Misslady113

Ok. I am going to briefly share my story with you. I went to college in 2001 and didn't like the subject I was taking. Not only did I have a lot of C's the first semester, I also had four F's the following semester due to not withdrawing properly. When I decided to take my pre-reqs for nursing school, the academic advisor told me flat out to forget about it. He told me my past grades were too poor and I might as well go for medical assistant or surgical tech. I worked harder than ever to get almost all A's in my pre-req's and got accepted to nursing school. I not only graduated this May as one of the top of my class, I also won an award. I am now a registered nurse, and it feels so good to be able to say that, when others told me I would never be able to. If there is a will, there is a way, and the road may be more difficult for those of us who messed up in the past, but it is not impossible. I went through the depression that you are going through as well, and I decided to get up and not let it stop me. I went to school with two children, and remained low income so I could do it all for free. Find a way, believe in your self, work hard, and life will pave a path for you to your dreams. Good luck.

Hello to all. I start my program on the 27th and I was curious to know how is it going so far for those who have started before me?

READ THE BOOK!!!! I can't tell you how many students I saw that thought they could get past by just reading the power points and the notes. In my A&P 1 class I read the book and finished with an average of 99.7. In A&P 2 I was swamped with micro and stat, so I just read the notes and finished with a 93 Its still an A, but goes to show you how reading the book makes a difference. Although becoming a c.n.a is truly helpful, be careful. I have hurt my back in ways I didn't think I could. The job is backbreaking and sometimes I wonder how many years of stress on my back I could have taken away if I didn't become a c.n.a. I start my program on the 27th. Super excited, wish me luck :)

To madsmom1.... it was very traumatizing. I think the worst part wasn't seeing him or all the mess but the utter despair and hopelessness and shock of his friends when he got shot. They were hysterical and in their minds that was it.... their friend was dead in that moment, just like that. Like they never thought he might have a chance and they just left him there. Without a person to hold his hand or just say something to him. It was heartbreaking. To walk in the street and still see his blood stained on the ground is heartbreaking. Whenever I see a puddle it almost brings me to tears. I guess at work when someone dies its just so different than being there in the moment this boys life was almost taken and having to see his familiar face and those I know and to go through the aftermath with these people and look out my window and see his blood. Last night it rained and I watched his blood get wet again and start going down the street. I am traumatized and thank you so much for recognizing that.

I just want to reassure you all that I absolutely assessed the scene first, not just rushed in naively. From what I saw, it was clear, and evidently I'm still here so I made the right choice. He was still breathing and I am so glad I did turn him on his side because it was only then that I noticed blood coming out of his mouth. When I turned him I did think about spinal injuries but from my prior e.m.t training I knew that he needed to be able to breathe before anything so I made that decision quickly. And btw... he's still ALIVE... it was only a rumor that he died and I'm absolutely joyous again and thankful as well for all of your input on this situation. If I could do it over... I would have and I truly believe that if i didnt, he wouldn't even be at point B right now. Thank you all and I surely next time will try to be more careful

I definately made sure the scene was safe first by asking his friends if the gunman was gone. Once they assured me he was, I ran to help him. Unfortunately, he died this afternoon. But the quick response bought him enough time that his family could say goodbye. I'm astonished that the cops just sat around and did nothing. Aren't they supposed to help? That boy would have bled out and died right there if someone didn't help. So sad right now, but even more rejuvenated in my goal to be an e.r nurse, which I've always wanted to be. Thank you all for you responses.

Thank you all for you responses. It helped comfort me so much. I spoke to a friend and he said to me that thanks to a nurse, the boy is in the hospital in critical condition. He didn't know that person was me. I can't even believe he made it that far as most with his wound don't and even though he's not out of the woods yet, I am absolutely joyous right now. I guess that means I helped him. Thank the lord, the boy has angels on his side. :)

I am a c.n.a/ starting nursing student and I got my first taste of some critical care tonight. Long story short a young boy got shot on my block and I ran to the scene to help him(couldn't help it, I was the only one). Gunshot wound to the head and everyone was panicked. I turned him to his side to help him breathe,but someone told me not to do it, so I don't know if that was right. I asked some of his friends for some shirts and applied pressure to his head to stop the bleeding. It helped alot and for 15 min i held on to that boy, talking to him telling him to hold on while taking his pulse.I'm just shaking and freaked out right now. I was just hoping to hear that I followed the right procedures and what else could I have done maybe to make it better? I also tried to raise his head up off the ground hoping the blood would flow a bit downwards..... I don't know if I did the right thing. This boys blood was all over my hands and I have no cuts but also wondering what's my risk for exposure . I hope I did the right thing..his pulse was fading when he went into the ambulance. I hope he makes it.

I am a CNA in a nursing home working the 3rd shift. We have one resident who rings the bell at 2 in the morning asking for hot water for tea. She is alert. But on psych meds and has a unsteady gait. She is about 85. I have heard from some of the nurses to just give her the water to keep her quiet, but I personally don't feel comfortable giving it to her for fear that it doesn't have the proper covering the kitchen usually gives and she might spill it on herself and burn herself. She likes her water hot and I don't want to be responsible if something happens, yet I know she has the right to have the water if it will make her feel better and I feel bad refusing her. What should I do???

