LaterAlligator

This week at the AL Facility I work at, we had a big hoopla because apparently some of the residents' families complained to the manager that their loved ones pericare was not being done. Bad, right? I'm not sure how they determined that, but it s...

I'm in my last quarter of an ADN program and while I'm friendly and polite with my whole cohort, I really am only actual friends with one classmate. You know that quote "comparison is the thief of joy"? I reflect on that when I feel like everyone el...

It is always worth calling. I have done this after quitting at an assisted living facility that I worked at as an uncertified caregiver back in the day. State will investigate, may impose a 'stop placement' order on the facility so they cannot acce...

I've just finished my first year so I know there's more to be exposed to, but I like wound/ostomy care so far. I enjoyed the NICU which surprised me, and disliked L&D And ER, which was no surprise.

Okay, I'm sure we've all heard some really funny stuff from our patients/residents/clients during our shifts, so let's share! I was working overnight in home health and kept hearing the wife (with severe dementia) waking up her husband to ask him str...

Where I live, you have to put in a year as a LTC CNA before getting a job in the hospital, basically always. I think it's worthwhile. I'm in a 2 year ADN program now, after several years as a CNA, and my program doesn't require students to be certif...

I'm in the 3rd quarter of my first year of a 2 year ADN program, and we just did the ATI Fundamentals assessment. I thought it was helpful, especially because we did some practice tests on the ATI website and have these ATI books for different topic...

I switched to 12's (as a hospital CNA) when I got into nursing school, and while I appreciate the fewer workdays per week, my weekends at work kick my butt. Hard. When I worked 8's, that was less so. Although the burnout aspect of feeling like you're...

You get used to it, with time. I used to have a blood/needle phobia, to the point where I actually passed out when getting my own blood drawn, more than once. It's different, at least for me, when there is a real person depending on you. Responsibili...

Money and time, basically. I cut back from 38 hours a week at work to 24. I have school Tues-Friday and work 2 12-hour shifts on the weekends. I don't have much free time anymore & my relationships are suffering some because of it. But I know it'...

Not 100% sure if that's the type of visial you meant (we haven't gotten to fluids & electrolytes yet in my program) but it looked helpful to me. I find a lot of things like that on Pinterest, actually!

I work 2 12-hour shifts per week while in nursing school as a CNA. If I could afford to just do school I would even though I'm getting experience & like my coworkers a lot. School is tough!

I've been a CNA for about 5 years now, and continue to work as one at my local hospital while I'm in my ADN program. I find that my experience has been incredibly helpful with school so far. Also, one of the only ways to get hired at my hospital as a...

You can mentally juggle and prioritize the needs of 10+ patients, and plan your route around the unit accordingly (including knowing which ones will try to flag you down even if you're carrying a heavy food tray and bag of trash, so you detour in ord...

Job title:CNA Location: Washington State rate of pay: $15.15/hr, originally hired at $11.47 differentials:yes, more on eve shift, night shift, and weekends. shifts usually worked 12 hour day shifts from 0700-1930 current specialty: Ortho years of exp...

I'm just finishing my first quarter of nursing school & can see potential for strong friendships with a few of my classmates. I tend to be kind of private and slow to open up, so part of me was worried that everyone would have jelled into cliques...

The biggest difference I've seen is in Union jobs vs. Nonunion jobs, regardless of the profit status of the organization. At my nonunion jobs I've had them try to force me to pay for my own mandatory Ed. (despite them saying it'd be provided in my or...

I work 24 hours a week and go to school full time, but no kids. Do what you gotta do!

I like the Skechers workwear line, they fit the bill and are cheaper :) Danskos have very firm soles and seem crazy uncomfortable to me.

Jeez, and I thought the guy in my cohort was bad! All I can say is maybe when he fails at things, take that schadenfreude as some stress relief for yourself. And figure out which specific traits of his are alienating everyone so you can be sure to a...

I'm doing it, because I have to, financially. I'm taking 13 credits, it's my first quarter in my ADN program. And I work 24 hours per week at the hospital as a CNA, two 12 hour shifts every weekend. It's possible but difficult. Good luck!

I second what's been said here; most confused people are afraid of showering, I don't know why that is but it's definitely a hallmark of Alzheimer's. With really, really difficult patients, I've resorted to "accidentally" spilling water on them, ap...

I try to remember to be nice to the nursing students who come in to do their clinicals on my floor at the hospital, but it can be very frustrating to have to follow them around to be sure they didn't do something that compromised my patients' safety,...

Mister, I know you can't find your penis to place it in the urinal. I can't either, I just look for a hole in your enormous scrotum and hold the urinal an inch below it. But when I say CALL FOR ASSISTANCE when you have to pee, I mean it. You are t...