Had a horrible day in clinicals :(

[AtomicxKitten]

Had a really stressful day today... Picking up the pace when you have to get several patients up, bathed/showered, dressed, toileted, and ready at a certain time and doing that all within 10-20 minutes is really difficult. While being told that you are being too slow but what are you supposed to do when you don't know where any of their personal belongings are, you're told that so and so needs a shower at the last minute so you're rushing around trying to get everything ready for their shower while worrying about the 3rd patient you need to get up and ready so they can have their breakfast.

Felt like I was going to break down and cry today just because I had 3 patients to get up and get ready and I had trouble with picking up speed since these patients were new to me and I had no idea where any of their personal items were or anything.

Then I was told by my instructor that I need to cheer up and stop being negative (I didn't realize I was... I always come into the patients rooms with a smile on my face and try to be as friendly as possible) so that made me feel great... Don't get me wrong I love my teacher to death, just the way she gives constructive criticism isn't the greatest.

I gagged five times today trying to clean out a commode (I had to reach in a urine filled potty chair because my instructor insisted on throwing the disposable wipes into it then told me to fish them out after we were done cleaning up our patient and the stench was VERY overwhelming, luckily I hadn't eaten yet).

The girl I was supposed to be working with today from our class totally abandoned me once we got the 2nd patients shower done and was here there and everywhere except for with me so that was pretty frustrating... especially because I couldn't track her down to ask her about our patients intakes.

Sometimes it feels like I'm in boot camp. Never realized how stressful this kind of work can be. I love the residents, all of the ladies I have been taking care of are so sweet, that's not the problem. The problem for me is not knowing where anything is so I can get the patients up and ready and it's a lot to take in. Plus coming home and dealing with stress here too...

I suppose it does get better with time. Not giving up though, I do like doing this and I am bound and determined to get through this so I can work and get my associates in nursing. Just need to get into my own routine I guess. How do you guys handle it?

[cdsavannah59, CNA]

I'm also curious as to why your instructor threw the wipes in the toilet, then told you to get them out. Instructors are to teach you the right way to do things, and wipes Do Not Belong In A Toilet, unless she forgot what she was doing, but she should of explained that to you if she realized her mistake. Having you get them out of toilet could of been her way of seeing how well you handled her assignment of fishing wipes out of urine soaked toilet. Or to satisfy her own self by seeing how you reacted. Most of my instructors were cool but there was one who always tried to make you doubt yourself, when it was obvious to your classmates you did a good job. With that teacher I just had to keep reminding myself , to just smile, do my job the best I could, never let her see me stress and that this class would be done in few weeks. I passed the class and my CNA exam. Good Luck

[ComeTogether, LPN]

She was picking them out of the commode, meaning BSC. The problem with CNA instructors is they're nurses. Often times they've never actually been a CNA and they teach you "by the book". I think people sometimes assume its easy to just pick the wipes off the top of the BSC, eliminating the need to bring the trash can next to the patient. "saving time" if you will. In actuality all that does is make a huge mess. If the pt happens to put the wipes in the BSC, down the toilet they go. LOL. I know you can't do it in clinical. OP-Next time just make sure you remind the patient they can't be flushed and give them a trash can to put them in when they are done wiping.

edit: I don't mean that in a negative way at all, btw.

[Lacey1993]

It's always hard at first! You'll start to pick up speed, I promise! I worked at nursing home before the hospital primarily in the Alzheimer's unit. I usually had at least 8 patients I had to do almost everything for! They were all incontinent, 6 out of 8 couldn't walk, and it was so hard at first! The more I worked, the faster I got! I worked there for 5 months before I got my hospital job. I love the hospital sooo much better! I usually work on the PCU overflow and have 12 patients maximum, but if I get floated the main PCU, I can have up to 22 patients! And.... all these patients get a bed bath... everyday! Luckily we have bath cloth wipes and most of them get bed baths that only take 5 minutes to do, but try doing that, plus answering call lights, grabbing supplies for the nurse in an isolation room, changing briefs, helping patients to the bathroom, and charting. And then, usually 80% of the patients are accuchecks, plus trying to get vitals for the nurse who is a little behind due to one of her patients almost coding! It gets a little crazy! I've really learned how to multitask and prioritize! I love it though!!! Oh and patients will sometimes use wipes and throw them into the bedside commode. I have to fish out wipes that are soaked in urine and BM multiple times every shift.