To make a long story short, I will be in school a year longer than expected for pre reqs due to a setback in my GPA from 10 years ago. I have decided to take additional courses that apply to the P.A program as well as my R.N pre reqs then when the time comes I will apply to both just in case I need a plan B to fall back on. My question is if you were accepted to both schools, which one would you pick based on the current and future conditions of both careers?

Yes you can do it. I'm a CNA and I have 4.0 so far. Any job you get can interfere with school if you let it. The good thing about being a CNA is that I get to work overnight shifts on the weekends so it doesn't clash with my classes. And there is enough down time on the night shift to get any school work done.

Well... you said your heart is in NICU. I would just say to follow your heart. What an awesome opportunity to be presented with both options. Weigh them both out carefully (ex.pros and cons list) and pick the one that suits and fits your lifestyle best. Good luck.:redbeathe:lol2:ro

Once.. I gave a resident her healthshake. She lookd at the box and it said "shake well". She looked at it curiously and said to me,"well it must not be working. Its not shaking at all." Had another resident who claimed their was a young white boy in his room from his school.so I went along with it and continued cleaning him. When I went to clean his rear he jumped and shouted at me,"He's there,he's there!" I said ,"Where?!!" He's says, "In my BUTT!!!" One resident used to curse Obama every night. Saying he did nothing for her and her family. She used to yell through the nusing home about how much she hated him. I went into her room to tel her to quiet down a bit. She looks at me,threw her leg into the air, opened her crotch explicitly with both hands and said, " Go on *****, go the **** on *****," in her southern accent. I took that as she wanted me to leave and kindly exited the room.lol

Omg I feel the same way. Tired of having to write essay, research assignments. And math takes the cake for me. I put off statitics till next semester.I watch other students not working as hard all around me. They are fine with a B or C. I envy them at time because being an A student is not so easy. And once you go A you can never go back. If you get a B your like "nnoooooo!!. :eek:Anyway the good thing about the hard word is when ya get the grade back. Then you feel great. Keep going and take every assignment one at a time. And don't worry about setbacks. Sometines they happen. Always have a plan B just in case. As long as in the end the goal is achieved. Just realize there are sometimes pitstops along the way.:heartbeat

Ok this one is very perverted. We have a resident with HIV at our nursing home who is very bothersome often. I dreamt that I was working and he kept following me around bothering me. So I annoyingly asked him what did he want and he gestured that he wanted a handjob. So at this point I was like whatever, anything to get him to leave me alone, let's get it over with. So I was handijobbing him:barf02: and when he was done some of his sperm squirted in my eye. I ran around the facility yelling, "OMG,I have HIV in my EYE!!!!!" Needless to say I woke up in a sweat. Total nightmare.

This is just boiling me over. I work as a CNA on the 3rd shift. We have a resident here who rings the call bell non-stop. Sometimes if you go in there he will come up with ridiculous reasons for assistance, like rubbing his feet, change his diaper(even though he's dry) can't find his cell phone, can't find his cellphone, and again..can't find his cellphone. Lately he has been at war with the nurses and just rings the call bell for no reason. When we go in to assist him he tells us in the most spiteful way that he just wants it on and don't touch his callbell. It's every 5 to 15 min he rings the bell. If we shut it off he turns it right back on. The d**m bell is so tired of ringing that sometimes the thing stutters and has to reajust itself. Now he has this new thing where he calls the facility number all night long and when we answer he says nothing. Then calls back over and over and just lets it ring all night.. This is becoming disruptive to the residents and staff and I'm sick of it. Administration is well aware of whats going on and nothing is done. What can we do about this guy? HAs anyone been in the same situation? I just feel something needs to be done but I'm just a CNA so I don't know what to do?

:clpty:Congratulations on your acceptance:clpty::redbeathe

:) Everything is going great over here. I've been a CNA for about 10 months now, and I LOVE it.:redbeathe Went through all the doubts and worries in the beginning if it was for me or not. There are no doubts now. Extremely hard, tiresome, backbreaking, and absolutely REWARDING! Although I can't stand getting up in the morning, getting at the job makes it all worth it. My coworkers and the residents are like a big family to me. The staff works together as a team. The residents are usually half independant, half total care on an assignment. I get as many hours as I want. They are very available. And If I want to lessen my hours for the week, I can do so. I love the 11-7 shift. The job is awesome because I feel like I get paid for doing something I love. Right now one of my favorite residents is in the hospital. It's not looking good so I'm praying for him.:redpinkhe

I believe that the "veil" between this world and the next thins or lifts when a person is close to death. And loved ones can be seen and heard by the dying one, waiting to welcome them after they pass. I am very spiritual and it is something that I believe, but medicine will find some way to write it off as some psycological condition because they can't explain it, and there is no evidence of it. But science and medicine can only go so far in understanding the works of the world because they close out the spiritual possibilities behind the causes of life. They know what black holes are, but can't really figure them out. They understand the Big Bang, but fail to know why it happened. They know a baby is created in it's mom, but fail to explain the true force behind what is the builder of the form. They know humans come from monkeys, but can't explain what gives us the intelligent consciousness, and why monkeys today are not developing that. They know that music, colors, and needles poked in certain places can bring about healing, but don't understand why. Humanity is in it's infancy and really has only begun to understand things in the past 100 years or so. Our technology is fairly new, but it cannot answer all the questions. There is some driving force behind nature, causes and effects, death, and birth, and until we open up our minds to possibilities other than the physical, we will not be able to comprehend very far. We will not see the whole picture, just part of it.

