sandy06

Ok, first let me say I am a CNA in the ICU/PCU unit of a local hospital. I have been one for almost a year and am also a nursing student. I take my job as a CNA very seriously and am always there for the pt and the nurses. I really resent some of the postings - we are not all bad. I do, however work with some NAs that are lazy and not very helpful, but I am not one of them. I do an awful lot of work - trash, collecting laundry, wiping butts, cleaning up vomit, you all know the drill and I only make $9.50/hour. Our unit secretary makes a lot more then me - heck, my babysitter makes more than me! Not much incentive, eh? However, I still know the importance of my job. There are nurses out there that treat me like I know nothing and my only quality is that I can wipe a butt. You need to at least acknowledge that there are some nurses can be as rude to NAs as there are NAs that are rude to RNs. I think we should all work together - we are there for the patient - not for our own egos. It is a stressful environment and if I can help wipe an extra butt or two to make it easier for an RN to handle their load then I am going to do it, but please don't treat me like that is all I am capable of doing.

This topic comes up every now and then and while I agree - we all look alike, I don't want the white look at all. I also disagree with the comparison to the bank staff - we are dealing with life and death and when a patient asks a question they are always assuming they are talking to a nurse - no matter who they are really talking to and there are times that the patient may be disoriented, elderly, young or any other person who is not able to make the distinction between all the degrees of healthcare provider. My solution would be to let secretaries wear business attire, color code the different members of the staff (one color for RN, one color for CNA, etc.) and make the distinction larger on id badges that we all have to wear. I hate it when the unit gets a new manager and the first order of business is to change the color of scrubs ... my closet looks like a rainbow (an expensive rainbow...)

Wow. That was beautiful. I am about to start my first class as a nursing student and I printed out your posting to keep with me. I have been working as a CNA and recently had a patient that I had grown fond of pass away and couldn't figure out the emotions I was feeling. Your posting helped put that into perspective and I want to share that with my fellow students. Thank you.

Why not try being a nurse aide? You can get your certification in about 6-8 weeks depending on the program and then you can work in a hospital surrounded by nurses and doctors and see if it is something for you. I am 37 and will be in my first nursing class in 3 weeks and I am so excited. I am a CNA now and have been for awhile and I am learning a lot from the nurses I work with. I see lots of happy employees - there are ones that are not happy, but you would see that in schools too. I love what I am doing and am excited to become a nurse - just as long as I finish before I hit 40!

what other features do you load on your pda? I have one and want to get the best "stuff" on it.

Our management just finished a color coding of staff and while it serves an internal purpose I agree that to the outside world we are just one big rainbow. Each unit has different color options, however only the staff knows what color is on what floor. I work on the ICU/PCU and we can either wear purple, hunter green or the dreaded white. I am a CNA and the RNs wear the same as I do. The only difference is the unit secretaries that wear white top, black pants and a green jacket with their title embroidered on it. Our management has changed colors on us twice in the past three years and I am getting tired of buying new colors ... if they want us to look a specific way, then I want a uniform allowance!

