mcnasty

We got a new admit at our nursing home. with necrotizing fasciitis. when i came in for my shift to get report, everyone was all bug-eyed and stiffly shaking there heads like "uh-huh. not me. i'm not going in that room"... the CNA who had the assignment said she 'COULD NOT GO IN THE ROOM BECAUSE SHE HAS A COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM". ..... huh? funny. i never heard her speak of this before. and, um, wouldn't that be a little piece of information you would have to share with the interviewer when the application says 'DO YOU HAVE ANY CONDITION OR DISABILITY THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM DOING ANY PART OF THIS JOB?' i certainly remember that question when i interviewed there. okay so after switching assignments around and people just flat out refusing, guess who manned up and took the assignment. me. because not to generalize, but lets just say i work in a part of the south where places are rife with ignorance. about many subjects. you might as well have told these people that there was a 3 headed people eating monster in there waiting for its next victim. so i double gown, double glove, put on a mask, etc. and give the resident a bath, change her, feed her etc... and, because NO ONE else would dare to enter the room, this took an EXTREMELY LONG TIME. in fact, the wound itself was not even covered all the way and the sheets were wet with weeping from the wound. i felt like i needed a silkwood shower after that. i had to tell the nurse that the bandage needed changing. anyway, so its seems like now that they have found a cna who is brave enough to do the assignment, they are actually pulling me off of other halls to do the bath, etc. i thought about talking to the nurse managers, or DON about it, but believe me, they were not exactly jumping in provide care for her either. it was really disappointing.

trust me, this girl has never missed a break. she also takes 45 minute lunches and leaves us other 2 with a 15 minute lunch. we cant take the full 30 because lunch trays come out at 12 and we have to be on the floor to pass & feed. i found out today that she also has taken it upon herself to come in an hour early and leave an hour early. (a litttle deal her and the nurse made) .... (dont get me started on the nurse) i found out on my own. she did not tell anyone she was leaving. and apparently, she does this all the time. this especially irks me because i asked if i could do this because of child care reasons and was told no. whats good for the goose HAS TO BE good for the gander, but maybe thats why they were keeping it a secret. meanwhile from 2-3pm her residents lights are ringing nonstop. its abandonment as far as im concerned. in a recent staff meeting, we were told specifically by the DON that we are not even allowed to leave at 3pm unless our replacement cna (3-11) shift has arrived. so, if they are late, we have to stay late. failing to do so according to her was ABANDONING YOUR RESIDENTS so i ask myself, how can this be going on? this is the worst, most thankless job i have ever had. did i mention i took a 60% pay cut to become a CNA? i love my residents, but my co workers are seriously making it unbearable. i'm reconsidering the whole thing.

i really dont mind helping out. i really dont. i find myself answering the call bells of my coworker as much as my own. but sometimes it is impossible to help your fellow cna's. sometimes you are in the middle of bathing or toileting a resident, or have a crisis of your own with your own assigned residents and sometimes all you can do is tell your fellow cna that she is needed because her resident has been calling her for 10 minutes waiting to use the bathroom (needs lift), and her roommate is covered in blood with a bloody nose (true story) but i think that the worst possible thing another cna can say to me is "mmmm hmmm they be alright, cuz im on my break right now" makes my blood curdle. deep breaths. deep breaths. (i have NEVER had time for a break on day shift. NEVER)

Thou shalt not unplug the hill-rom bed's electrical cord from the wall so that you can charge your cell phone in the residents room!

took the test on my birthday 8/29 & passed!!!! its great to have that little piece of paper with my license on it!

i left a message on your profile with my email.

"Miraculously, without us ever taking care of her, she managed to survive her admission and went back home." That is hilarious

i got a tb test at my doctors office while i was there for another reason. I did not realize that I needed to go back to my doctors office within 48 hours. (it was not made clear to me at the time of the test, and i received no written instructions) i went back today (4 days later) and they said the test results are no good now and that I need to take it again (and pay for it again..... they were quick to tell me that part). should I wait a week or two? and any suggestions where i can get one for free? she was very clear that my insurance will not cover it. i am in virginia beach va. thanks. jesse

this is so wonderful. i cant stop watching it!!!!! i start cna training in may and this answers a lot of my questions about what to expect. thank you so much for posting this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is this the same co worker you spoke of in another post? "dumb cna..... who is responsible?"

thanks for posting this chunliomyrn2b ! glad to know that you dont have to die of embarrassment every time you make a mistake.

i always think of the guy from that movie "the savages" with laura linney and phillip seymore hoffman. not sure if he was an orderly or cna- but he told the daughter (about her father) ... "he likes tater tots... i try to get him extra when i can"... it was so touching. i think male cna's must have a certain way with other men. i hope i get to work with some. its an interesting dynamic between men. and yes! i will be extremely grateful if one lets me borrow his muscles every now and then. :)

just wondering if anyone has taken care of their own parent. taking care of my mother is what made me decide to go into healthcare. at first,she was embarrassed when i had to help her onto the bedpan and clean her. after a while, she became comfortable with it, and we actually laughed sometimes. i try to remember (and as i kept telling my mom, when she would apologize) that one day, i will be old too, and someone might be helping and cleaning me.

