ILClaire

You are NOT stupid and you are NOT sounding silly...what you sound like is a wonderful, compassionate, and caring CNA that SHOULD be admired for your care and love of patients, and your dilligence to keep going even after having your feelings hurt. I personally have never wanted to work in LTC because of the fact that I would (like you) get very attached to the patients. I guess the best advice I can give you is 1.) Most likely when she's not "hating" you...she's "hating" someone else. 2.) If she is elderly...depending on what type of meds, or her brain fuction...she may not realize that she's always picking on you...maybe you remind her of someone. And 3.) When I have a difficult patient, sometimes they don't want to be asked...just told. "Okay, up now, time to get back in bed". It sounds mean...but it does work, and then you don't have to ask her permission to help her...just do it. If you really hate your job, then you should look for something new...I love working in the hospital because there isn't the long term bonding as with LTC patients. I REALLY enjoy all of my patients, but they're only here for around 3-15 days on average...so it's very rewarding to see them going home and recovering. Good luck to you...I wish you the best...hang in there!

I totally agree...it's a dangerous situation when you're signing off on someone else's work. I'd definitely say no...you're not there just to go and sign papers. I have nothing against LPN's as supervisors...but when I have had an LPN as a supervisor...the NM always signed off on anythign that needed to...as in the LPN's supervisor should sign off...no you. I wouldn't do it just because of the fact that if you haven't accepted the job and have reservations about it...go with your gut feeling. Don't do it. And honestly, I'm just a CNA, but I've heard HORROR stories about being accountable for supervisor's mistakes. This is your career...take care of it!

I work in the CCU, ICU and Trauma sections of our hospital, and honestly, with Critical Care and such...it doesn't matter what time of day it is. Most of my patients sleep off and on all day and night...so they need about the same type of care 24 hours a day. We do alot of turning, monitoring, and assisting with EVERYTHING since when they are sick enough to be in my wing...they're sick enough to need constant care. Almost all our patients are immobile, so pad changes, spongebaths, constant monitoring, cleaning wounds etc needs to be done quite frequently. The morning shifts are busier only because that's when alot of xrays, doctors, and things like that are going on...but all around I think it's about as busy day and night. Nights we get ALOT of admits....car accidents come out of surgery in the early morning hours alot of times etc. So...it all would probably depend on the dept. you were working.

Oh I LOVE working 2nd and 3rd shift! It's all I've ever done! I've filled in on mornings a few times, but honestly, I'm just not a morning person. I work at a local hospital, and love to help people if they're having trouble sleeping, a rough night, or just getting a warm fuzzy blanket for them! You'll love it! I think mornings are just too hectic for my likings...it seems like there is such a rush, and doing the later shifts I think I get to spend more time with the patients, and get to know them better. I hope you like it!

Honestly? I think Ebay has an AWESOME selection. I work as a CNA in CCU and ICU, and we occasionally have to wear them (have our hair covered completely) with certain patients...and the NICEST ones I' have found are on ebay! Go figure!

Alright...whoever posted this thread is in trouble! LMAO! I never counted my scrubs until now...and I am embarassed to say I am a scrub whore!!! LOL! I have been a CNA for 9 years now, and I have (adding pants and tops and jackets), close to 150 pieces! EEEK! It really doesn't look like that much! Honest! But I love having colorful scrubs, and shoes...don't get me started with those! I have one regular size closet (2 doors) that is full of my nursing stuff, and that seems to work well for me. It's nice to not have to do laundry mid-week when I have a busy week with overtime and such. And alot of my patients get a kick out of my silly cartoon scrub tops, and I love colorful socks and shoes! So hey...I suppose it's the little things in life that we get the most pleasure out of! Evidently my weakness is scrubs! lol

Now I'm just a CNA, but all of the nurses in our CCU unit work together, but because of the nature of the work, CCU and ICU care, they accept that it is part of working there that their breaks will be interrupted. When I fill in on our Med/Surg floor, all of the RN's there take their breaks w/o disturbances (usually)...but with CCU and ICU I agree that it is part of the job. 100% of our nurses (RN's and LPN's) in my opinion are working there for the love of the care and patient. So it's probably different in my situation. Most nurses who get an interrupted break just take a few mins longer to make up for the phone call or assisting someone. No biggie.

Oh my gosh! I totally agree! I have worked in a hospital for 9 years now, and some of the new hire CNA's that we hire, I totally understand that when you're just out of class/certification money is tight...but I swear some of them wear the same outfit every day! I'm not a prude, but even just being a CNA, I get paid well I think for my job, and take pride in my work and buy nice scrubs. I am a cartoon scrub addict, but I always buy nice fitting, and colorful scrubs. I buy shoes as soon as they begin to look dingy, and have my hair and make-up nicely done. Our hospital HAS fired girls for showing too much skin and not having properly cleaned clothes. What is this world coming to? No wonder there is such high turnover amongst CNA's...absolutely no pride in your job! So I totally agree with all the complaints here! When you look good, you FEEL good, and are the best CNA, Nurse, etc to your pt.!!!

