Need advice about my CNA job :(

[Vblub01]

I have currently been working at my job for 6 months so far and for the past few days I have just been feeling terrible about going to work. I don't look forward to going to work anymore. Before I didn't mind it but now it's different. Yesterday had to be probably the worst day for me so far. I work 2nd shift which is 2:30 - 11pm. Well yesterday was just crazy! I got a new resident, which wasn't a big deal to me until they told me that this resident's niece is a surveyer person who handles elderly abuse cases. As soon as everyone found out (because the supervisor advised everyone) we all were on our tip toes about it. That really put me under pressure because that was the last thing I wanted to hear, and the fact that she is my resident just made it worse for me. Now I feel like I have more pressure because this person is important and is going to be watching everything I do making sure I'm doing my job right especially because I am taking care of her aunt. So I am not to thrilled about dealing with that whenever I go to work. Anyways so this lady didn't come until 8:30 and I still had about 4 people who were not in bed yet and I still had to ask this new lady a whole bunch of questions and do her inventory stuff and on top of that I had 3 lights on while I was dealing with my new resident. It was just to much because I didn't leave her room until 9 0'clock and my residents who were still up all wanted to get ready for bed and I just felt terrible because one lady came out of her room and was soo upset that she had her light on for so long and she had to go to the bathroom and no one helped her. I felt so horrible that I had to make everyone wait and I just really felt like crying. I was behind on my charting and where I work we use Accunurse which really is annoying because Accunurse doesn't want to work half the time! I was just so annoyed. I had one lady who always wants to go to the bathroom right before I leave because she doesn't let me change her at all during my shift until maybe 10pm. I didn't get completely done with my new resident until 10:30 and on top of that I still had to change my last lady who has a broken leg and uses the EZ stand. Okay so I thought I had enough time to take my last person to the bathroom and get ready for bed. Well I was wrong. For some reason this lady with a BROKEN LEG thought she could transfer herself from her recliner to her wheelchair by herself! I told her no she could not do that and that I had to use the EZ stand for her because that's how she is suppose to transfer. But nooooo she was being very stubborn and refused to use the stand and insisted to transfer herself. (May I add that this lady is not very nice. She is the meanest resident I or anyone else has ever had to deal with. Everyone in the facility know she is very difficult to deal with.) By this time it was already 10:45. So finally I went to get someone to help me and then that cna went to get the nurse because this woman was very defiant about not getting on the stand. The nurse came in to talk to her and convinced her that we needed to use the stand. We got her ready and we took her to the bathroom. Now it was already 10:55. She took so long in the bathroom and was very rude and mean to us the whole time making comments about how we were not good cna's and other stuff. Finally we got done with her and by the time we left it was already 11:20! I honestly just felt like s***. When I got into my boyfriend's car when he picked me up i just started crying my eyes out and told him I felt so stressed and overworked. Today was my day off but now I have to go back and work 4 days in a row because this is my weekend to work and I just don't feel good about it at all. Please help me and give me any advice. I don't want to keep feeling like this. I don't dislike my job but sometimes I feel like it's just to much. I'm only 20 and I am like the youngest CNA at my job working full time. I hate feeling overworked and stressed.

Sorry this is so long but I just really needed to vent

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

[tuahla]

Just for curiosity, how many patients do you have?

The day that I had a new, complicated resident on my third week as a CNA was the day that I quit because I felt like such a failure. But you've been there six months! Good job on the get go for hanging in there. And you also said that as long as you've been there, your stress has mostly been manageable except for the past few days. So perhaps it's just a passing thing that will go away by itself. Is there any reasons that you've suddenly start feeling this way, other than the circus that was yesterday?

Sorry to say that I don't have a lot of advice other than saying that you, my friend, are a better woman than me. I used to leave crying every other day. Can you hang on for six more months? Maybe then you would have the job experience needed to be appealing to other employers at a facility with a better nurse/patient ratio.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Ask for help when you need it. Do the best you can and always put safety as a priority and the surveryor's will not have a complaint. If you get to talk to the daughter-surveyor, ask her to give you pointers on what the expectations are and how can you do your job better. That would certainly impress me! Enjoy your time off.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

I leave work feeling like that sometimes. Sometimes its just a day, and the next time I work I feel fine. Other times I feel stressed and depressed for a couple weeks at a time, depending on how the unit has been lately. There is an ebb and flow to these things... one time I was at my wit's end for WEEKS. I was on the same unit every day and it was really stressful. I hate to say it because it sounds terrible, but one of the residents that was really stressing me out died, and then I stopped wanting to drive off a cliff every time I got out of work.