Can anyone tell me how much a phlebotomy course generally costs? markina21- are you in norfolk? if so what about red cross for platelet donation. I love the girls there. they are so sweet and seem to like their jobs.

my doctor told me that having a physical job is NOT the same as intentionally working out 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes to intentionally work up a sweat. i can barely find the energy to do it now, i cant imagine having to do it after working all day. hopefully i will get an evening shift and work out when i wake up.

thanks texastaz- the hospital has its own LTC so i think i would essentially be starting out in a nursing home. i am anxious to get started and get certified, and for that reason, i did choose the hospital/ltc. it is very far drive, but i think it will be worth it. the comm. college did have quick classes also- M-F for 6 weeks, but they filled up in minutes, and all that was left were classes that were 2nights/week and lasted the entire summer.. may- end of august! i had expected to be working by then. (i have been out of work for 6 months because i was called out of town to care for my bedridden mother back in November) so working as soon as possible is definitely a priority for the family budget. thanks for your reply!

i have not heard anyone talk about this on the board yet but i have heard many horror stories about back pain. my hairdresser told me about a device that you hang from upside down which relieves disc pressure. i believe the name was teeter they are very expensive but i've seen them on ebay. (my husband has a bad back too) i'm not looking forward to back pain, and i'm sure i will have my chiropractor on speed dial. (for the massages) lol -thank goodness my insurance pays for it

wow this is a great post and very informative to new or future cna's. routine/regimen always makes things go easier, (like chores) so knowing that there is some sort of method to it all (although maybe not always reliable) is comforting. thanks!

I am taking a course at a local hospital / ltc this summer and it is $750. but if you work for them for 6 months after certification, $525. of it is reimbursed. also, it includes stethoscope, bp cuff, cpr certification, and book rental. they also pay for the state exam for the class's valedictorian. - which i think is $95-$100. I also looked into the local community college. in-state tuition is just over $100 per credit. so it would have been $532.50- which did not include the extras. oh, and both classes were 120 hours. one is M-F 7 wks long, the other was 2 nights/week 3 months long.

hi all- i am also starting out later in life. i am 38- starting a cna course in may. i was recently called out of town (out of state, actually) to take care of my mother. she is bedridden and had infections due to bed sores. it was difficult at first, but i was able to make my mother feel comfortable helping her with daily activities that she could no longer do for herself. she is a very proud woman, and i figured, if i can make HER feel okay, then i must have a knack for it. i am looking forward to starting a career in healthcare. i felt really good making a difference. like no other job i've ever had. this site makes it very difficult to communicate with others in my area, (they will not let me post my email address or post private messages yet) but I am trying to make connections / friends who are also starting out. I cant understand why they would not want people to network and help each other. good luck to everyone!!! hopefully I will get the chance to meet some of you soon. jesse

hi. I see this post was from March, and you probably have already found the information, but i live in virginia beach and applied to the Bon Secours Nurses Aide program at Depaul in Norfolk. there are also summer & fall classes at TCC. today was the first day for enrollment for the TCC summer classes (may-aug) so i imagine they are all full. for TCC, you'd probably have to wait till fall (if you're not already enrolled in a class) i wasnt sure which route i was going to go, because TCC is right around the corner from me. but i made the decision to go to the Bon Secours class. It is much further for me, but it sounds like a great program. I liked the people I met there (so far) and the course is pretty quick. If you want more info on it, let me know. I have all the numbers & info. If you already are in a program- please keep in touch and let me know how its going. good luck jesse

dwrowe- i am starting bon secours program next month. i would love to talk to you and ask you some questions about it! lilsiouxz- you too! :)

I was accepted to a CNA program sponsored by a local hospital/ltc.They actually "interviewed" you for the spot, and offered some attractive incentives such as: 1) a weekly payment plan through the course (7 wks i think), 2) they pay for the state exam of the class's validictorian, 3)reimbursment of 70% of the program fee if you work 500 hours or 6 months for them, 4) stethescope, BP cuff, CPR certification & book rental included in tuition, and 5) very likely, immediate job placement upon certification. The cost is $750.00. It is M-Th 9-2pm, with clinicals starting in the fourth week at 6:45 am. (i'm not an early riser) lol..but it sounded great, and I was excited to start. However, a few days before they called me back to accept me, I recieved the course information in the mail from my local community college. It cost $532.50 (all out of pocket, no reimbursement & does not include stethescope, bp cuff, etc).And I suppose I'd be on my own as far as cost of state test & interviewing for a position. But the great thing about the community college is that it is 2 miles from my house, (literally 6 minute drive, but I could also bike it) The hospital is WAY downtown. 30 minute drive each way. The other great thing is that they offer 4 or 5 different schedules for classes. either weekdays 9-2 or weeknights 5-10. Nights could work great for me because it would mean not having to put my 5 year old in day care while taking the course. So now I'm a little torn. I have to let the hospital know as soon as possible so they can offer the spot to someone else. (apparently, *very coveted* spot, the program manager said I got the "last seat") so I'd feel bad not letting them fill it up as soon as possible. But to get the schedule I want at the comm. college, I need to register tomorrow. 4/13. I am actually leaning towards the community college. I just want to get some opinions and make sure I'm not overlooking something on the pros or cons side of the hospital's program. I've read a lot on these boards about similar questions but still not sure. I wanted to leave my options open as far as employment. I just dont know if i'm overlooking the gift of placement/recruitment by the hospital/ltc. any opinions?

lilsiouxz- hi! i am in VB also and will be starting TCC's CNA program in may. (& we are about the same age) i cannot figure out how to send you a message directly. my user name here is jholston hope to hear from you i'd love to talk to you!