DGDreamGirl

I was in nursing school (to be a RN) this summer, did one clinical, and have the necessary skills to work/train to become a CNA/PCT in a hospital - I've applied to MANY job positions for CNA/PCT and got NOTHING! Most want you to be certified, and those that dont require you to be certified never responded to me eventhough I am qualified and listed out all I can do (I mentioned that I did pass all my assessments). I don't know any other way to get a job as a CNA... unless you want to pay $999 to Jeff State (which I know you will be more than qualified when you're done there) and take 3 months of classes two times a week. If anyone in the Bham area has gotten a job as a CNA/PCT without being certified PLEASE tell me how you did it. If you got a job WITH being certified, please tell me where you got your training. THANKS!

I've seen a lot of peopling saying to "study the guide"...can anyone tell me the exact name of "the guide" and where I can get it? I'm currently going through the ATI book for the TEAS V. Thanks guys! :redpinkhe:heartbeat:redpinkhe

I have, thanks for your concern.

I don't put stuff on here to mess with people... I wasn't able to volunteer before NS and I had NO CLUE what I was walking into as far as school went. If I could see how being and actual RN is compared to NS then I probably would have never posted this. I wasn't trying to "push people's buttons" or demean anyone or anything... I was simply looking for some insight because, again, I had NO CLUE and still don't have a good enough idea of what nursing really is like after NS. :redpinkhe:redbeathe:redpinkhe

Okay, sorry if you're "fed up" with posts like this but that's not my problem, nor the point of this thread. It's not that I "don't like cleaning up poop" - I'm mean, really... who would CHOOSE to do that? "Oh yeah! I'd LOVE to do that, let me jump right on that!". Seriously? That's not what I think/thought/said. I don't blame ANYONE for choosing that nursing isn't right for me... I WAS TOLD that YES RN's will do whatever needs to be done, period. No matter what that may be, RN's do what is needed. Also, it wasn't so much the POOP that has made me reconsider - it was how it feels to be ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOSPITAL BED! Before NS, I thought, "I have what it takes to be a nursing student and a nurse, no doubt". I still to this day am trying to work thorough things in my head about if nursing really is the right fit for me (or if I am the right fit for nursing). I can see myself doing what needs to be done, no matter what it is. My first day SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME. As soon as I put on my uniform it's like I panicked and I wasn't even the same person anymore. I felt unprepared (like MOST students) and didn't know if I could do it. The day I skipped was the day I would have been ALONE with no help but my instructor if she happened to check in on me... I felt unprepared and didn't want to have a patient be practically naked with me taking 2-3 hours to give them a bath and on top of that be having to do other skills I wasn't too prepared to do (mainly, checking breath sounds, I can do vitals, no problem). Anyway, I'm not going into anymore detail. There's much more to the story than all this, and it simply can't all be put down here. I'm not here to defend myself against what "you're sick of hearing" on this site. I'm more than thankful for this site and the HELPFUL comments. Your comment was helpful but the last part was really unnecessary to this thread. Bottom line: I felt unprepared and scared to death... I had been rethinking my nursing career decision way before my first clinical (and the second, which I didn't go to). End of story. Thanks guys for those of you that helped!

Okay, for those of you who actually read what I wrote and understood, THANK YOU!!! I'm not STUPID, I know what missing my second day means and gets me, okay? And yes, this is making me rethink my career choice. Some people get into school, and they realize they aren't made for it - like me! But thanks for telling me to grow up, real nice! "growing up" had NOTHING to do with this. I am grown up and mature, but I it turns out I'm simply not cut out for this line of work and have NEVER been on the other side of the hospital bed (in a uniform where it's my job to help the patient - I've always been the patient). But to those of you who just wanted to treat me like i'm dumb and tell me to 'grow up" and stuff like that, thanks for wasting your time and my time. And again, thanks for those of you who actually read and understood me. And thanks to all the RN's, LPN's, LVN's, and CNA's, etc. out there. After just my first clinical you guys have more than ALL MY RESPECT - It takes a special person to do ALL you do - not just the cleaning bowl movements part lol :redpinkhe:redbeathe:redpinkhe

If you don't like an assignment after you get a job are you going to call in sick? That's very poor work ethic. No that's not it and NO i dont have poor work ethic! If you understood what I said, you would have known that. Thanks!

TO start off, I KNOW nursing isn't glamorous and pretty.... you will have to deal with vomit, and poop, etc. Yesterday I had my first clinical... and of course I get put on a floor where no one ideally wants to be - the GI floor (aka, the poop floor). I knew that NS and being an RN wasn't a glamorous or pretty job.... yes, you will have to deal with bodily functions and "accidents", etc... but I'm totally daunted! I didn't even go to clinical today (which is/would have been my second time for clinicals) because we were told yesterday that we'd be by ourselves with our own patients. I'm totally freaked out and I don't know if I can actually do this as a student. I know you can't tell me if I can do it or not, but I was wondering if you ever felt the same way? Ever? Or anything close? Our patient yesterday was so nice, but my god when our teacher had to get a "sample" from her adult diaper, and used a spoon, and her bowels were covering her front to back... I don't know how I didn't throw up! Yesterday just makes me want to not do this. My teacher told me that RN's (nurses in general I guess) don't have someone (help) to clean up a patient's "backside" or stuff like that...THEY do it. I don't believe CNA's or nurses's aid's, etc. are "below nurses" or anything like that at all! It's just, I thought it would be more about giving shots, checking vitals, relieving pain, not mostly about POOP. I know everyone's human, and poop happens. It's 100% different when it's not your own family you're cleaning after. I didn't think I would feel this way but I do. I never thought poop would be so discouraging. Do RN's mostly just clean up poop?!

