Brekke

If you devote your time to your studies, it should be fine, but it's really all up to what you're comfortable with. My fall classes are A&P I, Chemistry, English Comp, and Nutrition. If you study hard, you can do it!

Thanks. Not too worried though, as I have long since quit the facility. Medications are only one of a long list of practices that the facility used that I didn't find to be legal, moral or ethical. It is unfortunate for the residents however, as they were the reason I stayed so long.

I worked in an alzheimer unit that was supposedly haunted. Now me being a fan of Ghost Hunters wasn't bothered by this so called rumor. I still enjoyed working there, but I was a day shifter. One month while covering the overnight shift for a co-worker, I expereinced two haunting experiences. I was only a temporary fill in, so I wasn't alone either night, and had my own witness. The first night I was getting trained and oriented to the overnight shift and what happened when and where. My co-worker and I sat down for some coffee in the dining room around 1am, after we had gotten the wanderers back to sleep. While she was telling me about the usual nightly procedure, we heard a door slam. Knowing that we had opened and propped each door open for the night, we went to check and see who was up. The door that had slammed was to the room of one of our bedridden residents, who wasn't even capable of sitting up on her own, and she was fast asleep. Not really worried about what happened, I opened the door and pushed the doorstop under the door and made sure that it was secure before I headed back to the dining room with my co-worker. In a matter of minutes after sitting down, there was another door slam. I didn't know why, but I was certain it was the same door, so this time both of us went down to the room, to not only find the door slammed shut, but locked. We were able to find the key and open the door, finding the patient still fast asleep. Together we both propped the door open and made sure that it was securely propped. Durring the morning shift change, while doing rounds and checking on patients, we found the same door shut and locked. The door was still propped open and the patient was doing fine at the last check, less than 30 minutes before, and neither of us had heard it shut again. Once we unlocked and opened the door, we found that the patient had passed away. The second happened the week after. We had just finished checks on the patients rooms, finding all residents safely asleep, and had started on the reports and charting for that night. Everything was calm and quiet and so far uneventful. All of a sudden we hear a loud crash, as if someone had fallen. My co-worker took the west hall and I took the east, and we carefully checked every patient to see who had fallen out of bed. Neither of us found anything out of the ordinary. The same crashing sound happened again before our shift was up. Now I went back to my day shift, and none of the day shifters believed us about what had happened, but every single night shifter congratulated me on my first experiences, and followed with their own stories. Too many to fit in one post.

As someone who's worked in nursing homes, I would have to say that I would never put anyone I cared for in a nursing home if I could help it. Now I don't mean to offend anyone working in a nursing home, as I do understand how hard you have to work, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with family in a nursing home. If they reach the point that there is no possible way for me to care for them alone, I'll hire a private home nurse to help. No cost is too much for my family.

When I worked as a CNA, we were trained to give meds? We could do everything that didn't involve sticking anyone, we weren't allowed to give injections. I don't know how it was legal, as we were passing narcotics as well, but apparently CNA's had been passing meds since the unit opened. We had to take a special class in order to pass meds. Basically as a CNA, what you can do depends on where you work. Different units or departments have different needs. Where I worked, we did everything. We did the complete patient care, med passing, neb treatments, laundry, meals, activities, etc. All with a CNA to patient ratio of 1/10.

I'm sorry that the NS said that to you, it was very unprofessional and selfish. But as it was said before, please don't assume that every nurse or nursing student is going to be that way. It is unfortunate, but people like that are everywhere, and it's kind of just something that you have to get used to. I am currently working to get through my prerequisites so that I can start the RN program next fall. I have worked as a CNA for two years at an alzheimers unit, and I did more than my fair share of the dirty work, and am never going to be above that, nor will I ever turn down the opportunity to help someone else with it. It's sad that people don't understand or appreciate what they have until it's gone. The EMT's, Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses, CNA's... they all play a big part in patient care, and any nurse who doesn't realize and appreciate that fact should be ashamed. As a CNA, you are not only my co-worker, you are my teammate. You are the one I will depend on to help with patient care. You are the one who cares for our patients while I am busy with other things. You will be the one I go to if I have questions about a patient, as you will have had the opportunity to get closer to our patient than I have. You work hard to make sure that our patients are comfortable and happy. Your work will not go unnoticed by me. You are the backbone of patient care, and without you, no nurse would be capable of doing their job. Thank you.

You Know You're A Nurse's Aide in LTC When... - The discussion of various bodily fluids over a meal doesn't bother you. - When the smell and thought of poop doesn't phase you. - You know that when a resident leaves for the evening with their family, they WILL come back and want to go to bed 2 minutes before the shift is over. Exactly, always happened. - When you plan for various disasters durring shift change. - When you find yourself competing with the other CNA's over who's had the biggest mess. - When you become aware of your own intake and output. - When scrubs ARE your fashion statement. - When on your time off, you think about what you'd be doing at that moment if you were at work.

Fall semester starts August 25th. Both terrified and excited. I've been homeschooled since I was 5, so the whole college thing is very new to me. Finished my summer semester with several online prerequisite courses, and now I'll actually be in classes. Taking the first biology class, composition, chemistry and nutrition this fall. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain my 4.0. Yikes!