does it get easier? Or am I just crappy at this?

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Okay, so I am a direct caregiver at a LTC facility for adults with disabilities. I love the patient care aspect of my job, not so much the management or most of my coworkers (some, I love. They are few and far between though). I am NOT CNA certified. At this job, you had to have a CNA certification OR 6 months related experience. I had the 6 months related experience.

Still, my 1 year related experience was tame compared to what I do now. I volunteered before this, never paid in a healthcare facility until this. Let me tell you something. Volunteer duties do not equal payed duties. I didn't believe it until I started getting paid. I couldn't do anything by myself and couldn't assist with toileting, just watching procudures.

I feel like the most incompetent fool on the planet. I really, really, am trying my best. I just can't seem to do it right. I have yet to toilet this one patient without ripping the brief, and having to start over again. I have yet to help another patient change her clothes without yanking on her hair. I can't seem to get this other patient in the shower fast enough without her freaking out because she's cold (i've seen other people bathe her, and they are quick enough that she doesn't freak out). I can't seem to eat with this one patient without him throwing his plate down because I remind him of his eating strategies. I Just feel like a complete failure. I've asked my coworkers for assistance, but they just make me feel even worse for asking. If I ask how to do something, someone will make a comment like "For real, you can't do that yet?" Or they will say things like "come on you've been working here long enough to know how tod o that right!"

I just don't know what to do . I want to be a nurse badly. I am 20 years old, one year away from graduating with a bachelors in biology. i want to go back to school after graduation right away and do an accelerated bsn.

I guess I don't know if this is a rant or a question. I guess i'm worried that I'll never get good at it. I've been working here 6 months. While I feel slightly better than I did at the very start of the job, it is snail-like progress. I am hoping it will help when I take a CNA course, unfortunately my finances and time are limited with me going to college full time and working to pay for nursing prereqs at a community college.

Are my fears valid? Are there people you know who, no matter how hard they try, are crappy nurses? I feel like the kid with "a lot of heart, but no talent."

Any advice?

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Practice, practice, practice... don't be too hard on yourself. This is a humbling experience that you can benefit from in the future.

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Dont beat yourself up, the fact that you care so much already gives you a heads up. I felt the same way when I first started and believe me its the striving to always be better for our patients that makes nursing so great. Over time you will see it just takes patience and practice:yeah:. Dont give up you sound like you will be a great nurse

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Specializes in LTC.

Don't beat yourself up. It takes awhile to be comfortable as an aide. Don't let the others beat you up either. When they make negitive comments just shrug it off and go "No, I don't know how to do this. Can you teach me?"

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..

I am still new enough to nursing to know that there is going to be something come up that I havn't done/seen before at least once a month. It wasn't that long ago that the time frame was every shift that I would see/do something new. It just takes time and practice.

I have to admit that even though I have done it countless times I always have trouble with positioning a pad/diaper when rolling a Pt. I just can't seem to get it in the right position first time. As soon as I am used to a Pt and where the pad goes on them, they get D/C or sent to another ward. The other nurses who are helping with the rolls know this and have a laugh or roll their eyes but they have their weak points too. Look at your strengths and before you know it you will have more and more strengths and less weaknesses.

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Specializes in LTC.

Things WILL get easier. I promise!!! I HATED my job the first couple months. I felt SO out of place...Here's some hints, though....When I toilet someone I only hook one side of the brief, the side that is going to be away from me when the resident stands, I clean resident up, pull up brief and hook the other side...Take a CNA class, some nursing homes offer them for free, I did not know this and paid $300 for mine...Don't be afraid of residents/patients they can feel it and will act out...Ignore those aides that betlittle you, I was belittled, NOW I'm the lead aide on my shift and I have the most seniority on my shift....Each day will get easier I promise!

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I'm new to nursing and often have the feeling that I'm totally inept. Here are my suggestions:

1. It's important to carry yourself as if you have confidence -- even if you are nervous on the inside. If you look scared, there are people who will walk all over you.