I guess I wasn't too clear? My average WAS a B, now it's like a 76% - which I'm not complaining about at all! We just have to have at least a 74.5 in order to pass at the end... and I haven't gotten ALL B's on every exam either (I think that wasn't made clear...), in fact I made a 56% on the elimination chapter. I also don't even know some skills (but I can read those of course)... that's where I'm concerned. It's actually not as easy as "repeating a semester" like I thought...and it's not what I want to do (who would WANT that? lol) I'm just not wanting to move on to building my house when my foundation isn't solid... does that make more sense as to my fears? I know B's are a God send in NS and I thank God for any C's and above no doubt... I'm just worried about my foundation I'm laying for the future. But thanks for the comments guys! I'm planning on going over the stuff I don't really know (which is a lot to be honest) before 2nd semester. 2nd semester = med surg = YAY! (Not....) I'm hoping I've learned from this all and it all works out. :redpinkhe:redbeathe:redpinkhe Thanks again guys!

what semester did you get behind in? I'm currently dealing with "being behind"

Let me just say, that sounds like an AWESOME program and I am super excited for you and the other people who get to participate in that camp! I am a first semester nursing student, and I wish I had that opportunity myself!! While those are all wonderful things, I suggest you really soak it all in and truely commit that stuff to memory and practice, practice, practice!! However, the one thing the camp can't unfortunately teach you is how to study for your actual nursing classes. While everyone is different, and you may actually have no problem in NS whatsoever (which I honestly hope is the case for you - I would never want the opposite to be true for someone who is seems to really want to be a nurse like you do), BUT, skills are only a part of the whole NS picture... there's a book called "Mosby's Guide to Nursing School" and there's a 2010 updated version - I suggest you look at it and try your hardest to ask NS students what their advice to you is for success. We were told before classes began "You never know what it's like unitl you're in it" and it's SO TRUE! I had no clue what the work load really was like and now I've got to either salvage this first semester, or chalk it up to experience, learn from my big mistakes, and try again in the fall (which isn't the worst thing that could happen, and I won't be the first, nor the last person to do that). Anyway, sorry for the long reply, just wanted to comment with my thoughts. Again, that sounds like an awesome camp and please take FULL advantage of it!! And STUDY STUDY STUDY when you get in NS :-.D :redpinkhe:redbeathe:redpinkhe

Thanks guys! I keep telling myself to take it one day at a time - it's just hard to do that because I'm so many days behind in reading, so it's like I have to take 3 days at a time (it feels like). I feel like I can't catch up... I havent read things I feel like I should know, and I don't know things I feel like I should know... I was literally falling asleep on my last fundamentals exam! That's not such a good sign right? I wish I had known what I was walking into more than I did - maybe that would have helped me? Too late to wonder now. I'm going to try to talk with a teacher to see what her opinion/advice is on this. Hopefully, if nothing else, I can try again in the fall!

I'm half way through my first semester... and I don't know if I should withdraw from my classes (fundamentals at least) and try to start again in the fall... So far I have high B's in my classes... I've just gotten "behind" in my reading (I'm reading the material for the test, instead of having already read it and learning what we're "currently" learning)... AND I start clinicals soon and feel like I don't know how to do much at all - I'm so scared I can hardly concentrate! And the stuff we have to read is SO LONG... I want to do this more than anything, I just don't know what to do. I'm prob getting too ahead of myself with this worrying considering "It's not over until it's over"... I just need some advice. I'm scared I won't be prepared - won't have a great foundation - for second semester. Any suggestions?

I start clinicals in about two weeks. I have to "long" tattoos on both of my forearms on the inside parts and I have a nose ring. So, my question is, how do I cover up my tattoos and what can I do for my nose ring? I got my nose pierced on May 7th and I don't know if it'll grow back up or be hard to put back in if I don't put something in it. And I can't wear a long sleeve shirt under my uniform (I think that's stupid, but that's just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions...). We are allowed to wear a lab coat, but won't that be HOT? Espeically when giving a patient a bath?? Any suggestions would be helpful! (FYI: I won't remove my tattoos or get rid of my piercing all together so please save everyone's time and don't suggest those things lol) I'm so excited about clinicals btw! THANKS Y'ALL!!! :redpinkhe:redbeathe:redpinkhe

I start nursing school May 27th - I've worked smart and hard for this....and I'm nervous I "don't have what it takes"! I know and believe that you can do what you think you can do, and I know I can do it! I'm just kinda somewhat nervous/worried because I feel like I don't know anything about nursing. I've done all my pre-requesites and so all I'll be taking (thank God!) are my nursing classes and it's a 5 semester program for my ADN. Did anyone else feel like this? Any help? Thanks! :redbeathe:redpinkhe:redbeathe