Is being a CNA really so dreadful?

[Lacrimosa]

My CNA course begins next month. I'm nervous & excited. :)

Anyway, to my point... I've been seeing a lot of slamming of the profession lately. Is it really so dreadful? Words I see frequently are "underpaid," "overworked," "understaffed," etc. I would really like to hear your opinions & experiences. Does anyone enjoy being a CNA? What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Any tips for a newbie?

Thanks in advance.

[NHLNA]

I love being an LNA, I really enjoy my residents and for the most part my co-workers. I work full time in an assisted living facility and per diem for a home care agency and a LTC/skilled/rehab facility.

The assignment load / weight is pretty much the same at the assisted living facility and the LTC facility....assisted living used to be easier than LTC, but they are very frequently becoming a much heavier load because they are taking on people who really shouldn't be in assisted living.

It's not uncommon for my assisted living assignment on second shift to be 16 people, one fully independent only safety checks, one set up only, and fourteen that require moderate to full assistance with care. On an eight hour shift, where the first hour to hour and a half a lot of residents are in activities and don't want to leave to be toileted,vital signs on those that need them,finger sticks on our diabetics, dinner is at five...the LNA's serve dinner in the dining room on my floor, which leaves mainly from six p.m. onward to do the majority of care, answer lights, do showers, laundry, and keep tabs on the exit seeking residents because our dementia unit is not really secured. It's by no means a light load.

The LTC facility is almost easier because we don't serve the meals, we assist as needed and we feed residents that require it. There are activites into the evening which helps the sundowners stay occupied so they aren't so persistently exit seeking. The residents are on the heavier care side, but it's four aides for fifty residents..so a typical is assignment is more like 12 to 13.

Home care I pick and choose my clients, so the load is as heavy as I choose to make it. Right now I only take short (1-2 hour) shifts and mainly do personal care and homemaking.

I think it varies from area to area, but there are plenty of LNA jobs in my area. A lot of places have a high turnover rate because they are frequently understaffed and people burn out quicker with the heavier workloads.