JDZ344

I know what you mean, it's sad

You do never know! I miss it a little. I worked nearly everywhere, was float pool for a while after I left my permanent job. I liked most places, but it's such hard work that it gets to you after a while even when you can choose your own hours and where you work!

So, after working for several years as a NA, today was my last shift :) I had been working PRN for a time, and then I just decided I can't do it any more. So I managed to get a retail job that pays around the same amount. I am to start next week. I am kind of sad, but it was time for me to take a break. Maybe I will come back to healthcare, I don't know yet. At least I have a 9-5 "normal" job, now, no more early starts or late finishes! So I am out of here! Hats off to all you people that can stay in the field for long times!

I am truly fortunate in that I have experienced possible maximum 5/10. I can't even imagine a 10/10 pain. I can't imagine wanting to talk, certainly not to be eating.

Just walking down the street, minding your own business is very dangerous.

good luck! Ireland is a beautiful country.

Unfortunately, the nature of LTC is that it is chronically short staffed. Exactly how long had you been working before you were "left to get on with it"? I know the frustrations of taking a long time on one person in LTC while you still have another 11+ to deal with. Re: Night checks. You don't necessarily have to wake a person to check them. For example, one of the wards I worked on had a no briefs at night rule. You can check them just by lifting the sheets. And for turning, I position them on their side around 10pm. Around midnight-1am I remove the pillow at their back so they naturally roll over onto their back. Then I just have to wake them at 2am to give them a turn- and its just a roll and to place a pillow. Of course if they need changing at midnight, I change and turn them to the other side (so that the next time I can just pull the pillow out again...). But some wards allow us to turn every 4 hours at night instead of every 2, so that people can get some sleep.

We wash the hand, no alcohol pad.

I once read of a family of boys named Ringo Starr, Mickjagger and Elvis. In RL, my brother knows a girl named Tequila.

In my hospital, it depends what ward I work on, most places the nurses do them before they give the insulin, only on one is it 100% the assistants job.

In my place, that would get the aide into trouble, although the nurse would also be in trouble, because they are meant to check the paper charts every 2 hours and initial to acknowledge they have noted the vitals.

Wow, I can't believe not one other person will help you. Is it other aides or nurses who are not helping? Some patients are impossible to roll alone if they will not co-operate or are heavy. I don't really have any tips to help with that. I would look for a new job.

I can have 4-16 patients, depending on which unit I work on. With 4 being organised is easy, with 16 not it's hard. So I will be interested to know how you all manage it, too.

Words fail me, really.

What if the request is something else entirely? What if they want food, or the TV changed over?

We are only allowed to wear plain wedding bands. Can you buy a chain, remove the ring for work and wear it around your neck? After you leave work, you can replace it on your finger.

Prepare to be VERY persistent.

Our L&D, the nursing assistants: - Check vitals for the new mums (midwives or nursery assistants do the babies) - Escort babies for testing - Personal care (especially for post c-section women) and basic care of baby (nappies, feeds, baths, etc) if mum can not do it herself. - Blood tests for the mother (midwives do the babies) - Escort mother to car on discharge and ensure the car seat is set up safely - Cleaning, stocking, etc. I don't much like L&D, I tend to stick to medical or surgical floors.

Thats weird. When we have extra nurses and few CNAs (happens sometimes), then the nurses will either take less patients (and do their share of the "CNA work" for their patients) or will float and act as an extra nurse (and help out with call bells, changes etc). But they are never assigned as a CNA. Sometimes, two nurses will have a heavy assignment without an CNA, but they work together as nurses, not one as a nurse and one as a CNA.

I probably would do it if it was ONLY weekends and not in the week. I would imagine it would be exhausting on the Monday. I used to do 14 hours, and it was very tiring. But 2 days a week and the weekdays all off is a score, IMO.

When our sitters go for their breaks, the NA's take a turn sitting in there to cover the breaks. If the sitter just needs to run to the bathroom, they press the call bell and whoever answers waits with the patient.

I call in sick if I am sick. I will not feel badly about it.

What if they bring their own? Do you take them away?

We do too.

I'm in the UK and practically need a dictionary to read here :) We have wards, not units Handover, not report ECG, not EKG ITU not ICU Operating theatre, not operation room. We call PRN nurses "bank" nurses (A "bank" of staff) Aides are support workers or nursing assistants Female charge nurses are called "sister" but the males are not "brother", they are charge nurses. Accuchecks are called blood glucose/blood sugar Foley is a catheter IV is called a cannula There's so many more I'm probably missing.