NOT FOR ME???

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

Today was my first day as a NA in a LTC and now I feel that my nursing dream just isn't for me. It took all I had not to bolt for the door. I am suppost to start my CNA classes this week and I don't want the employer to waste their money if I am not able to do the job. If I am miserable I know it will show and the residence deserve more than that. I have just always wanted to work in the health care field having direct patient care but I now feel it is something I am not able to do. I truly takes a SPECIAL person to be able to work in that kind of atmosphere. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :(

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

It's far too soon to give up on your nursing dream!! Perhaps if you could be a little more specific about exactly what it was that made you want to bolt out the door some of the CNAs here can help you! The residents deserve to have people that want the best for them!

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You have other options than LTC once you get through your training. You could do home health or work in a hospital or assisted living facility. LTC is hard especially if you have parent's that would be in that same age range as those people are in there. I had a hard time just getting through the clinicals we had to do for 1 week in a LTC after our classroom hours. It really broke my heart. I'm trying to get my license so that I can move on to become a dialysis technician, that is my goal. I can't deal with the LTC, it's too emotional for me as my parent's are 85 yrs old and I see them when I look at those people in there. Very sad. You have to be tough. You can always leave there and go to American Red Cross for your training then you only have to do your clinicals in a LTC and that's not like working there for a long time. I like patient interaction too but not LTC, too heartbreaking for me that's why I'm looking into dialysis technician once I get my license.

Good luck with your ventures.

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Ditto the above. There are other options but you will never see them if you don't stick things out long enough to get your CNA class over with. Give yourself six months to stay with it so that you can put that on a resume or on an application to nursing school. You have to give yourself a chance to get into a better situation.

Look at it in a different light. Give of yourself to these poor residents for as long as you can. If you do not do something to make their existence better, then who will? Consider it to be kindness on your part, not something horrible to endure. It changes the way things look.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Don't give up. I worked in a nursing home right after I completed my CNA course, and I hated it, also. I almost gave up on nursing altogether. Now I have worked in an assisted living facility for the past 2 1/2 years, and I love it...Maybe try assisted living, home health, or working in a hospital. There are many different opportunities and settings out there for nursing assistants. Good luck.

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The great part about nursing is that you aren't limited to the SNF or the hospitals. There is so much out there that you need to explore. Don't get me wrong you will have to put in your time at the SNF and/or hospitals but that's just a given. Once you gain the experience that you need then you can move on to another part of nursing. I know someone who is a Consultant for a law firm and works home health on a regular basis. She absolutely loves both jobs. You can do whatever you want with your degree as long as you meet the requirements. Hang in there! Good Luck

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Specializes in LTC.

I agree that one day is not enough. You haven't even gotten a chance to get to know the residents. What bothered you?

I hate it when people say they don't like LTC because it's "so depressing" like you have to be some kind of monster to work in one.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.
I agree that one day is not enough. You haven't even gotten a chance to get to know the residents. What bothered you?

I hate it when people say they don't like LTC because it's "so depressing" like you have to be some kind of monster to work in one.

Exactly. There are some great LTC's out there. You might just be in a bad one. FWIW, medicare.gov rates nursing homes on a scale to 1-5. Check & see what medicare said about yours:D

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I agree that one day is not enough. You haven't even gotten a chance to get to know the residents. What bothered you?

I hate it when people say they don't like LTC because it's "so depressing" like you have to be some kind of monster to work in one.

Ohhh my!! Pet peeve of mine! :mad: Nurses who work with kids with cancer get that, too! "Oh, how can you do that?" "I could never do that. . ." Right. Because nobody should take care of old people and kids. It's much better that way.:uhoh3:

Hopefully "not for me???" will come back and read the advice you all gave her!

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Specializes in LTC, rehab medicine & therapies.

Everyone has already said it, but it is wayyyyy too soon to walk away! The first day in any new job is overwhelming and scary and rarely reflects what the actual job is like. You need to get to know your teammates and get to know your residents before you make any rash decisions. This may lead to something huge for you!

Within my first three days in my current job, I locked myself in the storage room and cried for five minutes, positive that I had wasted everything I gave up to change career paths because I felt I just couldn't do this job. I'm still here, three years later, and thankful I stuck it out because it has been an amazing experience.

Don't give up yet. Not yet.

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I did go back and I am not sure how it is going to go but I plan on giving it my best shot. I think alot of it has to do with me feeling like I am invading the residents privacy when they are being showered etc.... I am hoping that this will pass but it just really makes me uncomfortable and I feel like when I am uncomfortable it then makes the resident feel uncomfortable and that is the last thing I want. This is their home and they need to feel at ease.

Also I spend 1/2 my time on one shift (which has been great) and the other 1/2 on a different shift (which is terrible) I have been put with a couple other CNA's and one is so foul mouthed. The CNA was "kidding" with a resident saying the F word and going on and on. The other CNA was busy doing her job and really didn't say much while this was going on, but it made me upset. I don't know if I should have spoke up or just keep my mouth shut since I am new. This continued thru the shift.......

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

So glad you went back!! I think you will find that many people are just so happy to be clean and have someone assist them with the things they can't do for themselves anymore, and they do not feel you are invading their privacy. As you get more comfortable you will develop a demeanor with people and lose the feeling. It's never wrong to be aware of someone else's modesty, though! They will teach you how to provide care without exposing the patient unnecessarily.

As far as the foul-mouthed aide, it's wrong, period. It's wrong to use those words around the residents. It isn't that rare unfortunately. Follow the example of the good CNAs. Good luck on your journey and glad you went back after a stressful first day!

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