daimere

Once you get on the floor you will realize that the classes don't prepare you for the potential *** moments you will see/encounter. If you are a hard worker, can roll with the punches (sometimes literally), you could be a good cna. Expecting to sit on the job all the time or saying things like, "well, it's not my fault, why should i fix it?" Is not the mentality to have in this job. Although there are people that do that. It's a hard job, sometimes, you may be thanked. The biggest thing i wish these classes would instill in people is a work ethic and understanding that in some cases you are wasting your breath. Yes, there are people that will dig in their poop. It happens more than you think but it's a fact of life sometimes.

It depends on the state. From what i have heard, unless one is a nursing student, it usually doesn't happen. In my area, most colleges make nursing students take the class before being accepted into the program.

"can i have some scissors so i can clip my pubic hair?" Although i have had a resident request a banana split at night. One night a kma actually managed to give some od the guys some from scrounging in the back kitchen!

What are the sort of restrictions a muslim nurse aide would have? My facility has hired one. I have no problem with it. Except now there are rumors going about that no man can touch her unless she is providing care(some of the men on the units are touchy/huggy-type of people), she refuses to do some parts of care like baths, she wrote up a male CNA for touching her non-sexually as he passed by, can't work in the dining room (it takes almost all the aides to feed everyone), no postmortem care, and other stuff. I'm not sure what part of this is just rumor or what possible restrictions she would have due to her religion. Overall from the rumors, I would be afraid that an LTC could be inappropriate for her. Especially if she was pulled to another unit like the alzheimer's unit (I've had a man chase me to give me a hug!), I could see issues arising. Thanks for anyone that could help!

Also, have you noticed cues that he is giving off before eliminating? I have on resident that will start tugging at his pants and you can usually guide him to a toilet. There was another one that would start fidgeting when he was about to go. A urinal is a great way to go to catch it in time. There are many times I've had to throw a urinal under a dementia resident to prevent a mess.

I'd say check your facility but I'm sure that piercings are a no-no, especially with mental patients that may be combative. I have a wrist tattoo and just waiting for it to heal on a total care unit was awful/scary. I had to change how I took care of residents to prevent it getting hit. I can't imagine a piercing. I've had girls have their earlobes almost ripped out with our combative residents. In my facility, no facial piercings are allowed.

That sounds like my job at an LTC working nights!

Where in Kentucky are you? Do you have a state veteran's home near your area? I know the one where I live is always hiring and they will hire fresh off the bus!

I work at an LTC as an aide. On the 4 regular unit, you have to give ice. They are 64 oz jugs that are washed once a week. The people on thickened get 8 oz cups of thickened water. Most of the people on restrictions don't get any. Most water pitcher fillup passes can take about 30 minutes for 50 residents. The longest times was when we'd have to switch out cups and we'd never have enough. Or second shift didn't collect/bring them up (kitchen is closed at 11). The dementia unit does not get pitchers. I honestly think that passing ice is a waste of time (for 3rd shift). I used to pass marked thickened liquids and they'd be there 3 days later untouched (when you pass, we're told to pick up the old cups). Especially on my old unit, there would be 4-6 people that would use the pitcher (totally give them ice/water). The rest were still full from melted water. One man would tell me, "I don't drink water." I know that 3rd shift on my other unit was the only people that passed ice even though it was supposed to be done by every shift. Honestly how will a person who is a carelift and doesn't move at all reach over to get this water?

My husband does that. I go to sleep around 10 or 11am and sleep till 8. He'll talk to his friends like all I do is sleep and I'm a lazy bafoon! I work 40 hours plus mandatory overtime plus voluntary overtime PLUS another job.

