stine75

I start my orientation on the 3rd of December, so I'm not going to be of much help.....but from what they told me today, the first few days are paperwork and videos,etc (casual clothes)....and then after day 4 or 5 I'll be on the floor with another CNA for the first week or two. Hope that helps! Christina

Yeah!!! I passed my CNA test last Saturday, and landed a job at the Veteran's Home today!! I was VERY nervous, but my interview went really well, and I start my orientation on the 3rd of December!!!! Christina

I am a trainee CNA working at a LTC facility. Today one of the guys planted a big fat smooch on me when I wasn't prepared for it, and afterwards I was told he has c-diff. Should I be worried??? Christina

I bought some cushy nursing shoes from a nursing supply store when I bought my scrubs. They work really well, but I can't remember the brand. I see a lot of people in Crocs, but I can't imagine actually wearing them! Last night one of the gals in my class was in crocs, and we did showers.......her socks were soaked a whole lot more than mine were in regular shoes. You can also get inserts for your shoes. Just makes sure they're comfortable because you'll be on your feet a whole lot. Christina

Yes, you should find out from the instructor what you need for your clinical days on the first day of class....but I'd assume you'll need scrubs for clinical....and no stethoscope. I'd bring a small notebook and pen that you can keep in one of your scrub pockets during clinical. Other than that, decent shoes and a smile!! Christina

Hello!! I'm not finished with my course, and therefore have no idea what the most important things will be on your certification exam, but I'm trying to think of what my instructor has really emphasized thus far. Hand-washing, definitely. OH, and charting/legal stuff. Transferring residents, and feeding. Not sure if that helps though!! Christina

Wow.....tonight we basically just went through what we were going to do, and the first chapter in our textbook. I have 4 chapters to read and do summaries on before tomorrow nights class though. I plan on doing that when my kids leave for school tomorrow. I'm absolutely jazzed by my first class though......and came home high as a kite!

Katie, I'm planning on continuing my education after this, and am filling out applications for LPN classes already! I too was thinking that it would help me decide whether nursing was really for me. My first class went great. I was by far not the oldest. There are 15 people in my class, and most of them were my age or older. I felt instantly comfortable, which was good because I'm a stresser and a worrier! I can't wait for class tomorrow night.........and I have 4 chapters to read and do summary pages on before 6 pm tomorrow night!!! Fun, eh???

That's the same time mine ends. Supposedly the class is 75 hours of classroom, 100 hours of clinical....but I'm not sure how that's possible based on the class schedule. I guess I'll find out tonight!!

That's great! How long is your training?? I've noticed that everyone seems to be going for a different amount of time. Just curious...

bakpakr....I was reading your posts earlier. Congrats on getting started. It's nice to know I'm not the only person over 20 starting this career. And the only man huh? That's crazy...... Good luck back to you.....

Well, I start my CNA classes this evening!! I'm so excited. I'm doing a 6 week course in the evenings, and a few weekends, that cost $500. I'm planning on using it as a stepping stone in nursing, but who knows...I may love it and decide to stay an assistant. I AM worried that at 32 years old I'll be the oldest person in my class I have been a stay-at-home military wife/mom for many years now, so this is my first time doing anything other than volunteer work in a very long time. I feel like I'm starting Kindergarten or something! Anyway, I just thought that I would introduce myself. I'm sure you'll see me on here often. Stine

Thank you guys so much for the information! I really appreciate it....

Thanks!! Any info of the surrounding area, and the school, would be great!! I appreciate your help....

Thank you for the response. I'm a little stressed out at the moment, and my patience is the first thing to go!!! I did notice that this forum was awfully quiet! I have checked the website, and received information in the post...I was just curious if anyone had first (or second) hand info, since I've never lived in Missouri before. I enjoyed the other post about what's good and bad in Missouri!! It actually made me even more excited about moving there... So, I apologize for my impatience!!

Wow, I thought for sure that SOMEONE would've heard of this school!! That doesn't sit very well on whether it's a decent one or not...... If I don't go there, I'd have to go into Kansas City. Do any of you know of a school with a bachelor nursing program that is somewhat southeast of Kansas City??? It's hard to gauge where places are on a map.

I was just wondering if anyone had any information on the BSN program at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg? I'm a military wife, and we're scheduled to move to Whiteman AFB, and I'm planning on getting my nursing degree while we're there. Anything you've heard would be greatly appreciated, as I'm currently living overseas and having trouble tracking things down on the internet!! Thanks tons.

Thanks for the info. I'm right there with you on the single-parenting stuff. I think it's safe to call us "military widows". I definitely hope my hubby comes home the same man who left. We have at least 5 years until retirement, so chances are we will end up at 2 more bases before we're done. I AM excited about starting school though, since I put it off for so long. It will be nice to have something of my own for a change. Plus, I've wanted to go into nursing since I was 5.........so I've been waiting for a LONG time!!!

Thank you stpauligirl. I figured I would have to throw some more history and humanities classes in there. I was also considering taking spanish, as it seems like the most useful second language to have doing stateside nursing. I have some friends who are in San Antonio, but I haven't been there since my hubby graduated from basic training! We can't go there unless my hubby suddenly decides to get a special assignment, which he may do after being in Iraq for a year....... I'm expecting him to return with some form of burn-out.

Thanks for the info on nutrition and human growth & development. We definitely love Europe, and have been stationed in Italy, England and now here in Germany. Europe most definitely has it's perks. I'm horrible with base names, but we can go to: Whiteman AFB, Missouri Minot, N.D. Great Falls, MT Cheyenne, WY Barksdale AFB, LA Nellis AFB, NV and Albuquerque, NM Most of these places only have one school nearby (that I can find on the internet) with a nursing program.....with the exception of Missouri. The base is supposed to be around 50 miles from Kansas City, and there are plenty of schools in that area with nursing programs. I know that in Wyoming at least you can pay resident tuition if you're in a military family stationed there. Thanks for the response!! Stine

Hello Everyone. I am a 30 year old mom of 2 currently living in Germany as an Air Force wife. I have always wanted to pursue a career in nursing, but have spent the past 10 years living overseas taking care of the kids while the hubby works all over the place (He's currently deployed to the desert). In the summer of 2007 we will finally be moving back to the states, but I'm not sure where yet. I am finally enrolling in the college on base to try and nickle and dime some of my pre-reqs. I got sick of waiting!! Anyway, I basically went to every college with a nursing degree in EVERY city we may POSSIBLY be moving to, and wrote down all of their pre-requisites. The only classes I have taken so far are Western Civ, and psych 101. My list included english, algebra, statistics, biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, sociology, speech and some others I can't think of off the top of my head. I am thinking of starting off with human biology, algebra and english this term through the University of Maryland on base. I guess my question would be, does this sound like a good plan? Are there classes I'm missing on my list? Does this sound like a good idea, with only a little over a year left here to get some of my basics out of the way? Am I missing some other integral part of the planning process? I have lurked on here for ages now, and know that I'm certainly not the only woman of this age going back to school for nursing, so I feel like I'm in good company. My kids are 11 and 8, and capable of fending for themselves if I end up having to take a couple of night courses. I'm sure this has just been one hug rambling jumble of thoughts, so thanks for sticking with this post as long as you have!! Any input would be wonderful................. Thanks!! Stine