I was very nice when I first started my job. Always wanted to help. Thought it would be kind to do something for my residents just to make their day a bit easier. But these people you care for can be manipulative and take total advantage of you if you let them. If you start off saying yes to much, it's hard to begin to say no. You just have to say no in a professional manner. And sometimes you really have to insist in a not so nice way: 1. Resident: Can you pass me some regular sugar? Me: No I cannot. You are diabetic and I am not allowed to give you extra sugar. If there's a problem, discuss it with your doctor. 2. Resident: Can you rub this cream on my foot? Me: I'm sorry but that cream is not ordered by the doc. I know your wife bought it for your fungus, but I cannot put it on. Maybe she can or you can try yourself. 3. Resident: Can you hang up these clothes for me? Me: Now Mr. So & So, You can hang that up yourself. I am here to help you in anyway, including helping you maintain your independance, so that you don't lose the ability to do it on your own. 4. Resident: Can you loan me a dollar? I'll give it back? Me: No I dont give out money. Resident: But I will give it back tomorrow. I promise! Me: Nope, sorry, but if I give you money I have to give to all. And its against rules to give out money. Resident: But I won't tell anyone. Me: No, no, NO! I can go on all day, but you get the point. If you give your kids everything, they will be spoiled. And you don't want a spoiled resident on your hands, so just say no when needed. They will get over themselves. And if they don't, too bad. And to the above person who thinks if people can do something they will, that is not the case. Some of them think it's your job to cater to their personal needs that they can do on their own. You have to be able to know each person, their abilities, limitations, and proceed from there. Good luck to you.

I work as a CNA and am starting my pre reqs this year. I think the biggest advantage for me as a CNA is the shifts. If you work a 9-5 job during school it will be tough. If you work in a hospital or nursing home setting, you can work 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7 shifts. There are more options for you to move your schedule around your classes. I am going to work the 11-7 shift on the Fri, Sat, and Sun, and go to school during the week. The overnight shift is very relaxing and gives lots of down time for studying. Plus working overnight still allows me time with my children during the day and I can focus on school during the week. IF you don't have to work at all, then that's the best option. But if you do, a healthcare setting would be a good idea. Not to mention it would let you see the reality of nursing and help you to decide if it's really what you want, rather than going to school for 2-4 years and then realizing that it's not what you expected. Good luck.

Try yoga or meditation. It really helps to relax your mind and body and gives you a moment to focus on just you. Also try to live in the moment, and not the past. So many times we are physically in the present, but our minds are all over the place in the past (what could've been) or the future (what will be). Try to focus on what's going on at the very present moment and if the thoughts of the past come by, try to block it out by singing a song or thinking of a more pleasent memory. Someone once said to think of the thought as a cloud and as it comes let it just pass by like clouds do in the sky. Force it out of your mind or it will take over. Good luck to you.:redbeathe

I do not throw linen on the floor. I always tie the plastic bag to the bedrail so that it hangs, and then put my linens in there. Maybe if its a blanket or something large I wont put it in the bag, just carry it down the hall to the utility room. But to put it on the floor... no no. I Have walked into residents rooms and found the place to be a mess when the CNA is cleaning them. Linens on floor, water from the basin all over the place. I can't work like that, but some do. And heavens forbid the DON or administrator walks in at that moment.:chair: But it seems based on the answers that some places don't offer plastic bags often, so using the pillowcase or a pad on the floor is a good idea.

I don't see why not. If you have the time and the resources, and your heart is into it, go for it! Your not feeling the urge to go back for no reason. There may be some unfinished business for you in this field. It sounds like it was the place you worked at, not the actual field itself which made you leave. There are better places out there that can actually provide an enriching experience as a CNA. And for future references, never just "snap and walk out". Don't make such hasty decisions based on your emotions at any given time. Emotions are temporary and can leave you regretting your actions if you react because of them. Always take some time to calm down and reevaluate the situation while your calmer so you can make better judgements. Good luck to you and follow your heart.:redbeathe

In the fall I was planning on taking Gen Chem, Eng 101, Psych 100, and MAT 056. But the Math course is 6 non degree credits, so that puts me at 16 credits. I have two children... 9 and 3, support from mom and fiance, and will be working 11-7 shifts 3 days a week on the weekends. Is it doable? If I should drop a course, which should it be?