not physically strong enough to be a CNA...

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Hey all, my head is too bummed for words right now, yet I will attempt to describe my situation on here anyway -

I just started a wonderful job this week as a CNA in a subacute unit. It is my first job as a CNA. I am 50 yrs old and fairly skinny, esp my pipe-cleaner arms. My heart's goal was to become an RN -- I have been studying on my own the past year (A&P, microbiology, chemistry, etc.) and I just am obsessed -- I cannot stop reading, I cannot stop listening to courses off of iTunesU on these subjects. I have volunteered at a hospital locally for 16 mos working w/the CNAs & RNs, so I am decently aware of what the jobs require. My fault for knowing how weak my scrawny upper body is and not maybe leaving my obsession with the learning to be nothing more than a hobby, I wanted to think I could still be a nurse -- what I've learned front & center this week is I can barely turn a 100 lb. pt on their side to change their incontinence pads, let alone re-position them. Every time I had to do it this week I had to get another CNA to help.

What options do I have? I spent the past 27 yrs working in IT -- I never had a heart for it, I always wanted to be in medical, but I was scared I couldn't do it b/c of this, I guess I was being quite bull-headed / unrealistically optimistic it would work after all.

ANY advice would be soooooooooooooooooooo greatly appreciated. Should I call the Staff Admin and see if they would keep me on despite this awful disadvantage? Outside of that flaw, I am an EXTREMELY high energy person and think I could do the rest of the CNA tasks real well. But it seems to me that I am hosed.........

"depressed in Denver"

Wow, I hate to say I am glad you are in the same position as me w/this all, but it TRULY is an encouragement to know I am not alone in this dilemma, thanks radicalsenseofhope, your post gives me that radical sense of hope!! :up:

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fuzzywuzzy, that is soooooooooooo encouraging to hear!! I was talking to my pastor yesterday, as he is a tremendously gifted counselor, to see if I should just throw in the towel with this at times seeming like a pipe dream desire, he said absolutely not, not yet. He as well said that he bets as I try and try each night to do it, that my muscles will grow and I will develop a technique that works for me, wherein I will be able to turn them. Prayerfully & hopefully I wait to see if 2 mos. from now I look back on this and am ever amazed that I will be able to do it. By God's grace. THX for the encouragement!

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GREAT to hear that VivaLasViejas! Yeah I brought my gait belt w/me the first night, but the other 2 CNA's don't use them, so I put mine away thinking I wouldn't have to either, but that was silly logic -- they can flip pts on their sides like they were burgers in a frying pan b/c they are MUCH stronger than moi. I put the belt in my bag and will bring it AND use it on Monday, regardless!!

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This forum is OUTSTANDING!!! THANKS for all the excellent advice and encouragement - checking out the Unit Clerk position, or Assisted Living -- bringing the gait belt -- using solid body mechanics, etc. - you all are a tremendous help to me!!!!

I just pulled out the job specs sheet to see again how much it said we would be responsible to lift, it says 20 lbs. "constantly, up to 2/3rds of the time, but 50 lbs. "occasionally up to 1/3rd of the time", and up to 100 lbs. NEVER.

I will need to get clarification on that if it does become an issue in the very near future that I would be let go. Maybe it's semantics, in that it means lifting in the full sense of the word, and that turning is another story completely. I would sometimes be expected to lift (alone) 50 lbs., but that the weight numbers don't apply to turning a body in bed... hmmmm.....

MANY thx again all!!! :yeah:

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Specializes in Emergency.

As a trained lift tech at my facility, I've taught many "tiny individuals" to turn larger patients in bed, sit them up from a chair using a gait belt, etc. It's not as much of a matter of personal strength, but more so technique. I weigh 200lbs, yet I've taught a 16 y/o girl who was about 5'2" and 90lbs soaking wet to turn me in bed, sit me at the bedisde and stand me from a chair with a gait belt; all while being a floppy noodle. It's all about how you do it.

