EphemeralMelody

1. It's not that I don't know how to fill out tax forms per se, but just I wanted to consult with my husband before completing and turning it in. I don't see anything wrong with that. 2. I didn't say that the mistake was a "silly" one, just that it wasn't something that caused the injury or death of a patient. And yes, I have since learned from the mistake and will never repeat it again.

Thank you so much for your information, ajt. I hadn't read much about SANE nurses before, but after hearing about it I feel it's definitely something I want to look into. I think my main interest right now is in becoming a mental health or crisis RN, however, I realize that after more experience something else may come up that I'd like better. That's one of the aspects of nursing that really attracts me to the field, how you're not just limited to just one job or specialty, there are hundreds of different things you could do: ER, surgery/OR, med-surg, pediatrics, mental health, hospice, home care, LTC, forensics, school nursing, etc. etc. Whereas with counseling, you're pretty much limited to the field of mental health. Also, the fact that becoming a counselor is more years of schooling for often less money/opportunities... I really think RN is what I want to go for, as long as I still have the option of interacting with/providing comfort and counseling to patients.

I have a question - as a psychiatric RN, how much actual interaction do you have with the patients? As in, talking with them, getting to know them, helping with their problems, etc? Do you get to do much of that, or is it mainly just med passes? Also, would I have much opportunity to work with rape victims as a psychiatric RN? Because that was one of my main attractions to counseling, getting to work with rape victims and help them work through their trauma/problems. I'm guessing working at a crisis intervention center or the like would give me the most opportunity to work with them -- do such places often hire RNs?

Thanks for the replies everyone. After making this post, I have since discovered that I CAN receive funding for the CNA program if I were to do a double major at the community college. So I'm thinking of doing it this way: doing a double major in either CNA/veterinary technology or CNA/RN, completing the CNA program first, doing my pre-requisites for the other program, leaving school to work for a while as a CNA and save up money and then go back to complete the RN/vet tech program. I can't do the full programs right now due to not having a car and the campus holding these programs being too far away for public transportation. (however, the campus that holds the CNA program/pre-requisite courses is close by) I'm thinking that's what I'll do. If worst comes to worst, though, and for some reason I'm unable to do it that way -- I'll just get some kind of job for a month or so until I've saved up enough money for the program. It shouldn't take too long to save up $1000 and I'd be willing to work at McD's or such until I've gathered the money.

Sorry to bother you all, but I am in a difficult situation right now. I applied for school on Friday, it was for a CNA program at a nearby technical college. It looked like everything was good to go - I just needed to take my placement test, get the rest of my immunizations, etc. and then register for classes. The only issue was paying for it. I was hoping to get some kind of financial aid - loans, etc. - to pay for it, however, it turns out the CNA program isn't covered by financial aid because it's simply not long enough. I'm at a loss here - I simply don't have the money to pay for it out of pocket. The tuition is $914, there's no way I can pay for that in addition to our mortgage, bills, credit card debt, hospital bills, etc. etc. I'm wondering if there's any kind of alternate method to pay for it or cover it but I don't see one. I am really disappointed. I was really wanting to take the class, obtain my certification and work as a CNA. I worked at a boarding kennel for 2 1/2 years and loved it there, but unfortunately had to resign when my dad fell ill due to cancer so I could take care of him. He passed away and afterward, I looked into returning to my kennel job only to find out they had no openings. I loved helping take care of my dad and thought about how wonderful it would be to take care of sick and/or elderly people for a living, so I decided to look into a CNA program. I was hoping that taking my classes and obtaining my certification would broaden my job opportunities and help me decide if I might want to become an RN later down the road or not. But now I'm at a loss for what to do.

Well, this was for a vet tech job, and in the particular circumstance I was let go because I wasn't learning fast enough to suit the lady and she didn't want to take the time to train me. (that, and I was slow/made a couple of mistakes due to being nervous/inexperienced.) I just don't see much point in listing a job that I didn't even get as far as filling out the W-2 form for, but if it could be discovered and I would be in trouble for lying then maybe it'd be a good idea to do it anyway.

Sorry to interject with my own question, but since it's related, I figured it'd be ok to ask. Would you recommend listing a job on apps/resumes if you only worked there for 2 days and didn't even get as far as filling out a W-2 form?

