I am a new CNA ( certified only a month ago.) I obtained my first job a week after I passed my exam. It is in a secured dementia neighborhood ( special care unit) in a very nice assisted living facility. I absolutely love it. I had learned all of the residents by my second day, and I love them like they are my own family. They love me as well, and I've noticed some of them even tend to remember me from day to day!! It's the best feeling, and I've never been so fulfilled with a job. I am about to start my application process to different nursing programs, and want to work with the dementia/geriatric population.
The facility I work for is beautiful and expensive, but also just had all of it's starts revoked with 149 pages of corrective action for hundreds of violations. Most of these violations were the errors of " med techs." They fired some of them, but the other half of the poor employees still work there. They brought in a nurse consultant ( the facility only employs one R.N who doesn't do patient care) and he is trying to straighten the place out before the next state survey. The units don't have a nurse supervisor..in their words " the med tech IS the nurse." All of the new employees they hired, they've given the one day med tech class and then had the nurse check us off, and then put us on a cart. We were supposed to have someone shadowing us for several shifts, but the person shadowing me just left me alone the entire shift, both times. They then told me that they didn't have enough staff to continue my shadowing experience and that I would be on the floor alone next time.
I had voiced my concerns that I felt that my training wasn't adequate, and that I felt very insecure about being on the cart at this point. Still, I was put on the cart last night alone. I did everything right, with the exception of forgetting to give one resident their medications. This particular resident has to have her pills crushed, put into chocolate ensure, heated and topped with whipped cream so she thinks it is a hot chocolate. She won't touch it any other way. 99 percent of the time, she never drinks it and they just mark it as a refusal. I had done what I had been told to do, and saved the most time consuming part of the med pass for last, but then I switched carts and halls, and then forgot to give her the meds. The Nurse consultant made me fill out a medication error form, notify the doctor, family etc...the whole procedure. I felt awful and like a failure, and just felt sick to my stomach during the whole process.
There is a lot of med tech drama there and they have some kind of shift wars going on. The 1st hates the 2nd, the 2nd hates the 3rd and then they hate the 1st. It's petty and juvenile and pretty ridiculous in such a serious position. They had told us ( the new people) that they were going to replace the current med techs with us after we were checked off. Yet, they used the poor techs to train us, and then I ended up with below par training. I honestly just don't want to do it anymore, and I want to go back to being just a CNA. I loved being personal and doing activities with the residents. I dreaded the whole shift being a perpetual med pass, I feared the time limits or an overlooked error even though I was extremely careful. I dreaded trying to make out sloppy hand written orders in the paper MARS. I did it less than a week...and I hated it that badly. These med techs don't know that depakote isn't a controlled substance..and they have zero medical knowledge. They don't understand the rationale behind anything they're doing. I'm not comfortable with my lack of knowledge at this point in my education and just not comfortable with the relaxed credentialing process of a med tech to be supervising everyone, doing dressing changes etc...
My ultimate question is..if I hate passing meds..will I hate being a nurse? I know there are many, many areas of nursing to choose from, but I just want to make sure I'm not getting myself into something I will hate and do poorly with.
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
I didn't realize this thread had received more comments, and I thank everyone for their input!! It was very helpful and made me feel much better. I actually did leave and just started work at a skilled nursing facility today. One where there are plenty of nurses for support and teaching and so many learning opportunities. Oh yeah, it's in compliance..too. LOL I look forward to becoming a nurse
yea, so happy for you and your residents, you obviously care
sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN
2,399 Posts
yea, so happy for you and your residents, you obviously care
and will make a great nurse