I'm young and nervous about going into the nursing profession

[Dlansey]

I'm nervous because I'm 19 years old and only ever had 3 jobs in my whole life. And I worked all of those 3 jobs within this year and stayed at the 1st one for 1 month and a half; 2nd job for 2.5 months; and the 3rd one for only 1.5 weeks.

So you can see, I am a job hopper and when I don't want to do something anymore I immediately back out of it. It's the same for my older sister, she has had 14 jobs within this year and never stayed at them for more than 2 months, or college (she dropped that within a few weeks too).

So I'm afraid that I will become just like her and back out of the nursing profession because something I don't like about it and I don't want it to be like that.

So how do you nurses deal with a environment that you do not like? What keeps you working at a job for a year or more? It is my ultimate goal to have a job for at least a year but I know that will never happpen.

I still depend on my mother finacially and so does my older sister (21 years old), so we always have a safety net to rely on when we don't want to deal with the realities of the world.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

that doesn't mean being a CNA is the same as being an RN. It's not. That's all I'm saying.

I have not seen a single post on this thread that implied that being a CNA is the equivalent of being an RN. However, being a CNA can give someone an idea of whether or not nursing is a good fit for them.

only seeing what a CNA does could deter someone from a profession that might otherwise be a great fit for them.

I stand by my assertion that if one is not willing to do the work of a CNA, then nursing may not be a good fit for them. There are some floors that don't have CNAs, and the RNs do total care. My dept (NICU) doesn't employ CNAs, nor do the other ICU areas in my facility and in many other facilities. L&D is another area where there are often times no CNAs. Further, I have done clinicals on med-surg floors where there was no CNA for the day and an RN had to be re-directed and fill in as the floor CNA for the day. It happens.

sometimes I feel in here that people think their way is the ONLY way; that's the only point I'm trying to make,

That is a valid point. And using that same argument, why discourage someone from being a CNA? I haven't seen anyone on this thread say that one MUST be a CNA. Simply, it was offered up as a possible option in order for the OP to determine if nursing is a suitable option or not.

not to put down cna's but as an RN I do far more than what they do. My job is not that of a CNA.

To clarify: Are you an RN? You speak here as if you are an RN and your username indicates that you are as well. However, your posting history shows that you haven't even begun nursing school yet. As a pre-nursing student, I'd be very careful about presenting yourself as an RN. It is a protected title in the US, and it is illegal to claim that title if one does not hold a valid license. On a forum full of actual licensed RNs who are very aware of that title protection, you may want to reconsider how you word your posts.

Lastly, to quote you:

A lot of the work they do is difficult, dirty, demeaning work.

A lot of the work you do as an RN (that is beyond the scope of practice of a CNA) is also difficult and dirty work. I assure you, performing a dressing change for an obese patient whose wound is so deep that the bone is exposed is not for the faint of heart. Pulling out that packing is quite the "difficult, dirty" job. And the smell. Wow. Or teaching a patient how to change out their colostomy bag. And lets not forget suctioning. Sputum doesn't bother me all that much, but I have worked with those who feel that it is the worst body fluid to deal with.

And if you do have a complex dressing change, you will want to be on good terms with your CNA, as it can often take 2-3 people for some of the trickier ones.

If you go to your CNA humbly, and offer to help them bathe and change the sheets for your patient, they are more likely to spend an extra 30 minutes helping you with your dressing change. Believe me, all the CNAs know which RNs believe themselves to be "above" doing the CNA work, and those RNs are not well liked. And the CNAs are less likely to go out of their way to help those RNs.

They are VITAL to the team in the hospital

I'm glad that you recognize this.

Maybe I have misinterpreted your tone, as that is easy to do online. If I have, then I apologize. But you come across as thinking you are too good to do "CNA" work. I am really hoping that your attitude will change once you are in nursing school, and in the trenches working side-by-side with all the different members of the healthcare team. And not just them, but the janitorial staff, dietary aides, etc. They all help make our jobs easier, and deserve to be appreciated and respected.

[h=2][/h]

[Ramennoodles, BSN]

Apology accepted! You did misinterpret my tone happy new year!