Not sure how to be CNA

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Just graduated cna and going to be working at a psych unit.

I've always wanted to be psych nurse so this would be great experience for me but to be honest, I'm not sure how to communicate with psych patients.

what should I say or do if the patients say negative and inappropriate things to me?

ofc, I wouldnt try to fight them or say something nasty back but do I just take it and ignore it? or should I tell them to stop and that I dont appreciate it? What of they get angry, what should I do? I wanna be a good psych nurse one day but I have no clue how to deal with these situations yet. Any advice?

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I may not be the most qualified person to answer this, but I thought I'd reply anyways ?

I'm a an NA on a dementia unit in a nursing home, and there have been so many instances where residents say things that are rude or inappropriate. In my opinion, it's best to learn your residents/patients - because everyone is different! For some residents I've learned that it's better to just ignore it, because responding to it might get you nowhere or it might agitate them further. With other residents, I may politely tell them that it's not okay to say those things & they apologize right away. Of course yelling or fighting them back is never a good idea, but I really think the way you respond depends on the person you are dealing with.

Like I said, I know my situation is different than yours but at the same time I can imagine that there are some parallels between psych patients & dementia patients! Hope this is at least somewhat helpful ?

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I'm a CNA in long term care and we do have dementia patients who do act erratic and get combative. I was scratched and spitted on before. I just usually stop and let them calm down before resuming what I'm doing. If you keep calm and try your best to smile, they more likely to be nicer.

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I had experience one on my CNA training and the best thing is to stay positive if they say anything negative like if they say “ I hate you” say “thank you “ it throws them off. That’s just a little tip . I forgot to add I also looked after a lady that was mentally ill, so I guess that makes 2

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