I Aint Neva' Goin Back!

kcochrane · Jan 24, 2008

I'm assuming this is your last summer as a CNA? I would look at it that way. You can do anything short term. Also, look at it as a chance to continue to learn by observing. I'm also assuming that you are an awesome CNA and you patients deserve one last summer of excellent patient care. :) Remember you are a CNA for the patients - not the RNs.

kukukajoo, LPN · Jan 24, 2008

Just grin and bear it and unless pt safety is involved, try to ignore them. Someday they may be working at a facility where you would like to work and could help you get in, or try to prevent you from getting in.

Just take a mental note of the kinds of behavior you see and note that you don't ever want to be like that! Strive to be better from them and use them as a learning tool- you can learn from the bad ones as well!

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 24, 2008

I know several CNAs that are working through nursing school as CNAs. Most just "grin and bare it" as the above poster wrote and as I have done. The reason being, the fact remains that though you are a furture nurse, you are not licensed yet. On the other hand, you are human so I would suggest that if you find yourself being treated like you have no brains remind everyone that you will be a nurse soon.... Some will get it an some will not.

For example, last summer was hard for me because I worked in the hospital as a tech and a few of the RNs on my floor are just not good people. To make matters worse, most the RNs on my floor are travelers. So reminding everyone I was a student nurse was difficult. Sadly, I think a sign on my chest would have stopped the bad ones from acting so unprofessional. Note to all RNs with bad personalities: treat all techs as if he/she will be your colleague someday because many of us will!

In any case I continued to work throughout school and breaks until I qualified to become a Nurse Extern. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the rude RNs "I did not know you were in nursing school." My response in my head, "Gee.. the millionth time I mentioned it was not a clue? Besides that should not matter. I have always been human!!!":icon_roll

Anyway, keep your chin up. And if at all possible, see if you qualify to work in a different capacity or to work on a different floor if your current position has taken it's toll (and believe me when I say that I get it). Plus, no matter what you do, do not forget that you are not alone.

Working with other students (pre-nursing, nursing, rad tech, and other degrees) made my days go by faster and kept my spirits up as a tech. So be sure to surround yourself with positive co-workers. GL!

divokevan · Jan 24, 2008

Oh my god you had one awesome response to my rant! Thanks for the "go to another floor if this one's taking its toll" advice. My problem is that this first quarter is the quarter from hell, as Im sure all of you fellow students are aware! So I didn't want to work during it. So, today I did a little call in and gave two weeks which really meant I quit b/c I'm perdiem haha. I've heard that once you're done with 2 quarters (or whatever your states guidlines are, mine is two) and you've worked as a tech, you're golden in terms of getting a job that you can just work breaks. True or False do you think?

That must have felt good to show up those RN's btw ahaha. I also feel you about the sign on your chest that says to treat you like a human because in a year or two I will be your peer not underling troll like you're treating me now! (btw some nurses are so sweet and took me under thier wing, but others...you know...just crazy)

divokevan · Jan 25, 2008

Oh my god you had one awesome response to my rant! Thanks for the "go to another floor if this one's taking its toll" advice. My problem is that this first quarter is the quarter from hell, as Im sure all of you fellow students are aware! So I didn't want to work during it. So, today I did a little call in and gave two weeks which really meant I quit b/c I'm perdiem haha. I've heard that once you're done with 2 quarters (or whatever your states guidlines are, mine is two) and you've worked as a tech, you're golden in terms of getting a job that you can just work breaks. True or False do you think?

That must have felt good to show up those RN's btw ahaha. I also feel you about the sign on your chest that says to treat you like a human because in a year or two I will be your peer not underling troll like you're treating me now! (btw some nurses are so sweet and took me under thier wing, but others...you know...just crazy)

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 25, 2008

So, today I did a little call in and gave two weeks which really meant I quit b/c I'm perdiem haha. I've heard that once you're done with 2 quarters (or whatever your states guidlines are, mine is two) and you've worked as a tech, you're golden in terms of getting a job that you can just work breaks. True or False do you think?

In my State it is one year of nursing school (two semester at my school). And yes it seems to be true in my case. The program I am in allows me to work off schedule where I can pick the days I work. During the school year I am not allowed to work more then 4 shifts per month and I must work full-time during Winter and Summer breaks. However, the weeks before school starts I am allowed to take off and I am also allowed to take a vacation so long as I let my floor know ahead of time.

