If I hate my CNA job should I still pursue nursing?

[Talia Lynch]

Hi everyone,

I am starting nursing school in the fall and I just began working as a CNA in a nursing home. I care greatly for the residents and genuinely enjoy caring for them. However, my facility is chronically understaffed and I dread going to work. It is near impossible to provide quality care with the ratios we are working under. This is highly discurouaging to me and I do not know if I can continue. I am concerned that my inability to handle this job means that I would not be suited for the RN life. I know that there are lots of other types of nursing and perhaps LTC is just not for me. Any advice?

[acc1223, BSN, RN]

You are a CNA and vital to helping the RNs complete their jobs. Most likely your first nursing job will be in a hospital and during your clinicals you will find your niche. Nursing home nursing vs. Hospital nursing is different in my opinion. There is more autonomy and resources available to you at most hospitals. I was the same way sans the nursing home position before nursing (I was basically a cna for nurses in the hospital environment) but I found the ICU was who I am. I absolutely love my job! Coworkers and resources are great and I NEVER regret my decision. Remember the end goal, dont be discouraged if caring is in your blood. Find a job on a unit in a hospital and get a feel for the job, (the nurses I worked for worked me but I got a great insight of what I was getting into) and I absolutely love it now! The key is to not pidgeon hole your perspective in one aspect of health care....research, experience and then thrive on your potential role as an RN health car provider and it will do loads for your confidence as a prospective nurse. Don't let one understaffed facility sway your decision.

BEST OF LUCK!

-ANDRO, BSN, RN

[Persephone Paige, ADN]

Unless you live in a State with mandated Nurse/Patient ratios, expect to be chronically understaffed for the rest of your career, if you choose bedside nursing. Also, you never get away from cleaning up rectums or poop, either.

[llg, PhD, RN]

As you already seem to know, there are lots of different types of nursing. Just because you are not suited to that one job doesn't mean there aren't other types of nursing that might suit you.

But you do need to be honest with yourself about your likely career path. What type of degree will you be getting? What types of jobs are you likely to be able to get with that degree in your community? What are the working conditions for those particular jobs?

I went straight from high school, to BSN program, to NICU years ago when I was young. Then I went into staff development. So my career path and challenges have been very different from those who become LPN's or who get ADN's and get jobs in long-term care facilities.

Whatever you decide, make sure you are deciding based on what YOUR career path is likely to be -- not on the experiences that others have had whose path has been different from yours.