Mods please forgive me if this isn't the appropriate forum; I looked around and figured this would be the best place to post this. If there's a more appropriate place for this, please feel free to move it - thanks. I am wanting to become a nurse in the future - at the moment, I'm applying for a CNA program and if that works out, I might look into going back to school to become an RN later on down the road. However, there's a problem that I suffer from -- very bad job/school performance-related anxiety -- and I'm worried about how this will affect a career in nursing and how to deal with it. I was homeschooled my whole life, so I feel that's part of the culprit; without having the necessary life experience most people have, I tend to get very nervous and anxious in new situations where I'm expected to perform to a certain standard. It's even worse in situations where the stakes are high or the person training me is angry, difficult or judgmental - I become scared to death of messing up, things not working out and looking like an idiot to others. It's so bad that often I start to get BAD anxiety symptoms -- sweating, shaking, feeling sick to my stomach and like I'm about to pass out, etc -- and my brain shuts down as a result, causing me to make stupid, careless mistakes left and right that I wouldn't normally do if in my right state of mind. For those who have suffered from similar problems before, how did you cope with it and what advice do you have to offer me? I'm looking into different types of coping techniques, etc. that could possibly benefit me. I realize the best way to get over it is simply experience - but it's hard to get that necessary experience when no one wants to give me the chance after I get too nervous and mess up. I've also considered anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines, however 1. it's hard for me to get to a doctor due to lack of money and insurance and 2. my husband is leery of me getting on such medications due to their high abuse/addiction potential and other risks.

Thank you for the responses everyone, I appreciate it. It's good to see that everyone else was insecure and nervous at first, too. I went up and applied for admission to the program today. :) Here's hoping everything works out okay. I still need to register for and take the placement test, get the rest of my immunizations, etc. The main thing I am worried about is financial aid. I have received conflicting information on whether or not this CNA program is eligible for FA or not. The admissions lady called me back and told me it was not, but I called the Financial Aid Department and at first they told me they couldn't find anything on Nursing Assistant, then came back and said that YES it was covered by financial aid. So I'm hoping I can get this straightened out as I complete the financial aid process. I'm really hoping I can take out a loan or something to pay for it because I just can't afford it otherwise; $1000 may not be that much for a college program but it is given our current circumstances. I'm really praying this all works out because more than anything I want to obtain my certification and work as a CNA. I've been doing research and I keep hearing all the bad things about being a CNA - low pay for very stressful, back-breaking work, lots of heavy-duty cleaning, etc. Even knowing all that, I still think I want to do this. Yes, I know it will be hard, but I think it is very rewarding. I love the idea of being able to care for people who are sick, elderly, and/or dying; being there for them and being able to make them feel better, more comfortable. I think part of why I want to become a CNA has to do with my dad. Earlier this year, my dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and I left my job of 2 1/2 years to go to Florida and be with him. I watched him grow sicker and weaker day by day and it was absolutely heartbreaking seeing my once healthy, strong father suffer like this. Yet, it made a world of difference being able to be there for him and help him out. Being able to help with just the littlest things - feeding him, making sure he was kept clean, giving him company, etc. - was tremendously rewarding. It made me feel a little bit better about the horrible situation knowing there was something I could do for him, to make him more comfortable and his last days a little more pleasant. Sadly, my dad passed away and I miss him everyday. However, I'm trying to see the positive in this tragic, horrifying experience. It made me realize how much I love caring for people who are sick and in need of help. It's the most rewarding feeling in the world to be able to help those who can't take care of themselves. To be that one ray of light in their dark, dreary days. That is why I want to be a CNA, and I'm hoping nothing will get in between me and my goal. I'm still not decided if I want to do CNA as a career or not, however. I figure I'll do it for a few years, save up money, etc. and figure out where I want to go from there. The reasons why I'm iffy about doing it for life are 1. the low pay - I want to be able to make enough to survive on my own and 2. I've heard it often wears on your back if you do it for years on end, even causing permanent back and other physical problems. I'm considering going on to become an RN after working as a CNA for a few years, but to be honest I am a little intimidated at the prospect of being an RN due to the huge amount of liability and responsibility it entails. The idea that the tiniest mistake such as a med error, etc. could mean the difference between life or death for a patient terrifies me, and I just don't know if I could deal with that level of responsibility. Granted, being a CNA involves some liability as well but not to the huge extent that being an RN does - it's more basic patient care and common sense type stuff. There's also the fact that I can be very absentminded at times and this is not a good trait for an RN. However, I have to remind myself that with being a CNA, I'll have years of training and experience in that which will hopefully prepare me for an RN job better and lessen the chances of mistakes being made. Another job option I am strongly considering is veterinary technician. I worked at a kennel for 2 1/2 years and loved it, animals are my passion and I love working with them hence why I'm attracted to the idea of being a vet tech. You can actually learn some vet tech skills on-the-job but to truly be a skilled and credentialed vet tech you need to go to school for 2 years to do it, which is what I'm considering later on down the road. However, I'm just not sure if I want to do this or CNA. I figure I'll see how much I like working with people and go from there. Sorry for the long-winded post, I am just young and trying to thoroughly weigh all my different career options. I hope I don't come off as too much of an idiot, I'm just very new to this and trying to learn as much as I can along the way.

