sing_anyway

ummm, my guess: it's hard to get people to work for them/stay with them...

absolutly! this is just it, it didn't take long before i was in each and every one of those scenarios, however, those were not the case here, and i say that only because it was true. I guess that's what is so frustrating, we try so hard, and we cannot do everything, just can't, but when you are introduced and you see the bad, without seeing the good as well, it paints a picture that stays with you no matter what. I don't even think she was "lazy and uncaring", I didn't mean for it to sound like that, But as a new person, finding a strong smell of ammonia that is strong enough to make the eyes of the one training you water, you think, no way! no way could this happen without someone at fault! I still belive that what is at fault is the amount of staff given, but that problem is made worse by those that are there as a pit stop or a paycheck. I guess my real thing is, do you have to stop caring to be able to get by? because the guilt gets to a person, and the belief that as just one person they can change things, that goes fast too, so do you really have to get that thick skinned that you wouldn't say to the oncoming, hey, it's been crazy, you're gonna want to check this one first? sorry for sounding so mean, I didn't mean to, the shock of what you get thrown so quickly into kinda hits hard.

okay, I am in training for CNA, but here ya go: during our meeting on the seriousness of charting, what with the great computers we now have, the administrative boss told a story to get us to stay in line: The CNA tried to do charting that was for the nurse to do, and on the woman's fall evaluation, was charted for the rest of her life as having had a COMA as a result. everyone appropriatly ooed and oh no'ed, except poor, dumb me. I laughed.... I said, can't you see it: "no, doctor, i do not remember ever having been in a coma!" ~they didn't think it was funny, but I still do!

thank you so much for these

yeah, the money we could save them, oh man you I just read that and I could smell it.... hey, I guess we should all take that old advice: STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES!

first chance I had, I bought the vicks vapor inhaler, and I am looking for a balm, going to take that advice, too, why make a memory, love it! also I blow my nose a lot in the car after work... it is getting better, but I have been off a couple days, and once in a while, I think i smell it... i am at a LTC, already figured out not to eat at the cafeteria, if I don't want that same smell at home, no thanks!

oh man, we had a guy in LTC that was really bad, he call lighted us every 10 seconds, make you pur ointment on where there was nothing wrong, on my second day, he had me roll his 475 pound self to the other side of his plus size bed, get him straightened out, I was sweating up a storm ( i am 5'6" 130 lbs, second day hadn't even learned how to "log roll!") anyway, I get him all good to go, ointment and all, and as I am leaving he says: put me on my other side, well, I was so worked over myself, and others had call lights on, I said, I just put you how you asked, I can't help you anymore, and he just says, well, what's wrong with you?! To which I replied absolutly nothing, and watched him as he ROLLED HIMSELF OVER UNASSISTED!!! arrrrrrgggg! He would wedge himself into doorways in the halls with his electric chair and scream help me help me, and he would be ignored, wich I still think was wrong, even if it's just because it gets everyone else so freaked out, well, I wanted to chart "behaviors" on this, me being a dumb newbie, thought that's what we should do... on my day off, he took his big self, his power chair, down the hall, ' and ran over a man on rehab for leg surgery, that man had to go back to surgery, don't know what the prognossis is but it can't begood, what the heck were we doing with this guy? ... boiled down, I don't care what the story, that guy was a jerk!

k, I am new here, but I am responding to the original question, you really hit this one on the head, I am a nurse aid in training, and that is how i felt too, I swear that I will never treat my residents (LTC) that way, I don't know how many I have found in briefs that smelled of ammonia, as though short staffing is an excuse, when I just saw your butt leaning against the wall 10 minutes ago, ya coulda tried to get to one more, After my rotten night alone with noe float to help, I know I didn't get everyone perfectly, but my God I tried, so I try to keep that in mind when I find someone who isn't left as I would have liked to find them, I keep hearing from those that did this a long time ago, don't forget how you felt right now, but I also here this one: there's Utopia, and there's reality, and you aren't going to find Utopia here. Well, I just want to find the middle,

so glad to hear it! yeah, didn't realize how old this was, and half out of my mind tired, I am so glad you are doing well! Being happy with our choices may be even more important than making the "right" choice! keep it up!

thanks for saying that. I keep hearing that I will be a great nurse, but I don't belive I have what it takes, i thought I did, but i see so much calousness, so much coldness, so much intolerance, I never saw that when I was little and looked up to those nurses, never saw it when I was in the hospital and looked at those smiling faces, but here inLTC, i see it more often than not, either I was made for this and I am needed because of what I am seeing, or I am not cut out for this because I can't be like that. as for my back, i just read the posting about nurses that are being made to do CNA work, and I can see why they wouldn't want to go back, I still have this dream that this is all temporary, and one day I too shall overcome, yet I hate to put it that way, nurse aids are needed, ya know? sorry to take so much space, I haven't actually figured out how to start a new post, think I might be venting here a little (LOT)

don't you dare loose sight of how you were made: to care for people. It is absolutly terrifing, but what worth doing is easy? and, you won't always be told, that's why you MUST stick to the rules, wash wash wash, use your gloves, that's what they're there for, and get hep vaccinations.

