luck to you.

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