How can I stand out in my CNA clinical?

Shagce1 · May 21, 2016

Practice your skills as much as possible. Also, there will probably be down time at the clinical site. Try to keep busy. Offer help to the staff, talk to the residents even if they are not your own. Ask to observe if nurses are doing a procedure and you are caught up with your own work. Whatever you do, try not to stand around chatting with your classmates. It looks bad.

Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN · May 22, 2016

Practice your skills as much as possible, help whoever you are paired up with during the clinical period. Ask them questions, ask your instructor questions, push out of your bubble, offer to do things that you can independently(picking up meal trays, giving more beverage, answering call lights, etc).

Don't interrupt your CNA when you're working with them, even if they don't work by the book. Remember, they are licensed and able to work on their own and you aren't.

Be friendly with them, but don't over share.

Be courteous with the patients, and show them you really care. It's an amazing experience, but try not to stare at them like a science experiment. Talk to them, ask them how they are doing, reference things in their room. This shows you have a genuine interest in THEM as a person.

It's OK to be nervous, it's OK to make mistakes. As long as you own up to your mistakes, no one will fault you for them. It's when you try to excuse your mistakes that you get side eye.

Try to be as much of a go-getter as you can. If your CNA is changing someone, offer to assist. If your CNA is transferring someone from the wheelchair to the toilet, be in the bathroom with gloves on ready to help. If they are putting new clothes on the patient, be ready to accept those dirty clothes with gloves on.

Other than that, try not to talk about how nervous you are ;P You may be nervous, but not show it. Trust me, I was SO nervous my first day, and my CNA ended up walking up to my instructor and telling her how amazing it was to have me.

ana_96 · Jun 1, 2016

Thank you guys so much for you input! I'm in week 3 right now and today was the busiest of them all. I pretty much have the hang of things now, but I learned that the people chosen for the nursing program are those who have already finished their prerequisites. I still have 2 more to take so I'll be ready to apply next year anyway.

One question I do have though is how do you handle bad smells? I cleaned my first BM diaper and it took all of me to not gag in front of the resident. Is this something you'd eventually get used to? Or is there a trick that can help?

Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2016

Thank you guys so much for you input! I'm in week 3 right now and today was the busiest of them all. I pretty much have the hang of things now, but I learned that the people chosen for the nursing program are those who have already finished their prerequisites. I still have 2 more to take so I'll be ready to apply next year anyway.
One question I do have though is how do you handle bad smells? I cleaned my first BM diaper and it took all of me to not gag in front of the resident. Is this something you'd eventually get used to? Or is there a trick that can help?

They have these Vicks Chapstick looking things in the cold and flu area of Walmart. What I did was smell those before I went into the room and before I washed my hands as not to cross contaminate. :)

sailornurse · Jun 1, 2016

ER nurse trick we used to keep oil of peppermint or wintergreen, you put a drop on a 2 x 2 , tape it to your face , put a mask on. You can tell the patient that you started coughing that day and you're wearing a mask so that you don't cough on them.

Livetoride · Jun 2, 2016

Thank you guys so much for you input! I'm in week 3 right now and today was the busiest of them all. I pretty much have the hang of things now, but I learned that the people chosen for the nursing program are those who have already finished their prerequisites. I still have 2 more to take so I'll be ready to apply next year anyway.
One question I do have though is how do you handle bad smells? I cleaned my first BM diaper and it took all of me to not gag in front of the resident. Is this something you'd eventually get used to? Or is there a trick that can help?

At the first nursing home I have worked, another aide told me to put the tip of my tongue on the roof of my mouth. Helped me a bit. I eventually got used to it.

JBRN18, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2016

Just be yourself, show them your interested and caring and want to learn as much as possible. Don't be the know it all durning clinical. Practice your skills, speak professionally and you will do great!

Good luck!

Tashbun · Jun 2, 2016

I would put a mask on. Like someone said before you can always tell someone you feel a little raspy, some have even thanked me for having one on. Also I've used coffee grounds. Put it in a cup of coffee filter and place in patients room or the root cause of smell. Some patients have gotten embarrassed and have apologized (especially if there is another patient in the room or if it takes a couple of people to clean them up) but they'll notice he coffee soaks up the smell and not just mask it with spray. Some places won't really allow spray too incase here is an asthmatic person around.