i love this question, because I feel like it is me a few weeks ago. i just found that our facility is telling us that we are expected to use the lifts alone, that is why they paid for the lifts. hmmm. I just spent the night working alone, and I found ways, but I was also still there as day shift came on and complained about not having enough people "pre-dressed".... I can't move today because my back is so sore, my neck won't turn, yet all the higher ups told me, if you don't feel comfortable doing it by yourself, don't do it! the solution my charge nurse had lst night was for me to use the sit-to-stand-lift on everyone. We never get to work in 2's not enough of us, I didn't use the lift, because how can you wake someone up that much in the middle of the night just to hang them in the air and give peri-care? I don't know if we are even supposed to be able to do that, seems VERY degrading to be hefted up on a crane and have your rear hanging out to be wiped. I can't bring myself to do it, I just can't, whatever you do, PROTECT YOUR BACK AT ALL COSTS!

stay with what you have! I did in home care as med tech for mentally retarded, now nurse aid in long term care stay where you are, especially if it's working well for your family. I am thinking about going back, so I will have the energy to do classes for nursing,

i feel for you. I understand what you mean, i agree, fake it! When my little confused resident caught me clutching my back, which really really hurt from moving people all night by myself, she got so concerned, I stood right there, took my hand off my back (I was heading home, not walking around whining on the clock) And smiled and lied and told of course I was fine sweetie, don't you worry about me, now what can I get you? I cry in the car, not in front of my residents

It is a mixed bag on one hand, you get over any timidness in handling people really fast in LTC, you have "no bubble". You also learn to trust your instincts, as in, he just doesn't look right, what's going on? On the other hand, you have no ability to treat a problem, it depends on the charge nurse you have that day if something is deemed important, they tell me the most important part of my job is telling the nurse what I see, yet when I thought someone didn't look right and said so, I was told to stop worrying so much, turned out he'd had a stroke. I have been Nurse Aid for only 3 weeks, so far I"ve done: vitals, both manual and auto charting "behaviors"...confusion, reduced ability to perform ADL's, attention seeking, refusal of fluids, agressiveness, Bed baths for Hospice (God Bless all Hospice workers!) Brief changes (aka diapers) in bed output foley cath care bed strips: change the bedding while resident is still in bed vomit catching: hold the bucket and pray they don't get you BM catching: as in, the patient has a blown rectum, and needs you to position them on the toilet and you need to do this with care, as if you stand in the wrong place:fire in the hole! droplet precautionary care for C-diff patient airborne precautionary care for MRSA patient changed colostomy bag warded off personal injury from severly aggressive residdent care for wounds...minimal, nurses usually handle most of that while I report how it looks feed people who can't chew talk to people who can't talk dress people that can't bend... lift everyone to one degree or another had a resident begin to fall on me, saved her from hitting floor while I also grabbed the wheelchair, locked the wheels, and got her into it. Now, 3 weeks ago, I was to timid to put a gait belt on someone tight enough to do any good. I was too timid to offer someone a drink if they didn't look friendly, I was too timid to wake someone while doing vitals, couldn't get the cuff on the correctly because I didn't want to bother them.... So yes, there is value to doing it a while. I hear the best nurses were nurse aids first, and I believe it, But yes, it can burn you out, I love nursing, love caring, love medicine, I planned on going to school for it this year. Not so sure now, not because I am squeemish, just don't know if I have the heart to survive without a broken spirit. I would love to be in a hospital, it has it's bad times, but you get to help make people better, not just race to call lights because everyone has to pee at once and you are their only help! I wish you could do it just for a couple of weeks though, just to see how important it is to communicate with your nurse aids when you are a nurse.

i do not think that more money would hurt, I am being paid minimum wage, when the other aid no showed last night, i worked alone, stayed 1/2 an hour late, got chewed for not clocking out on time. half an hour of extra pay (wasn't even overtime) to do my work, the missing aids work, and the work of the other 2 aids that should have been scheduled but werent. I would gladly accept more educational requirements, a little more pay, so I can get off food stamps and pay a chiroprachter, I know that I am not a nurse, I just want the nurse to know that I know my residents!

just because you aren't natuarally inclined to lead, doesn't mean you can't rely on your stronger attributes to get you through. You are probably organized, efficiant, and precise, rely on your strengths, the leadership will follow. and I feel for you, as no matter what kind of leader you are, you are the target of those you lead.