2. Have a sense of humor. I'm usually the first to laugh at myself when I make a stupid mistake. One day my preceptor was searching the unit to find something that was already in my room. It was an infuser that I had never used before, so I had no idea what it looked like. I felt like an idiot & was sure to point it out so we could laugh together.

3. Don't be so concerned with rushing through tasks that you lose your compassion. I had an elderly pt yesterday who was very appreciative of my gentle touch. She said that the aides & other nurses could get quite rough at times. I'm sure they didn't mean to be, but when you are trying to be quick, you often forget to be gentle.

4. Try to make personal connections with your pts. I try to figure out what makes each person tick. If you understand the motivation behind the behavior, it usually helps you find a solution. The pt who complains about being cold before the shower may be trying to exert some control in an environment in which she is totally dependent. Imagine how that would feel. A simple solution may be to just keep a blanket over her until the very last second. Or, ask her for suggestions on making the shower a more pleasant experience.

Just a few suggestions --- hope they help.

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Specializes in ER; HBOT- lots others.

i just want to say this:

Take a deep breath and relax!!!

i know its easier said than done, but i understand. i have been there. we have all been there no matter what anyone says! some days bite, some days really bite, but it makes us a better person and a better nurse. heck, some weeks really stink, but its okay. we get thru it, thats why nursing is so respected! (at least from other nurses sometimes!!! lol)

if this is what you want- DO IT, you will never regret it!

GL! it will get better, then worse, then better again!

if you ever need to talk- pm me.

-H-

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Specializes in LTC.

Another tip...I don't know what you do to keep your residents warm BUT I put a bath blanket wrapped around the bottom of the shower chair (so I can get the bath blanket out but so it keeps their parts covered, and protects so if they urinate or have a BM). I undress their lower half but leave their shirt on until I get to the shower room. I then throw a bath blanket on them. And I do very quick showers. I soap up their whole body, then soap of their hair and rinse all at once.

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It does get easier! I was an aide for 6 years and am now a nurse but I will always remember the first butt I ever wiped- He was a heavy guy and there were 3 of us to clean him up. So, one of the aides says "OK, he's a real mess. It takes two of us to hold him and one has to clean him up. You can either clean him up or help hold, but if you help hold he'll probably try to grab your boobs." OMG! I didn't want to clean him up but I didn't want some strange old guy grabbing my boobs either. So, I clumsily (sp?) did the dirty work and avoided being violated. I started off in assisted living and then got certified and moved into long term care. When I was finished I was great at my job and could do it with ease. Then, I became a nurse and was a newbie all over again and found myself asking then the same one you ask now. And other nurses have told me the same kind of think I'm telling you. You'll be fine. God bless in your journey to become a nurse- it's worth it!! :nurse:

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Specializes in medical/oncology.

I started nursing school with absolutely no patient care experience. I remember the night before clinicals first semester I was up sick, literally, because I didn't know how to do bed baths, get pts on bedpans, make occupied beds, etc. Somehow I managed to make it through school! Now, first nursing job, I've been totally up front with the aides and other nurses. When I need a hand with a bath or something, I'm like "listen, I'm here, I want to help you. I tend to make more of a mess when I do this myself and you're so great at it. I want to learn from you, but I need you to be patient and to share some of your experience with me." I guess I'm really lucky because the aides on my floor seem to really appreciate my honesty and my willingness to get my hands dirty. They've been great with me and I'm learning so much. I even had a "role day" where I spent the entire day with one of the aides. You sound like you're going to be a wonderful nurse and that the problem isn't with your skill level, but with your coworkers' willingness to help. Stick with it and take every single opportunity you get to learn. Seriously, noone just knows how to do this stuff--they've all learned from others and from experience. You will too!

Nicole

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I so understand! After a particularly difficult day I locked myself in the bathroom and cried and cried and cried....a patient's bathroom! I have never felt so out of place and just plain stupid in my entire life as I did when I first started working on a medsurg/onc floor. But as the weeks go on things do become easier. And although I might be really bad at changing a nasty brief; I can handle the meanest patient and have them smiling in no time. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. The very fact that you are concerned about how you are treating your patients tells me that you are ahead of the game.

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