Lexi256

I also just finished something like this to renew my BLS certificate. Admittedly it is not very realistic to do CPR in a gaming setting. I think it mainly was helpful for remembering the steps to take during CPR but of course once you face having to do it in real life it's totally different. Which is probably what everyone else was implying in the comments. I feel like you understand where I'm coming from with this though. And of course there will be codes!

That sounds cool. That's kind of like what I was getting at. Do you feel like you were able to sharpen your skills because of the game? Did it really help you learn more about your job as a nurse?

I am sort of thinking about this from a CNA perspective, so I think my job would be more easily translated into a video game.

The simulation sounds like fun but stressful at the same time. The fact that you took the death of your "patient" to heart, even in a simulation, shows how much you care to know exactly what to do for your patient.

If you mean that a nurse should be more patient focused instead of just task oriented then I totally agree. In fact I really don't think a video game could fully help people grasp what it's really like to care for real people who need care at the worst times in their lives.

Do any of you think it is possible to see the roles nurses and CNAs play in any healthcare setting as a video game? I'm not heavily into gaming, never have been, but for some reason I kind of began to see work as sort of like a game, specially after I began working in the hospital. I thought it would be cool if the game could be situated in a med/surge setting, probably because that's where I've worked for almost a year now and it's all I know. -Players can choose either day shift or night shift. -The objective of the game is to finish all the tasks for the patients within the 12 hour period. I thought it would be cool if players could begin as CNAs and then somehow increase their know and move up a level to CNA2, . . . then maybe into a nurse? (please don't beat me up!) I thought that a game like this might help to give those thinking about going into nursing some idea of time management and see what really goes on in a healthcare setting. That being said I also would like for situations to be as realistic as possible and not glamourized as it is on T.V. So there would be a lot of mess, urine, blood, poop, the whole shebang! All while trying to give the best care to your patients. At the end of the game you have to give report to the next shift! ;D I thought the title "MedSurg, The Race Against Time" would be an appropriate title to describe the scenario the game is depicting. Because toward the end of the shift it usually feels like you're racing against time to finish everything you are doing.

Katbug, Aww, wow! I'm so sorry to hear about your misfortune! I really hope you find something you like to do better or perhaps a better nursing job. Whichever you want most. I have to say that despite the rant I opened up this topic with I have actually had a very good experience in both my jobs. It is true that I feel a bit discouraged from going into nursing but overall I've been having a pretty good run. I really hope that you get your health back soon and get onto something you really love doing. :)

Wondern, thanks for reaching out. As I said before I appreciate everyone's input. It's hard to say what I really love to do. All I know is that I need to choose a career path fast and nursing seems to be the most logical thing to do. I do know that I have to be mentally engaged in order to get any fulfillment from what I do. I'm also a very hands-on person so I enjoy doing things physically as well as having to think things through.

Sour Lemon, I didn't really mean to make it sound like I had the impression that CNAs did all the work while the nurses sat around. I think I have a hard time explaining my thoughts through writing, especially in these online forums. I know it's true that I really only see a small amount of what the nurses actually do and the rest might be a mystery to me. I've been privileged to work with nurses who are gracious enough to help me a lot of my CNA tasks, like turning, changing, and bathing patients, in addition to all that they have to do. Teamwork is a huge aspect of nursing that I am thankful to have.

I have no time in my day to look at my phone. I'm too busy assessing, charting, titrating, cleaning, turning, transferring, and admitting patients. Really there are only a few nurses I see playing games on their phones at the hospital, I see it more at my LTC job. Most of the nurses I work with are like you, busy running about helping me with the physical demands of patient care or taking care of nursing tasks and charting.

Silly_Sally I totally understand where you're coming from, especially in the third paragraph. I guess I could still be working on my time management skills, but I'm like you, the madwoman still up running while it seems my coworkers have gotten done with all they needed to do. A big part of it is that I probably stop to listen to the patients more than do my coworkers. I makes me seem very slow with my work and like you I often wondered if perhaps I was doing something wrong. Like I said before, I really don't mean to judge the job of a nurse as I have not yet really been there but I kind of feel that being a CNA has given me a small view into nursing. I'm really glad that you've found a nursing job you enjoy. That's another thing I realize takes time to acquire and one just needs to be patient until they find what fits them.