I'm getting ready to start CNA classes soon. =) I found a community college nearby that offers a month-long CNA training program for $1000. I plan to go up tomorrow and apply for admissions; afterward, I'll be scheduled to take a placement test and if I receive sufficient scores on that, I should be good to go. I'm really excited; I'm looking forward to taking the class and hopefully working as a CNA soon, this has been a dream of mine for a while now. Now, here's the problem. I'm scared to death of being nervous and making a mistake or two during classes and being failed as a result. I also have the worry of doing the same when I start a job after graduation, that I'll be slow or mess up and they'll decide to let me go as a result. Now, I realize this may seem a bit paranoid but it's because of a really bad job experience I had a while back. I was brought in for training at this vet tech job and was really excited; I was looking forward to being a vet tech and felt this was a great job opportunity for me. However, on the 2nd day of training, I was a little slow and made some stupid, careless mistakes as a result of being nervous and new to the job. The lady decided I wasn't learning fast enough to suit her and let me go, telling me she didn't want to train me anymore. This experience left me feeling utterly humiliated and like a total idiot. Looking back on it now, her reaction seemed a little excessive to me. I mean, I could understand if I had been there months and was still slow and making careless mistakes, but for letting me go for messing up on my SECOND DAY?!? I mean, I thought that was what the training period was, for learning and making mistakes so that you know to never do them again in the future. Then again, I'm not a training manager, so I don't know; maybe she was in the right. Either way, the outcome is still the same; I was out of a job, and left feeling like an incompetent idiot who can't do anything right. Ever since then, I'm scared to death of messing up at any future jobs and being let go because the manager feels like I'm an idiot and doesn't want to train me. For me, it's not as simple as just "don't make any mistakes." Now, ideally this would be the case; however, I have a problem where when I'm new to something, especially a job, I get so nervous my brain essentially shuts down. I start getting BAD anxiety symptoms: I start shaking, sweating, getting nauseated, feeling like I'm about to pass out, etc. and as a result of this, I can't concentrate or think straight and wind up making careless, thoughtless mistakes I normally wouldn't in my right state of mind. This was exactly what happened at the vet tech job, and part of why I think I messed up. I really don't know what to do about this problem -- I'd like to get meds to help me with nerves/anxiety but have difficulty with going to the doctor due to a lack of money and insurance. I'm worried it's going to cause me problems with functioning in the real world and any jobs I get in the foreseeable future. Any advice, words of consolation, etc. you could give me would greatly help. I realize this question may seem a little annoying or paranoid and you probably get stuff like this from newbies all the time. But I'm really looking for some advice and am just a little worried due to past negative experiences. I'm really wanting this to work out; I'm so excited to start school soon and hopefully get a job as a CNA, I would be heartbroken if things didn't turn out right.

Thank you, and that does make me feel a little better. I was just really upset earlier because I am wanting this CNA training/certification so badly, but just worried things might not work out due to our financial situation. But I'll wait and see... maybe I can get enough in grants/loans to cover most if not all of the tuition. I just really want to work as a CNA =) I love the idea of doing it. Altho if I have to work as an MA for a while to pay off my student loans, I'm willing to do that but the CNA is my real goal. Then I'm hoping one day later on down the line, I can go back to school and become either an RN or a vet tech, which is my dream. I just have to remind myself I don't have to rush things so much, it's never too late to go back to school. I've browsed these forums and seen people 50+ in nursing school for the first time. My main priority is just getting the CNA training/certification for now, then seeing where things take me from there.

