Nervous New CNA

[CelloandMellow]

Hello! I'm a new male CNA at my nursing home, and I just started Monday.

My residents are generally sweet and understanding, especially considering this is my first job ever as a CNA. Still, I'm having problems with management and some of my duties.

I really want to help out my facility any way I can, but they scheduled me a day before I needed to work (added a shift less than 24 hrs before it started) and our scheduling team won't listen to me when I tell them I'm a student and I need 25 hrs or less.

Additionally, and most prominently, I'm struggling to pull my weight when many of my residents won't allow me to shower or bathe them. Don't get me wrong - I completely understand - but I don't want to burden my female coworkers. It would be fine if it was one or two residents, but out of my 10 residents, 4 of them refuse to let me help them in the shower.

How did you all overcome these issues? Should I say something to management about scheduling? Help!

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I would speak to management about your schedule if you made it plain to them prior to hiring that you could only work 25 hours per week, and they verbally agreed to the restriction.

The showering issue is a sticky one. Generally it isn't personal, but some females just don't want a male present when they are bathing or showering.

[caugoesmoo, RN]

Do what Orca says

As far as patient refusals of baths - that must be formally documented by the nurses or by you somehow. That way, it won't fall back on you or any of the staff if these nasty residents later claim that they aren't getting the care they need at your facility; if it happens in the hospital, it can definitely happen at your nursing home.

[S.I.C.]

Hi,

I have some questions for you.  What motivated you to become a nurse?  To what extent do you sincerely love nursing?  Are you proud to be a nurse?

[NurseScribe]

Older females are a tough challenge. The best male CNA I ever worked with managed to get their trust by always being completely polite and respectful. He would get a female to work with him at first and paid attention to all the little details that they liked. It took a lot of time but eventually some ladies preferred him to the other CNAs. You will have to show them how good you will treat them. 

[S.I.C.]

Older females are a tough challenge. The best male CNA I ever worked with managed to get their trust by always being completely polite and respectful. He would get a female to work with him at first and paid attention to all the little details that they liked. It took a lot of time but eventually some ladies preferred him to the other CNAs. You will have to show them how good you will treat them. 

I guess in nursing profession, it is really good to understand those older females not as a challenge, but an opportunity to learn from them. They become older not only in age, but also in problems of different aspects, and the best thing in professional experiences.  The best way is to lower your head a little bit, respect them, and help them as much you can. Then, then will cooperate well or sometimes not well with you. In the future you will find yourself in the same category like them. Family, relationship, financial, professional problems make them feel bitter and tired. They need someone who is willing to learn  from them, someone who is not there to challenge them.