LaterAlligator

LaterAlligator

geriatrics, dementia, ortho

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All Content by LaterAlligator

  1. What grosses you out?

    LaterAlligator replied to lilbearzmom's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I can't believe I forgot this one: semen in a wet brief. Thank God I don't have to deal with that anymore, but at my old job there was one horny old man that made me really uncomfortable and would...

  2. Residents who are constantly BMing

    LaterAlligator replied to cogath's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I have one like that too, she just oozes small amounts of loose BM all the time like a soft-serve machine. Just one of those things, I guess! Luckily she's got dementia & so is completely unaware...

  3. What grosses you out?

    LaterAlligator replied to lilbearzmom's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Dirty teeth (like when your resident opens their mouth and you can SEE that yellowish shmutz along the gumline) and crap under their fingernails. I don't mind dentures and actually doing the oral...

  4. Training: What you wish you'd learned

    LaterAlligator posted a topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I'm training a new employee at my job for the first time, and it has me thinking about what I learned during my training and whether there's anything that we're rarely taught at that time but wish we...

  5. I am considering not being a CNA anymore...

    LaterAlligator replied to Poi Dog's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Kohala, I'm sorry to hear that your work environment is so toxic. I agree with CoffeemateCNA, you sound to me like a dream coworker and it sucks that people like you are driven out of this industry...

  6. I am considering not being a CNA anymore...

    LaterAlligator replied to Poi Dog's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    A restorative CNA does PT exercises with patients that the actual physical therapist doesn't need to be present during. They usually get paid a little more and (I think?) work more of a 9-5 type...

  7. Sometimes I wish the patients family would stop by unannounced...

    LaterAlligator replied to Poi Dog's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    We hear that too, although a lot of our residents' family members do drop by at random times, which is usually just fine. Occasionally they will be mad about something (why is my Mother in a recliner...

  8. Amount of residents responsible for in a day?

    LaterAlligator replied to vtmainer's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I'm so glad to hear that not everyone hates the horseshoe tables! We use them (and shirt savers too, ha!) at my facility and I LOVE them! We can each feed 4 people at a time that way, and you're able...

  9. Amount of residents responsible for in a day?

    LaterAlligator replied to vtmainer's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I work in a dementia facility and typically have 10 residents on each run per shift. Usually not all of them are total care, but sometimes they are, just depending on which hall I'm on. At my job,...

  10. Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

    LaterAlligator replied to RN06-NP09's topic in Nursing Humor

    A little old lady rang me today to pick up her empty cups and so she could ask me "Am I the worst looking thing you've ever seen, or what?". LOL! I reassured her that no, she's

  11. What you'd REALLY like to say....

    LaterAlligator replied to ICor9:24's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    How frickin' hard is it it clean someone's hand and stick a (CLEAN) rolled up washcloth in it to prevent contractures? I mean, really. I should not be finding a week's worth of crap between all...

  12. Anyone work first, then go to CNA training?

    LaterAlligator posted a topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I feel kind of sheepish about this, but after almost 2 years working as a NAR I'm finally in CNA class and the instructor says that the students who've already worked in the medical field are going to...

  13. Why are patients...?

    LaterAlligator replied to NurseOnAMotorcycle's topic in Nursing Humor

    Why does the full moon mean that all my dementia residents take it literally and keep taking off their pants every few

  14. Dementia/Alzheimers residents

    LaterAlligator replied to nurse2b013's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Ask your coworkers what the most important thing for you to know about that person is; they'll probably tell you anything from "she only hears out of her left ear" to "you'll know she's awake if she's...

  15. Do you get discipline for not wearing ID badge?

    LaterAlligator replied to tavia_yeung's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    We don't get disciplined for not wearing ours, although they do list our first and last names. Ours are the magnetic type which means they fall off pretty easily, and when you have a combative...

  16. Difficult showers

    LaterAlligator replied to Penny82's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I want to see that bathing without a battle DVD too! Most of my residents dislike being bathed. I wrote a blogpost about it with my tips if anyone is struggling with it at your

  17. Why would you tell a continent patient that?

    LaterAlligator replied to Poi Dog's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Um, yeah. Not okay. The only way that'd make sense is if it were him saying "Oh no, I'm not gonna make it all the way to the bathroom" and the CNA replied that it'd be okay either way because he has...

  18. Confess! Whats the craziest force of habit you've done in the "Real World"

    LaterAlligator replied to vhern246's topic in Nursing Humor

    I'm an aide in a dementia unit, and I have one resident that is like a grandfather; we all call him Pops, and he's so sweet. The other night after work when my husband told me goodnight, I must have...

  19. random drug tests

    LaterAlligator replied to TamTam23's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    At my home care agency they do this, usually one random employee per month. Just urine, since it's comprehensive enough & cheaper than running

  20. What Is Your Most Gross, Yucky, Disgusting Nursing Horror Story?

    LaterAlligator replied to yazisizit's topic in Nursing Humor

    I work in dementia long-term care, and we have an outbreak of norovirus right now. We were completely out of emesis basins so when one of my residents started gagging, I just grabbed the nearest...

  21. Flu hits the LTC

    LaterAlligator replied to DawnRh's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Ugh, this is going around at my job too. I think we went through more bleach today than we normally do in a week, trying like crazy to keep it from spreading. And collecting stool samples to be...

  22. Spending time with Residents?

    LaterAlligator replied to Queen Tiye, CNA's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    On 2nd shift I sometimes do, so I'll use that time to do nail care and chat with whoever I'm working on. I work in a dementia facility, so 2nd shift can get iffy with the residents sundowning. But a...

  23. Feeling Disappointed!

    LaterAlligator replied to Elvienm's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    Give yourself a month there to stop feeling like crying at the end of work every day, and 3 months to feel like you've got the hang of it. If you still hate your facility at the end of 3 months, look...

  24. I'm a CNA just because I want experience

    LaterAlligator replied to blessed2bfree's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I started working as a caregiver for older folks just to pay the bills, then realized how much I enjoyed it. After a while I started working in Assisted Living as an aide, and that's when I realized...

  25. Alzeimers Facilities pay more?

    LaterAlligator replied to camci's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    I work in dementia care, and make the same as I did in regular long term care. Though the ratio of aide to residents is usually better. I generally have 9-10 residents on my run in the dementia...