Hey there Kathy and Melissa ... I know it has been forever since I wrote, but life it crazy these days. Ok, let me catch you up on what I know. Frankly, the admissions folks at Presby seem a bit frenzied all the time. I have called many times with questions since they are merging with Queens University and they don't have any answers yet other than that they no longer have the tuition forgiveness program (that is where you commit to work for them for the same amount of time you are in school and they pay for 100% of your tuition.) Apparently, Queens no longer wants to have that program. Yea. I just applied for financial aid ... I am starting at Presby/Queens/whatever they call it this August 2004. I have already taken all the prereqs (with the exception of 2 psych classes that I hope to take this summer thru CPCC online) so all I have left are nursing classes. I have 3 kids and don't have time for more than one class per semester. I had a hard time getting any answers from Carolinas College of Health Sciences - I acually got a letter saying I was 10th on the waitlist for August, but denied it since I want to go to Presby. I got my CPR for healthcare provider at Lake Norman Medical Center (BLS stands for Basic Life Support) and it was one night and really cheap. I got my CNA1 from Carolinas College of Health Sciences and it was $300 (I think it just went up, too.) It was 2 days a week in the late afternoon and then one Saturday at a longterm care facility. I am now working at University Hospital on their ICU/Telemetry Unit and I LOVE IT!!! The class totally prepared me for this. In a nutshell, I give patient baths, change linens, run patients to and from radiology, run specimens to and from the lab, pass out meals, feed some patients, take out the trash, stock supplies, take patient vitals, give patients diabetic blood tests (finger pricks) and stuff like that. Frankly it is not glamorous, but I work directly with patients and am around all the nurses who know I am a student and have no problem showing me procedures and letting me hang around with them (if I have time, I am usually really busy). It is a great job and I love the staff I work with and the patients are mostly great too. I don't make much - in fact, the unit secretaries make more than I do, but if I work at night and weekends, I get paid more. Honestly, I am doing this for the experience more than the money (although the money is helpful...) Melissa - my thoughts and prayers are with you and your boyfriend and if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. Send me a message and I will be better about getting back to you sooner. It must be really hard having him away for so long, but I really appreciate what he is doing and the sacrifice you are making. I love chatting with you guys and hope to see/meet you soon! Sandy :)

This has been a very interesting post. I am a CNA in an ICU/Tele unit. I am also a nursing student. We do all the v/s q4 and frankly, I don't mind. I think it is a good thing for me to make rounds, meet my patients and get v/s, check trash, check for i&o, etc. Nurses get just as slammed as we do and I think we all need to work together. How hard is it to take v/s and when abnormal go to the nurses station and mention it before charting? I mean really, it seems as though we are talking about unusual situations when we find RNs and CNAs sitting around. I am sure there are lazy nurses and lazy CNAs, but for those of us who are doing our jobs - patient care - then that may mean staying busy for a shift - and mine are 12 hours. Like others, I would rather be busy then bored. Not to mention, being a student it only helps me by getting more patient contact and learning so I am ready for the future!

Melissa - congrats! I am very excited to start at Presby. I have a BS degree in Journalism and since I have 3 kids and other jobs, I just don't have time to be in school full-time so that is why I am taking pre-reqs before I get there. I am actually taking mine at South Piedmont CC in Polkton, NC, but all of my classes are online. I am in Psych right now and only have behavioral to take this summer and then I am done with everything except nursing classes. Cost was one consideration, but time is the biggest. I got my CNA from Carolinas College of Health Sciences and I did it in an evening class. Now I am working at University Hospital on their ICU. I also got my CPR for the healthcare provider through Lake Norman Reg. Med Ctr. It was one evening class that lasted about 4 hours. Presby has a great program and they just linked up with Queens University so our class (Aug. 2004) will be the first to get an Associates of Nursing from them. I want to start working full-time when I graduate and then get my BSN online and there are a variety of places that offer that. That is my plan - in a perfect world ... but thankfully it seems to be working so far. Feel free to drop me a note or email me - I'll answer any questions!!! I look forward to meeting and studying with you at Presby!!! Sandy

Hey there!! You sound soooo busy!!! I can relate ... Anyway, I took the medical term class at SPCC and it was great ... I learned a lot, but you have to be disciplined to keep up. I am taking Psychology thru them right now. Then I have abnormal psych to take over the summer and then I am off to nursing school in August! I got my CNA from Carolinas College of Health Sciences (CCHS) and I got my CPR for healthcare professional thru Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Look on their website for schedules of classes - they don't run very often. Ok, to answer your other questions ... I applied to Presby and to CCHS both and got waitlisted at CCHS and accepted at Presby. I actually wanted Presby more than the other because they have a 100% reimbursement plan for tuition. It means if you sign a contract promising to work for that hospital system (anywhere in the system) for 21 months (the same amount of time I will be in school) then they will pay for ALL of my tuition - not books, uniforms or supplies, but hey - that is ok with me. Any place that pays for my education and guarantees me a job is pretty cool. They are also building a beautiful hospital near me to be done just a few months before I graduate!!! There are no tests to get into a CNA class (although they are hard to get into around here) or into either of the nursing schools. I had a BS degree from Syracuse University and many of my classes transferred. I took A&P 1 and 2 online, Med Term and Psych ...all through SPCC. Those were the only prereqs I was missing. Now I am off to nursing school and with the exception of my second semester, I won't have more than one class a semester (not counting clinicals...) I start working on the ICU unit as a CNA next weekend. I have just finished all my orientation with the hospital and am really excited to start. But, I am a bit nervous. I am working PRN so I don't get any benefits, but if you are a UC or CNA that works full-time, then you are able to get great benefits through CHS. Give their human resources a call - or look on their website for job opportunities. Although, I actually called the nurse manager on the floor I wanted to work on and the job I was hired for never got posted. She agreed to put me on PRN - it might be worth cold calling to different folks if you can get names to see if they are in need of extra hands. Good luck with everything and don't hesitate to email or ask!! Keep in touch! Sandy :)