Hi there! I totally agree with you! I've been a CNA for 9 years, and have only ever worked in hospitals...I've heard some of the "I"m gonna loose my license" fears from my twin sister who is a CNA in LTC. The way that she figured out pretty fast, was that you can usually tell teh SECOND you walk through the door, and for her, around here at least, some of the LTC facilities that are operated by "Lutheran Social Services" or the local "Diocese" seem to be the best. She's worked in 4 total LTC facilities, the last two have been Lutheran Social Services owned...and she LOVES them. They also have time to help their residents shower, a big sunny atrium, lots of activies, great management, computer lab, etc. So I would definitely say that with some LTC facilities you CAN judge a book by it's cover. So you might want to check out your religously affiliated care centers...at least here in Rockford they are VERY nice. Good luck!

he he...i always tell my friends and family that want to take on nursing that honestly, i love the job, love my nurses that are my sup's, but honestly, nursing is such a cut-throat and mean job! i've worked at a hospital for 9 years now (just a cna), but nurses are mean! cna's are mean (i'm one of them...i hope i'm not mean)lol. there is gossiping, and lying, and tattling, and just plain rudeness. i can definitely attribute it to the stress, definitely attribute it to the amount of money some people are getting/competing for for overtime, and honestly...when you have to be sweet to pts. all day...maybe it's a venting process since we can't be mean to pts...the co-workers are the next best thing! lmao! i never sway anyone away from nursing...but just be prepared...i don't think you'll meet your best friends at work! i'm enrolled in nursing school finally...so we'll see if it's just as bad as the workplace! i love being a cna, i've been doing it for 9 years...when the co-workers get tough...the tough workers concentrate on their patients!

Definitely! Definitely and Definitely! Cna's can work VERY flexible hours...alot of hospitals or LTC facilities will hire you "PRN" which is basically on call...so you can set your own schedule, and work when you want or can work. I have been a CNA now for 9 years, and honestly, every new nurse that we hire that I meet always tells me (as I am getting ready to go into nursing school), that experience makes SUCH a big difference! Check out the Nursing forums and read the new graduate section. Just because you get your BSN, doesn't mean you'll get hired right out of nursing school...and getting experience can only help you! I've heard some CNA's depending on where you live having a hard time starting out in hospitals...but LTC always hires new CNA's. Here in Rockford, IL they hire CNA's at the hospitals right out of certification....the best thing you can do is CALL the HR departments. From my experience, hospital HR departments are MUCH friendlier, and much more likely to give out information about their hiring processes. Good luck to you...and from what new RN's have told me...you can NEVER have enough experience!

Hi! I've been a CNA for quite a few years...and while on call jobs can be a bit frustrating b/c of you not always being familiar with where and who you are working with...I know some of the CNA's I work with that are in nursing school that LOVE it. If they are behind on studying...(or sleep), they can say yes or no...so essentially create their own hours! I don't know how LTC facilities work...I've only ever worked in hospitals, so I'm not sure how many different "areas" you can work. I started here 9 years ago doing PRN work for various floors/depts in our hospital, just to gain experience, but as soon as I found that I like CCU the best, I applied for the first position available. So all I can really offer advice towards is that it really is a HUGE advantage to be able to set your own schedule, AND the experience you'll gain is GREAT! If you're someone who can't juggle things w/o a set schedule, then it's prolly not for you. I used to get called in sometimes just 10 mins before they would want me to work...so if you would prefer to have the stability to know when your sleep, study, and work schedules are...it might not be for you. One complain that another CNA I had about PRN shifts, is that she didn't work as much as she thought she would b/c she would say no to shifts when she really should have gone in...and so didn't make as much money as she wanted to. I personally would do it if I were you...what better for a student to be able to make their own shifts? But on the other hand...I'm not a student...yet! LMAO!! Good luck to you!

I have been a CNA now for 9 years working at a local hospital. When I started to take my CNA classes...I knew IMMEDIATELY if nursing would be for me. We started working in a LTC facility (nursing home) about 8 days into the class...and that is when I knew that A.) Nursing was definitely fo rme, and B.) I wanted to work in a hospital and not in LTC. I think one of the mistakes that I see other CNA's make, is to think that when you are a CNA, if you become a LPN or RN you get a more "glamorous" job. The nurses that I work with clean up as many pts. as I do, and have to deal with as many bodily fluids as I do! lol. I have just enrolled, after 9 years, in an LPN program and decided that I've been doing this long enough to make an informed decision...and so I'm going to be starting LPN classes this fall as well. I'm really looking forward to having more responsibilites with pts. and feeling like I have more job options as well...although there has never been a week as a CNA that I couldn't work 1000 hours if I wanted to! I think you should be pretty sure if this is for you after the first couple of weeks, as soon as you get your "hands on" clinical type experience. Of course don't make your mind up the first day...and for me personally, all our CNA clinicals were in LTC and I the hospital to me is TOTALLY different...so don't base your decision on that either! Good luck to you! I really hope this is the thing for you!

I"m a twin and I've been a CNA for 9 years. I LOVE nursing, and am looking forward to starting nursing school to get my LPN, then eventually my RN. My twin was wondering the same, if she would like it as well...so for her birthday I paid for a CNA class for her...cuz we all have to start somewhere right? lol She took the class, and while working/doing her clinicals in a Nursing home decided that is was definitely not for her. I guess I would say take the 6 weeks if you have time to get your CNA license, and definitely give it a try. You'll either like it or you won't! I loved it from the first day of class...and honestly I think everyone who isn't sure about nursing should get their CNA license and give it a try! Anatomy and Physiology scare me the most about nursing school...the idea of workign with cadavers is what has turned me off of nursing school for 9 years now...but this fall I'm signed up for Anatomy and Physiology...so if I can get that behind me...look out nursing school...here I come! lol

Oh definitely! I think that any experience is GREAT! Around here alot of hospitals don't even hire you without some sort of experience...so alot of new grads end up working in LTC/Nursing home situations...and maybe that isn't what they are wanting. I think anything that can give you experience, and you can work as much or as little as you want to...it's better than no experience, and better than no money at all! I'd go for it! Just make sure that if you're going to put it on your resume you work for experience, and work to make a good impression. I work at a hospital (36-48 hours/wk) and work PRN for an in-home-care company here in my city. I usually only do 10-20 hours a month for them...but it's nice to have a little extra cash if I need it...and something different once in a while. Good luck to you!