Funny enough most of the men I care for have more tattoos than I did when I started working. Although I work with army men. If I write on my arm, they ask me, "Oh you have a tattoo?" I now have one visible tattoo and most the men don't see it. If they do, it's after a while. I had my hair flaming red/pink and that caused more of a ruckus with the management. All the men would just say my hair was pretty or continue to call me red. I've toned my hair down a bit and the comments are the same. I highly doubt I was offending them. One man said he loved my hair because I was different than all the others. Now, when I got my tattoo a nurse I don't work with told me that "I'm in the wrong profession to have a forearm tattoo" and I was going to get cellulitis. She had a tattoo on her forearm of an ICP clown. Hmph. On the other hand, piercings are a no no in my facility but they don't focus on that rule. This one girl still fumes how they threatened to fire her for her nostril ring and they still have tons of CNAs that have it.

Actually in most places, it depends on the facility. I know one local ambulatory center only hires CNAs that can do sticks since there is not a huge amount of staff.

I'm pretty sure that even if you were to be hired as an RN, unless catheter was in a PCTs scope, you wouldn't be able to help. You would be operating under the scope of practive of a PCT, not RN. It's like I have EMT cert. I work at a nursing home. Now EMTs can give O2, can I give O2 where I work? No cause I'm operating as a CNA's scope, not an EMT. Although I highly doubt anyone would hire you as a PCT because of job issues and all that.

Depends on the place. During day shift they have NASR II but the other shifts don't have them. NASR II will do precepting and "take charge."

Those are great questions. Ask your CNAs if he has a wet brief during his fall. A lot of our fallers, especially our biggest risk, always falls after he pees. This man though holds it and holds it multiple rounds (completely dry) and then tries to get up to go. About 95% of the time when he falls, I know he went to the bathroom.

I agree with the person who said to get to know the residents. Go to all the units and meet the fall risks. Most likely you will be seeing them quite frequently and it really helps if you know them. Also make sure you know the facilities policy on falls. We have a man that will climb out of bed on his one knee and then get back up in his bed or even being assisted to the ground by staff is a fall where I work. In my facility, if there is an emergency, the charge will take a cart while being charge. It doesn't happen much that I've noticed. Although when they take a cart, I hardly see them.

Long term care facility. I'm in Kentucky. Yes, i'm under 50 but what does that have to do with anything? I know my facility hires many 50+ year olds.

My dayshift is really busy. Most of what I remember from orientation was just walking/fast walking around. Although we have a large facility. Now they are thinking of experimenting with our unit by knocking two walls out which would give us four less beds on the unit. This would be a private dining room. I just hope that they do it on the harder hall. Team one already has an isolation room + two private rooms.

Depends on your facility. We do: baths, rounds, vitals, get ups (about 50 total care residents up), cleaning rooms, do mechanical lift checks, wanderguard checks, watch fall risks like hawks, change O2, change disinfectant, change sharps, clean wheel chairs, etc. I made a whole thread about what we do in detail a month or so back

What lotions or creams do you use for your hands? I'm sure if you work as a CNA, you know how dry your hands can get. Since I've started, I noticed I'd rash out on my hands. It got better when I switched glove sizes to be more lose but it still can get really bad. It just seems nothing helps.

I'm an aide and I talk to our doctor if she is around and I've been noticing something about a resident's mental status that's causing combative/dangerous behaviors. I mean most of the nurses wouldn't even know that the days that this resident wakes at 4am, he tries to kill everyone in sight.

Why do you need CNA? CNA is not going to help further your career as a EMT. I've had EMT training and it's completely different. I remember one of the jokes one of my EMT instructors said was that having all those fancy letters after your name doesn't make you a better EMT.

It took me a year. I think I only finally got a break was when I started to apply to LTCs. I started on 11-7 and love it. I think I applied to the hospital 200 times.

If you live near Thomson-Hood, they are always hiring nurses.

Evidently not at my LTC. The last two guys they hired for our unit were flippin insane and abusive. They were both "near" phd level and one actually rudely argued with a KMA by saying, "you may pass your pills and you do a good job at it but I'm close to having a doctorate. I'm just too smart for this."