eveningsky339 LPN

I'm in a bit of a bad mood. I worked a 16 hour shift yesterday-- 2pm to 6am-- and just now woke up. I'm still completely exhausted, but I have to go back in tonight because several CNAs on all shifts mysteriously get sick over the weekend. One of ...

As far as the laziness goes, don't help the lazy CNA. It sucks and may even hurt-- the residents deserve better-- but either the lazy CNA will start picking up the pace, or they won't, and the higher-ups will notice their lack of effort. As for the ...

I had over a month of orientation. But in my defense, I was still a student. There should be two phases of orientation. In the first phase, you shadow a CNA and give them a hand when needed. In the second, the CNA shadows you.

At my shift, 1st Shift was the least popular. Not that popularity really mattered in terms of staffing, as hiring new CNAs was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I started out as a student CNA doing nights. I ended up giving that position u...

A hand-made item isn't such a big deal compared to some "gifts" that have bounced around over the years. Discuss it with your supervisor. I personally think that most policies towards gifts that I have encountered are ridiculous in one way or anothe...

You won't even think about it after a while. It just comes with the territory.

Thou shall bite thy tongue when the bipolar whiny resident is crying about the fact that she hasn't pooped in five hours for the third time this shift.

If a brief is put on improperly, specifically not "tucked into the creases," a red line known as a brief line appears on the resident's thigh (or wherever the edge of the brief was pressing against).

For some people it takes two days, for others it takes months. I'm still picking up speed and learning new things, and I've been working for over four months!

I always carry a cellphone for the same reason, but I would call 911 before I dared to call the nurse's desk. Many residents have died in my facility because the nursing staff has no idea how to respond to emergency situations. I remember one incid...

Lately, I get uncomfortable when accessing the news website of my county. They always show an obituary in the bottom right corner of the main article, and I've had two unpleasant occasions where I was just checking the news and finding that one of m...

I will admit to enjoying the little life stories about my residents that I find in the obits. As I think about it, it is probably better to go through the stages of grief in front of a newspaper rather than at the start of a shift. But alas, my supe...

Just got an idea: Is there a photograph of this resident's husband that you can give her to look at while you do care?

I've worked in Med/Surg and ICU. Med/Surg is a step above nursing homes. You still do basic care for a set of patients, but they tend to be younger and sicker, and you won't feel like a "babysitter." You also have doctors and nurses going all ov...

I think this makes the most sense... I would approach this RN and explain that you are just trying to cover your butt.

I've done my fair share of stupid stuff, and still do to this day. Part of being a CNA is learning to CYA (Cover Your ***) legally at all times.

I will admit that I am straddling the fence on this one. On one hand, it is technically considered a restraint to "blindfold" a resident for any reason, and therefore it is against the law. On the other hand, this is a quick and simple solution to a...

I should hope that your odds of being employed as a gay CNA are exactly the same as being employed as a straight CNA. It is illegal to discriminate based on sexual preference.

I somehow doubt that most family members are trained to operate a hoyer lift, and I also doubt that a lawyer will be able to adequately defend your case if you pull something like that. Besides, I can only imagine how downright awkward and weird it b...

I haven't been "abused" by any family members, but I've certainly been the recipient of much nit-picking.

My nursing home uses TENA briefs. I've never had a problem with them. My only issue is trying to pull them out when they get "stuck" under a big resident-- they tear and some sort of "fluff" goes all over the place. But to be fair it takes quite s...

I have never done or even heard of a single CNA using a hoyer lift, because in the state of Maine, anyone who operates a hoyer alone will be enjoying their next few months in jail. It's that serious. The various safety reasons have already been post...

Have had my license for only a month, but started working in a nursing home in February. Orientation for Med/Surg is coming to a close; I've been there for about three weeks. I live in Maine. Our Med/Surg floor has only 32 beds, but this being the ...

Allow me to contrast a nursing home with a Med/Surg floor, as I have worked on both. I will be going by day shift. Nursing Home - Get residents washed up, changed, in their wheelchairs - Breakfast - Get residents back to bed, changed - Blink - Get r...

That's great! There are so many CNA's who cannot stand their jobs, especially in nursing homes. I'm sure you will bring encouragement to your co-workers. :)