Hello! I am a recently certified Nurse Assistant and I have a job interview on Monday at a LTCF. I always strive for excellence in all areas of my life, whether I am a student, volunteering, or at home with my kids! I truly want to be the best Nurse Assistant I can possibly be, I want to be a blessing to my residents, my nurses, my ADON, my DON, everyone! I am a naturally cheerful person with a burning desire to help others! I deal well with authority and want to be a CNA before I go to nursing school. I never want to ask someone else to do something that I have not done myself. I have 3 questions:
1.What tips can you give me for being an excellent NA, and a blessing to my co-workers? I have heard in some threads on this board that laziness and attitude are a problem sometimes. Obviously, I am going to work hard and not give attitude to anyone!
2.How can I express my desire for excellence to my interviewer on Monday. I am kind of shy in that situation, I am not really sure how to "sell" myself! Also, I am not sure what kind of questions will be asked during my interview, I am really nervous!
3.I would like to go to nursing school within the next year or so. Will this be considered to be a bonus or a drawback about me by my employer? I plan on continuing to work full-time during school (it is a part-time program).
Thank you so much for any advice any of you can give me! I thought this board would be the best place to ask!
Beth, sounds like you already would be an asset to any employer. Just be yourself during your interview. People pick up on phoniness pretty quickly, so no need to be anything other than what you already are, especially if you know what you are and what you have to offer is greatness! ha! No, seriously, just simple things like making sure you shake their hands and get their names straight; make good eye contact and really listen during the interview.
As far as after getting the job, I would encourage you to not get sucked into any floor politics or gossip. It will drain you emotionally and eventually might affect your ability to do your job well. Also, there are still nurses from the dark ages who will treat you as "something less" because you are a CNA. Do not take it personally and continue to hold your head high and do your job well.
Wow, thank you everyone for your replies so far! I feel that I am better prepared after reading them! I will definitely take everyone's advice to heart and implement it into my routines!
Please try not to dominate a CNA. I've seen some nurses do this, thinking that their patient's are more important than other's on the floor. Making a laundry list for the one CNA for 3 nurses do a lot of the little work that could be done while your doing your med pass or your assessment. I've seen this pre-madonna type of behavior of nurses, especially ones who have been a nurse for a while make getting help from a CNA practically impossible at near the beginnings of my shift. So please consider the needs of other nurses on the floor before passing out your to do list!
Luckily I was a CNA prior to becoming a nurse, so I know how to do most of the CNA tasks efficiently which has awarded me with praise from CNAs on the floor. I would rather be doing nursing tasks, however -- again, that one special nurse has that one CNA dancing about doing various tasks she could be doing for her own patients sitting behind a computer screen looking at various labs or entering the morning assessments.
Perhaps it is because this one nurse works an 8 while the rest of us work a 12, but it's no reason to be thoughtless of others who need this valuable resource as well.
A common excuse when I ask for help is "Well, Nurse such and such needs these things done now and I'll get to doing what you wish later." This has got to stop. CNAs are for allnurses not just one ;-)
The CNA's who I work with are ALL a blessing at certain times, but the ones I appreciate the most are the ones who:
1. Will get vital signs before they come to tell me so and so doesn't look "good"
2. Will float heels, turn people, feed them (if needed) BEFORE I come to them and ask them to do so.
3. Will try to solve a problem before coming to get me, for example, if a machine is beeping, check to see it it's plugged in etc.
4. Try not to second guess the nurses. They may have reasons for responding to certain situations in ways that you don't agree with.
Really, best of luck to you on your interview. Mention to them that you posted this question (about how to be an asset to your team) during your interview if it seems appropriate. I think it shows you are determined to be a great team member.
A personal preference--if your nurse(s) is/are at the desk charting, please take personal conversations elsewhere. I find it hard to concentrate when there's a conversation going on 6 feet away from me. On occasion I've even found myself writing words in my narrative notes that have nothing whatever to do with the patient because the conversation has hijacked part of my brain.
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carluvscats
225 Posts
Beth, sounds like you already would be an asset to any employer. Just be yourself during your interview. People pick up on phoniness pretty quickly, so no need to be anything other than what you already are, especially if you know what you are and what you have to offer is greatness! ha! No, seriously, just simple things like making sure you shake their hands and get their names straight; make good eye contact and really listen during the interview.
As far as after getting the job, I would encourage you to not get sucked into any floor politics or gossip. It will drain you emotionally and eventually might affect your ability to do your job well. Also, there are still nurses from the dark ages who will treat you as "something less" because you are a CNA. Do not take it personally and continue to hold your head high and do your job well.
Best of luck to you!