Plus, since I worked for the hospital as a tech I was able to land a competitive floor. I noticed that other former techs did the same. Don't get me wrong, we have good grades too, but I noticed that we had an advantage over the others who have never had a job at this hospital.

On the other hand, it took an ENTIRE month of working as an Extern for most of the staff to realize I was no longer a tech. No joke!!! I told everyone while I was working as a tech I was going to apply to the Extern program and I WAS NOT going to keep my tech job. I must have said it for at least 6 months prior to landing this job, but only a few people remembered or shall I say, believed me???

People were so confused despite the fact that my floor has always had Externs!!! I am being trained to be a Registered Nurse and so I work in a nursing capacity. Several staff have watched me work and noticed that I was NO LONGER on the tech schedule, but still had a hard time figuring this concept out. For example, once I overhead two staff members telling new staff member that I was tech so-and-so but doing school work. :bugeyes:

That must have felt good to show up those RN's btw ahaha. I also feel you about the sign on your chest that says to treat you like a human because in a year or two I will be your peer not underling troll like you're treating me now! (btw some nurses are so sweet and took me under thier wing, but others...you know...just crazy)

Oh, yes. Many of the rude nurses had a look on their face that was priceless!!!! For instance, one asked me what I was doing that day (she wanted to know if I was playing around, which I have never done). I smiled and told her I was following my Preceptor to get our next patient (we were float that shift). She looked at me confused.

Later that day she noted that she heard I am a Nurse Extern. This particular person NEVER talked to me before unless it was to tell me what to do (note I did not say ask). With a stoic look on her face and a snide tone of voice she asked if I had just started nursing school? As if being a Nurse Extern is only a temporary arrangement because I will probably flunk out after my first exam.

It was a PLEASURE to inform her that I am a 3rd semester student. Plus the Nurse Extern program is only available to those who are good students and who have competed year of nursing school. After which, I thought her eye balls were going to literally pop out of their socket. I could go on about others but I will stop there!!!

I agree that there are good nurses too. In fact I learned a lot from those who grabbed me during my shift to teach me something that nurses do that I did not learn in clinical, lab, or lecture. GL!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Jan 26, 2008

It's an interesting place to be, that's for sure. I did an internship last summer and stayed on at tech. The gal who was my preceptor KNOWS I'm in my final semester of NS. It's also a very small unit.

Last month I went in to work and she asked how it was going. I told her it was finals week and I was a wreck, lol. Lo and behold, she spent the night leaving me messes all over the place. She'd do her work, then go sit in the nurses' station while I went about cleaning up after her (part of my job, don't get me wrong). It was an absolutely DEAD night and I really felt she could've been a little more compassionate and maybe even helped me study a bit when we had down time. She's the first one to gripe when someone else doesn't clean up after themselves or hold their end of the work up.

It can get very frustrating. I am also VERY prn, as evidenced by the fact that I didn't work at all over break and am not sure I'll put in any more time on this unit. I've decided to go another direction when I graduate, so I'm not worried about being hired as a graduate nurse (it's a specialty unit, so they very seldom hire GNs anyway).

The pts are a positive part of these positions; sometimes the RNs, not so much, lol.

Best wishes all!!

jemommyRN · Jan 27, 2008

My time as a CNA was HORRIBLE. I will NEVER do it again. I still wanted to work in the hospital, so now, I am a secretary in the CCU. At least I get to see and do cool stuff (they all know I'm in nursing school) and get to study at my desk instead of running around doing CNA work. I HATED IT. THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME!

divokevan · Jan 27, 2008

Yes! I totally know what you mean. I will never overdelagate to the point that my tech wants to pull out thier hair! that is assuming I even work on the hellish floor. CCA would be good though, more total person care. I hate it when the nurse that overdelegates you is 100-150 lbs overweight and compains about thier back the whole shift in an attempt for me to take thier paitents along with mine! I'm laughing even as I write this. Hey Hey I just got an offer as a STD/HIV councilor that I can do in an ambulitory, high gay volume, community health center! I'm so excited to see what that's about! And, they'll let me just work breaks and love that I'm in nursing school for my communication abilities (being able to speak health basically!) So, I guess this is my first step to entering the community health side of things!

nurseaboveboard · Jan 27, 2008

Well, I've lived long enough to learn...Neva' Say Neva' :) but good luck to you in your career. Sounds like you'll be a great nurse. Also, I can remember many, many shifts, where my title was RN, but job one was cleaning up messes, fetching, putting out small fires, etc. Practice humility. In my career, I have eaten humble pie many times. Best luck to you.