It sounds like you just had a terrible day. I know exactly what you mean, not only about the extremely difficult resident, but the "relative of a surveyor" thing as well. We have one of those and we also have residents whose children/grandchildren are bigwigs at the facility. And they expect you to treat those residents like high rollers. F that! I take good care of everyone-- there is no need to bend over backwards doing extra for these people as long as they, along with all your other residents, are adequately tended to. If the family member comes in an starts squawking about something, just appease them and then put it behind you.

It's not every day that you have the most difficult resident on your assignment AND a difficult admission. Next time you work ought to be better. And I don't know if you rotate units or not, but if you continue to feel overwhelmed, it might help to ask to work on another unit a couple days a week just to give yourself a break. By the way, why didn't any of your coworkers answer these lights that were on? I wouldn't beat yourself up about not helping that lady to the bathroom when no one else could be bothered to help her either.

[nguyency77, CNA]

Aw, I'm sorry! I've been in a similar situation myself. Like you, I'm a very young CNA; I'm 18.

The hardest days as a CNA are when one or two residents/patients in particular insist on soaking up all of your time, for whatever reason.

Just because that lady's niece is a surveyor does not mean that she gets special treatment. As long as you do things safely and are polite/professional to all of your patients, it should not be a problem. It is only a problem if you are one of those rude, unprofessional CNAs that love to take shortcuts-- which you don't seem to be.

I would just say be a little aware of safety violations when you're dealing with that resident. As for the mean one, don't ever be nasty back to her. You're just trying to do your job, and some people are just bitter because their kids have tossed them into a nursing home.

[Guest 360983]

Hang in there. No one likes being stressed and overworked and it sounds like you had a really terrible day. I'm an ER RN and I can promise you that there are days we get report, see our least favorite frequent flyer, and know that the day is going to be miserable. It's not the same as the difficult resident (if all goes well, we'll send our patient home for a few days) but I can sympathize and I want to let you know that lots of us feel your pain.

[Vblub01]

Thank you all for replying and giving advice! :) I don't feel a lot better but I do feel a little better. I keep thinking that it's just a phase and it will all blow over but with the way things have been changing at my job and all the cutbacks they are doing I just don't see it getting a lot better. I mean I am very thankful that I have a job and that I am able to work but this type of work really is heavy and stressful. I just realized that I don't handle stress and under pressure very well. Once something really bothers me I can't let it go and I just let it bug me for a long time until I just say whatever I just have to deal with it. As far as people helping me when my lights were on, pshhh forget it! Very few times will someone volunteer to help me. Yeah people should be nice and work together but that's probably only in a perfect world. I know what kind of person I am and I know that I would for sure help anyone who needs it. Especially if I can tell that they are struggling. I know that I am a hard worker and a good CNA but lately it's just been to much for me.

[CNA2day]

being "only 20" has nothing to do with it, but the mindset might! Don't set yourself up to fail by thinking that you are different from everyone else and someway substandard. I started my cna training when I was 20 and there were many people younger than me there. Just focus on what you need to do and time management and do it... you can't help that people had to wait.. as long as you were trying you were okay. Everyone gets their turn and things do not always go smoothly! That is okay!! Just take a deep breath and go to work tomorrow with a smile on your face and a goal to BRIGHTEN your residents days...

the residents that were angry could be feeding off of your stress. Walk in the room if you have been slow, appoligize for the wait and explain that you were trying to get here as fast as possible then drop it and ask them what you can do for them.. SMILE and have a great time. You are providing care to some people that may need a cheerful face as well as help with their ADLS

[sophie<3]

i would give yourself a few weeks to bounce back & to see if things improve, if they don't..start looking for new jobs while you continue to work in your current position. maybe look into CNA work at a local hospital. you don't want to "give up" on a job just because of a bad day but if the bad days are consistant then you don't want to get stuck there either.

everyone has bad days/weeks at work..sometimes the bad days are really bad. sometimes all you want to do is walk out on your shift and never look back but you have to remember that not every day will be bad. the new resident should be treated like everyone else...no need to tip toe around her family, just do your job as you always do. some people get off on intimidating...i have had family members write down their nurses and techs name, watch everything you do, and write down things while you were in the room. it can be irritating and can make you feel like walking on egg shells but all you have to do is provide thorough and safe care. & trust me..you will not always get out of your shift on time...many times i have stayed over to catch up on charting for an hour..sometimes longer. the job has to be done though & you will not always be ahead of your schedule. sometimes you have to throw the damn schedule out the door and just take things as they come. hang in there :)