Turning/repositioning (assuming patient has no limitations to movement (ie: orthopedic surgery)): Standing at the bedside with the patient supine in bed, flex the patients knee that is farther from you to an acute angle and have it pointed towards the ceiling. Place one hand dorsally on the patient's shoulder that is away from you, and the other hand over and laterally on the knee that is now pointing in the air. When you pull the patient's knee toward you, the hips easily rotate to bring the entire lower body to it's side. Rotate the patients shoulders towards you to keep their torso aligned as you rotate the lower body to keep their entire body aligned.

Remember to do all of this with the bed raised at least to your waist height. If you do it lower, you'll easily screw up your back.

Try this at home with family or friends before you go and try anything with real patients. It's all about technique and practice. Strength is a bonus but not always necessary :)

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Hi Mike!! Help me out with this - I was trying to make a mental picture of it, but methinks I'm missing something of what you said. When you say, "Place one hand dorsally on the patient's shoulder that is away from you, and the other hand over and laterally on the knee that is now pointing in the air" -- say I am standing at their left side - I would place my left hand on top of their right knee, and then also have my right arm under their right shoulder, no? Also, when you said have the dorsal side of my hand on their shoulder, I cannot picture that. I would think it would make more sense to have the palm (not dorsal) of my right hand on top of their right shoulder, no?

Please clarify for me, I am sure it's my sleep depp'd brain not processing this... THX!!

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Specializes in Emergency.
Hi Mike!! Help me out with this - I was trying to make a mental picture of it, but methinks I'm missing something of what you said. When you say, "Place one hand dorsally on the patient's shoulder that is away from you, and the other hand over and laterally on the knee that is now pointing in the air" -- say I am standing at their left side - I would place my left hand on top of their right knee, and then also have my right arm under their right shoulder, no? Also, when you said have the dorsal side of my hand on their shoulder, I cannot picture that. I would think it would make more sense to have the palm (not dorsal) of my right hand on top of their right shoulder, no?

Please clarify for me, I am sure it's my sleep depp'd brain not processing this... THX!!

In a nut shell, your left hand grabs the right knee and you reach with your right hand over the patient and under the right shoulder to reach their scapula.

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Gotcha' -- using mostly the quad muscles, w/abs tightened? Just like you said, I am getting more & more convinced it's about technique more than brawn. I need to practice my brains out on this. THX Mike!!

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Specializes in Emergency.

When the patient starts to turn over, step one foot back and start to get into a sort of sitting position. You'll keep your back at a 45ish degree angle. Then you'll sit deeper into the position the farther the patient turns. (Let me see if I can draw up something for you..... I am a Picasso, prepare to be amazed.)

The point of this is so you can use your weight as leverage instead of strength. Let your weight do all the work for you.

Once the patient fully turns over and their flexed knee hits the mattress: rise, wipe and repeat :)

5921213308_96bea14a92_b.jpg

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Specializes in STNA.
Wow, I hate to say I am glad you are in the same position as me w/this all, but it TRULY is an encouragement to know I am not alone in this dilemma, thanks radicalsenseofhope, your post gives me that radical sense of hope!! :up:

You are welcome! We CAN do this! :)

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I think more important in being a CNA than upper body strength is having a healthy and strong lower back. The upper body strength can be increased through diet and exercise, but if someone has a bad back its not likely to improve working as a CNA. You are not only lifting a lot of weight, but its awkward weight, its not like lifting a barbell off the floor. You are often forced to lift in awkward positions that make using proper body mechanics difficult. Worst of all, you will always have coworkers and bosses who will push the limits of what is safe.

There are assisted living facilities, which shouldnt put too much strain on the body, but obviously those jobs will be more rare.

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Hey you might not be a Picasso, but you sure rival Rembrandt here!! LOL!!! That is VERY helpful Mike -- I am going to see if some of my friends might let me attempt to practice on them today (when I wanted to do the same for my CNA skills exam, none were all too thrilled to follow suit... not even just taking vitals! :no:)

THX again!!!

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