Kathy: I was curious ... what have you decided to do? I got my CNA at Carolinas College of Health Sciences ... good luck to you!!! Sandy

I have a cassette set called Spanish for Healthcare and it is by Living Language, A Random House Company. I got this from Amazon.com and it has cassettes to listen to pronunciation and a handy reference book that is small enough to carry around with key phrases and sentences. I am trying to just get the basics and it is great so far - but I have just started to seriously listen to it. It cost $35.00 by ordering online.

I am a nursing student and have a medical question - it is personal not related to class. My husband has been getting chills and I don't know the cause - any anyone help? When he was 18 he hyper-extended his spinal cord (that is what he thinks they said) and went home after one day in the hospital to recover with a neck brace for a week and no sports for a year. At the time of the accident, he got the chills - a feeling that he couldn't get warm and actual visual shivers. Now he is 39 years old and occasionally he will get chills in the same way - visible shivers and the inability to get warm. They usually last for about 2-4 minutes and then go away and he is fine. He thinks it is related to exhaustion or stress on his neck/back. They only seem to happen when he has been under a lot of stress or maybe doing somthing active (like skiing) ... is this possible? I told him I would like him to go see a neurologist to get it checked out. He has gone to a GP and they have no idea what it was/is and didn't refer him to anyone. Does anyone have any ideas for us? Thanks so much!

My job as a UC was on the maternity unit and it was a lot of fun. I worked with amazing nurses who knew that I was a nursing student wannabe and they answered all my questions and let me watch procedures when it was possible. I, in turn, tried to help them when possible. Our unit had CNA's, but for some reason the hospital cut them back completely. I jumped up to help my nurses by stocking rooms and supplies, transporting patients, even helping feed babies in the nursery. It was an amazing experience and frankly the only reason I stopped was my boss. I am a soon-to-be 37 year old with 3 kids and a former career as a journalist. I was the same age as my boss, but I am starting all over as a nursing student. I am just finishing up my pre-req's for Presby's nursing school and will start there this August. I am a CNA and CPR certified for healthcare provider, and very ambitious. My boss did not share my enthusiasm and frankly I felt she was a bit put off by me ... anyway, I am now a CNA in the same hospital but on the ICU floor. I start that position in 2 weeks. I am looking forward to starting on that unit - I have talked to many CNA's that are graduating from nursing school soon and have spent many years on this unit. They again say the staff is amazing ... I am anxious to start learning. As for your question about the "Test" ... I am clueless. I had taken a medical terminology class already, but it was not required for the position and I did not have to take any test other than a typing test for the hospital. I took the position as a UC mainly to make sure I wanted to take the plunge to make this career change and once I started working it was a no-brainer. I am ready to get moving towards my RN. When I graduate, I will move to one of the hospitals in Presbyterian's network and leave the one I am currently employed at - the hardest part will be leaving the people, but I am sure it will be fun in the meantime. Hope this helps, and feel free to email me if you want any more info.

I was a UC at CMC-University for about a year - just PRN. I worked primarily nights and weekends and made about 10.25-12.00/hour. Not a lot more than a CNA . Now I am working as a CNA in the same hospital. I am getting more experience while in nursing school (not more money, but more experience.) Good Luck! Sandy