gltda

I was accepted into the Valparaiso ASN program with a TEAS score of 132. I was selected "first rounds" and it was my first choice campus. I started this past spring.

To an extent, but I think you will pick it up just fine! And even working in the medical field, a lot of the medical terms are "foreign" to people who speak English already. If you don't know something, don't be afraid to ask for help or clarification :)

I'm a CNA in nursing school. I ALWAYS have 15-30 patients during my shift, which is rediculous and not safe, especially on an ICU cardiac stepdown unit where the patients are all high acuity. Yesterday I spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in a room cleaning up a patient who was continuously pooping. (She was in her chair and had a liquid bowel movement. I got her cleaned up, sat her down, it happened again. Got her to the commode to "get it all out," got her cleaned up again. Transferred her to bed, she pooped as soon as she was situated. There was poop on the floor too so I had to clean that as well). This patient also refuses to move without max assist out of laziness (she makes her husband feed her and hold her cell phone while she talks on it...but if he's not there she'll do it herself. She is capable, she chooses to be "incapable"). So, during this time I am not answering my phone because I am in PPE and DEFINITELY have poop on my gloves. I am not going to stick my hand in my pocket to get my phone (which at this point is ringing nonstop, getting calls from both patients and nurses). The nurse walks in while I have the patient on the commode and am getting her cleaned up and goes "Jeeze (my name) don't you ever answer your phone?" I tell her I've been in the room for at least an hour now and she goes "oh. I believe it." And walks out. Later I get a call from my charge nurse, she had one patient that day and I had 15. The patient we had together wanted to get to the commode every 15 minutes like clock work. She told me that she "has done it the past 6 times and I have yet to do it." I had gotten him to the commode. Just because you didn't SEE me do it doesn't mean I didn't do it... She wrote me up for "ignoring" call lights. They wouldn't even look at my call light badge to prove I was in rooms helping patients the entire time. I feel like she wanted to write me up so bad because I was "making her do aid work." I also tried to explain to her that if I were to have left the patient I was with to take her patient to the commode would have caused me to be written up anyways for knowingly leaving a patient in her own stool. I don't know what this post was meant to be. I guess it's just a rant. I'm looking for a new job (I actually spend my lunch breaks filling out applications...) but I just haven't gotten any calls yet. I'm just getting really discouraged about becoming a nurse and working in a hospital. I'm afraid I'll never get into a "good place" that actually gives a damn about both the patients and employees. Any words of advice or encouragement are appreciated.

I got my acceptance email for Ivy Tech Valparaiso. I'm super excited!