geoffreyg

i just had to unload secondary to my dyspnea and palpitations. i took the rn test today at 10 am. it shut off at 75 questions and i walked out about noon. i tried the PVT just now and it gave me the pop out message box and did not get to the credit card page. so is that a good sign? i'm so nervous. i feel like i did okay. anyone here from Ohio know how long it takes between when you walk out of pearson and when the Ohio BON changes your status on their website. Any help for this nervous soul is very much appreciated!!!!! gg

Here is what I really appreciate: If we are understaffed, and the LPN helps transfer Hoyer transfers - not even do any lifting, just help push the up and down buttons. That is helpful if you can't find another aide. We have many residents with increased risk for falls, so they have bed/chair alarms. If I can't immediately leave the room I'm in to attend to the alarm, it's great when the LPN makes sure that the resident transfers safely, and either comes to let me know, or attends to their need and gets the alarm back on. It is so helpful when you don't have to drop everything all the time to attend to another alarm. If the LPN helps me reposition people, or especially scooch them up in bed, that is very helpful. gg

you hear a call light out in the hallway and you know which resident is ringing AND what they want before even looking in the hallway for the call light...

i think you just get used to it. i had one lady with a colostomy bag when i was a fresh new cna and it took me about an hour to clean it (59 minutes of gagging and 1 minute of cleaning:wink2:). now i can almost have my face right in it and nothing happens. i almost don't even gag at cdiff anymore. amazing how much you can get used to....

i'm just an rn student, but it sure sounds like you did the right thing. it sounds like you saved his life. way to go!

yes i scrub long and hard and totally switch clothes but the BM and or urine scent lingers. it doesn't disgust me, it's just weird. many times, i know from which resident the scent came from. okay and now for something i thought i'd never tell anyone (don't read if easily nauseated!): sometimes after leaving work, my BM at home will have the odor of a resident's BM that i dealt with earlier in the day. weird. i still love them, though!:heartbeat

Take comfort that you did the right thing for this gentleman. Hygiene care, a peaceful atmosphere and loving touch mean more than we know for end-of-life care. It means so much to the family also. Somewhere this man is thanking you for your TLC. I've lost regulars I loved as much as my mom or grandma. At work, we talk about their personality and their smile and their gratitude and all our memories of them. Even through the sadness, we're still blessed to help them and to have known them.

in short, no. my ideal vision of nursing care is unending compassion and protection and advocacy and selflessness and hard work for those in need. in a way, your needs are secondary to those in your care. if you don't have this feeling inside you naturally, nursing likely won't be an easy path.

I've had plenty of both and 3-11 is definitely preferable. Management is there long enough to put your $0.02 in, and then they split by dinner time. You have a nice lull at 3p to get showers/baths done. And then when you're tired at the EOS, go home and right to bed. Sometimes you even have time to walk the residents and do some ROM's. Plus you can have your CNA cart outside the resident's room after dinner (a HUGE no-no at our place on 7-3). You'll love it!

It is awesome experience! Very little will freak you out in nursing school, and you will develop outstanding interpersonal skills! Good luck to you!

I went through this exact same search in '06. Turns out the place I was eventually hired at does their own STNA training (and pays for it). Call places near to you and ask if they provide training for the STNA test. Likely they have a path to train you free of charge. FYI, I went to Bath Manor and it was fine. We had a knowledgeable instructor, and an effective introduction to this line of work. FYI#2, Employers are required to reimburse you for training you pay for. Check regulations at the Ohio Department of Health nurse aide registry. Good luck! gg

what a wonderful experience! you're an awesome nurse for knowing that sometimes giving our time is the best medicine. it's soooo much better than any paycheck!

yo, 7p-3a, keeping very close eyes on particular residents with dimentia together with high risk for falling - one with former extensive mastery of the english language, my first day with her and a religious channel happened to be on a nearby tv: "praise the lord and pass the ammo!" - she had my heart from then on weeks later approx. 2:40 pm my first calories of the day. we have same resident parked behind the counter to keep an eye on her. work complete, i break out an apple. she stares at me for a minute and then comments: "slobiosis" - i about choked we were laughing so hard. gotta love this job!

yo, last week we had an resident near passing (roxanol, etc.) and me and another aide go to do a slight, gentle reposition in bed and i loudly announce to my co-worker "put him in the dead center". pure class....

Good luck! You'll be fine. I am a nursing assistant in LTC and in nursing school (clinicals starting in May). You will likely feel overwhelmed at some point, but one skill that gets thrown on you is you learn to stay calm and thing clearly and logically in the midst of chaos. You learn that even with 10 things in short-term memory, block them out, prioritize, and focus on the task at hand.