As of right now I'm still just a CNA. I've been moving along pretty smoothly with my experience as a CNA. I began my career in a LTC facility and before the first year was over I acquired my CNA2 certificate which helped me to land a job in a hospital part time. As of today I am still working both my LTC job and on the med-surg unit at the hospital and I plan to pick up shifts in other units like ICU and PACU so that I might have a more well-rounded experience in the nursing world. The thing is I have already become bored with both of these jobs. I always feel like I'm busy at the expense of being productive, like my body is in motion but my brain is asleep. I thought that maybe once I become a nurse, hopefully after nursing school, that I would have more to think about and to focus on but as I watch the nurses I work with it seems that mostly what they do is pass meds and do whatever to fill the time in between med passes. Even in the hospital I see nurses on their phones playing Candy Crush once they have all their tasks finished. I've also met quite a few nurses, young and old, who are tired of nursing. Some of them even hold other part time jobs so that they don't have to pick up more shifts in the facility. So I guess what I'm asking is; is there more to nursing than just passing meds? Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong and I hope I haven't offended any nurses. I'm on this forum to learn so I appreciate any feedback anyone has to offer. Thank you all.

Hey there, and thanks for "thanks". I'm greatful to work in a place where the nurses appreciate the CNAs and they thank us on a regular basis. So thank you back. It's RNs like you who make us feel appreciated and respected on the job. I have tried both your suggestions at some point in time. I usually tell them "it would be very nice to see a movie with you but I am still at work" and then I usually ask them if I can get them a drink or a snack. I'll even talk to them a bit if I have time. Really the facility I work in is very small so I'm not totally overwhelmed with residents to take care of, but of course I cannot allow myself to stay caught up in one residents' room while call bells ring outside. I think getting social groups together is a great idea, however that depends on how well the residents get alone with each other. Right now some of our units have more social drama than a high school cafeteria.

Hello everyone, I work in a long term care facility with a variety of residents with differing levels of care needs. Some are completely dependent upon the CNA staff while others can pretty much handle themselves with very minimal assistance from us. Part of the role of a CNA is to encourage independence where residents can do things for themselves, however when I started the job I was willing to wipe any butt that needed it, so I ended up helping some of our more capable people with simple tasks. Some of my coworkers have told me that I am spoiling the residents so that they expect too much out of us. Many of the residents have told me that I am their favorite aide because I help them out with things that other aides would not help them with. The residents have told me that I will be a good nurse someday because of how kindly I treat them. That being the case many of the residents have become attached to me. I've had several of them ask me to sit with them in their room and watch movies with them or have a meal with them. Some of the nurses have told me that the residents ask where I am on my days off. One resident in particular tried to get hissy with me last week because I had "left her alone" in her room after I had cleaned up after she had had a diarrhea episode all over her be and then helping her to wipe up in the bathroom. And this is one of our more independent residents. When she asked me where I had been I told her I was tending to the other residents but I don't see why I should have to explain anything. These people don't seem to understand that I'm at work. They seem to want to be friends and I guess there's a fine line between being their CNA and being their friend. I guess what I'm asking is how do I draw the line with my residents? What did some of you do in situations like this? Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

Well I'm 27 and just now becoming a CNA. I never wanted to enter the medical field on any level. I definitely never wanted to pursue nursing, as I didn't want lives to depend on my performance at work. But after a few many "jobs" and some other unsuccessful pursuits I have decided that a career in the medical field would be a solid route to take. I have not started any classes toward nursing just yet because of life circumstances, but I do plan on getting a CNA2 and MedAide for the time being. I'm just taking things one step at a time. I also agree with crossfitandnursing that I feel more mature and ready to take on the responsibilities that nursing, or any other healthcare job. might require. Also, as mentioned by several others, people enter this career field as late as aged 50, so you and I are not late to anything. The amount of time we have left to work before retirement surpasses the amount of time we've been alive and then some. So, no, you're not starting over at too late an age.