Nursing student got CNA job!

[sduncan86]

So I applied for and got a CNA position at my dream hospital! The nurse manager who interviewed me said it was a lot of work and that he expected a lot from his med-surge floor so I should be prepared for an intense work situation. I am wondering if I can handle 10-12 patients during day shift. I'm float/pool and mainly weekends.

I want to get as much hospital experience as possible before I graduate next year.

Any tips from you awesome Med-surge CNAs?

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

I'm a CNA on a pediatric med/surg floor. I love it! I usually work 7a-7p. Sometimes I'm the only tech on the floor, which means 24 patients if we have a full house. Usually I have a max of 12. My day usually goes like this:

0800: Introduce myself, change the whiteboards in the room, vitals

1000: I&Os from breakfast

1200: q4 vitals (we usually have a combination of q4s and q8s)

1300: I&Os from lunch

1400: lunch break

1600: vitals

1800: I&Os from dinner

Mixed in all of that is charting, FSBS (usually 1 or 2), changing linens, feeding/changing/bathing the kiddos whose parents aren't there, admissions/discharges, restocking rooms needing PPEs, emptying the sharps containers, etc etc. The parents usually do the baths/showers, which is a huge help. Dietary distributes and collects the food trays and environmental empties the trash (if it's full, I'll do it). Days are busy but the time flies by!

[MendedHeart]

I work on a tele surgical floor as a NA and during the day shift. We have between 6-9 patients. We do all baths on day shift as well and change linens daily. Its a lot of work but it is doable. Its great experience for a nursing student and I highly recommend it!!!