Thank you for your reply... I have not spoken to the school's financial aid department yet, but plan to whenever I go up there to apply. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there are any nearby LTC facilities that offer training - they require you to be already trained and certified. And yeah, I'm trying not to give up or let things get me down too much. I'm just hoping I can get enough in grants/loans to cover most of the tuition. Another thing that makes it frustrating is that even if I am able to get a loan to cover it all, it's still going to take years to pay it off given that I won't make that much as a CNA. So it's probably going to be at least 10 years or so until I'm financially stable enough to afford my car and go back to school to get my ADN, and then I get to look forward to paying THOSE loans off... -_- By the way, I'm curious - if the loans/grant don't cover it all and I DO have to pay some up front, how does that work exactly? Like, can I set up a plan to pay a little bit at a time, or am I required to pay for it all at once? Sorry if these questions seem stupid, but I've never attended school before so I don't know how these things work.

I apologize in advance for the tone of this post, but I am in a really frustrated mood right now and need somewhere to vent. Any advice, words of encouragement, etc. would be greatly appreciated. See, here's my situation. I'm really wanting to become a CNA. In the next few months, I'm planning to take training classes and hopefully obtain my certification. I've been preparing myself for it every day - studying, watching skill videos on YouTube, etc, etc. I love the idea of doing it - I love the idea of helping take care of sick, elderly people for a living and making their lives a little better. I'm also hoping it'll help prepare me for the nursing field and decide if that's what I really want to go into or not. I'm planning to work as a CNA for a few years, and then after I've saved up some money and have my own car, I might go back to school to become an RN if I decide I want to further my career/make more money. Now, here's the problem. Due to my transportation issues, my schooling options are limited. I don't have my own car, the bus system here is ****-poor, and my husband works too much/is too exhausted when he comes home to give me rides anywhere. Due to this situation, any school that isn't within a certain-mile radius of my house is basically out of the question. For a while, I wasn't sure what to do about school given I just couldn't find out a feasible way to get back and forth, at least not until I have my own car and that probably won't be until years from now until we're financially stable enough for that to happen. However, I stumbled upon a place called the Gretna Career College that is only 2 miles from my house and which I can easily get to with the bus. They offer a combined medical/assistant CNA training program where afterward I'll be eligible to take the CNA exam in my state. The only catch? THE TUITION FOR THE PROGRAM IS OVER $12,000 DOLLARS!!!!!!!! And that's not even including the cost for uniforms, books, lab fees, etc. etc. I'd really like to find a cheaper program if possible but it seems like this is the only place close by that offers CNA training. I checked to see if I could perhaps just take the CNA portion and then obtain my certification to lower the cost, since truth be told I'm not that interested in the MA option, but no, of course you can't do it that way - they have to drain you for every last penny. There's just no way I can afford that kind of tuition without some kind of aid. However, I'm worried that I might not be eligible for aid, or that the aid might not fully cover the cost. Even though my husband makes $50k a year, there's still no way we can afford to pay out of pocket for school atm. We're too much in debt, not to mention our $1,600 a month mortgage, plenty of bills, hospital bills, groceries, etc. etc. It's just not feasible. However, I'm worried my husband's income alone might disqualify me, even though I'm still unable to pay for it due to all our other expenses. Not to mention, I've read that loans only cover up to $9,500 - which means I'd still be having to pay like $3,000 out of pocket. There's just no way we can afford to do that right now. I did submit a FAFSA application today and I'm just praying that I'll be eligible for enough aid to cover most, if not all, the cost of tuition. It's just really frustrating, I want to attend this program and work as a CNA so badly but everything's just so hard when you have no car and no money. I have been wanting to go to school for years now, I hate to think that I might not be able to just because of a ridiculous tuition cost. I want to get on with my life already, I want to go to school, get a job, etc. I'm sick of sitting on my butt all day with nothing to do. sorry for the long-winded rant but I really need to vent. I'm just hoping that there's some kind of solution to my problem.

Is going for your BSN really that essential for expanding your job options? I was under the impression getting your ADN was all you needed unless you planned to go into a supervisory/management position, which I don't.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. :) Yeah, I actually am considering the RN route over LPN since they usually make better money and have more opportunities (ex. I've read that most hospitals prefer to hire RNs now) The school I'm wanting to attend (Delgado) offers both an LPN and RN program, and completing the RN program only takes a year more. The only reason I'm undecided about becoming an RN is because of all the extra responsibility it entails - more authority, making patient assessments and creating care plans, etc. - the idea of all that intimidates me, but I just have to remind myself that I'll receive all the education and training I need to properly do all that. I guess the best thing to do is not worry about all that right now, and just focus on getting my CNA certification at the moment and then decide where I want to go from there. I really do dream of becoming a nurse someday, though :) I've been checking out nursing books from the library to prepare myself and learn as much as I can about the field in the meantime.