PDXnursing

In Oregon CNA 2s are allowed to do straight caths.

What is the easiest method for checking a resident after bedtime who is sometimes incontinent but wears pullups? Also, when you have a resident whose family is there for hours each day, what is the most tactful/respectful way to get them to leave the room so that you can check the resident's brief? I don't like actually saying that "I need to check her brief" or "I need to change her" as I think that it is kind of disrespectful to say in front of the whole family. "I need to provide personal care"?

I had a similar experience with a former employer. To add to what hiddencatRN pointed out about how to handle questions about why you left: I have always found that simply stating "it just wasn't a good fit" comes across pretty well when trying to avoid exposing the nitty gritty about why you had to get the heck out of there.

Yes! I went to a community college after not being in school for 12 years. My school requires a Cell Biology for Health Majors course as a prereq for A&P. That class was a big struggle for me since it had been so long, but I am really glad that I took it as it refreshed familiar concepts (like cell structures and organelles) but introduced more complicated topics (like the dreaded Citric Acid Cycle) which came up later through A&P, Foods and Nutrition and Microbiology. I would have drowned if I had jumped into A&P without taking this course! A&P is very challenging and I think that is in your best interest to go into it with a reasonable understanding of basic bio concepts, which could really help get those A s in the more challenging classes.

As far as I know it is illegal to refer to yourself as a nurse if you are not either an LPN or RN. Am I right? While I was in the CNA training program I was even told that it was illegal to refer to myself as a CNA to the patient-I could only say Nursing Assistant or SNA (student nursing assistant).

um....I think that we were paired with the same CNA for our first day of clinicals! I had the same experience and I ended up crying at the end of the day and wondered if I wanted to have any part of this world. I felt that her actions were borderline abuse and didn't want to continue on. Fortunately for the rest of my clinicals I was paired with amazing CNAs who showed compassion and proper technique. Sure, there is a difference between state exam world and real world, and many CNAs that have been doing this job for years will experience a little bit of burn out. I ended up speaking with my instructor and came to find out that there were several complaints about this certain CNA. She no longer works at the facility. I may not make the bed according to the textbook or hit all 25 steps while giving the bed pan, but the patients are always safe and their privacy and dignity are maintained. Be sure to bring up your experience with your instructor in a professional way, expressing your concerns over the CNAs execution of the skills. The fact that you noticed and have concern about the patient's well being shows that you will be a great CNA.

I have similar positions in my history and they actually helped me recently in an interview. Instead of describing my position as "waited tables, cash handling, food service" or something like that, I highlighted the skills from those jobs that I have transferred into my job as a CNA. Things like multitasking, crisis management, time management, critical thinking, quality control. Even though those positions aren't healthcare related, it is good to point out that you have transferrable skills from those experiences. At my interview I was able to describe how 10 years of customer service has helped me as a CNA when relating to both the patient and the family.

Hello, I was wondering how long it took for your CNA 2 certification to be posted on OSBN's license verification system after you completed the CNA 2 course? Obviously I want to apply for jobs ASAP after the course but I have no idea how long it actually takes. I've been getting conflicting info, how long did it take for yours?

ooooh, my, are the Oregon RN programs competitive! The only program that I know of that doesn't have a waiting list is ITT Tech's newer RN program, but it seems kinda sketchy to me. It's ridiculously expensive, plus it's program is somewhat untested since there hasn't been a graduating class yet. Oregon, Portland especially, is flooded with new graduates and hopeful RN students, so it is not only hard to be accepted into a program, but from what I hear it is difficult to find a position as a new grad. This will be my second year applying to nursing schools. Last year I applied to 4 schools and didn't even get an interview...and I have a 4.0. Good luck, it's not easy but it's not impossible!

I passed! I cried after because I was sure that I forgot a step somewhere but I did it! I had feeding/intake, TED hose, positioning on side, and ambulating with a walker. It feels good to have some initials after my name now :)

Thanks, I'm glad to be hearing your responses. The whole experience was very uncomfortable for me and made me feel upset-imagine how he felt! I think I'm going to speak to the LPN, I don't think that all of the caregivers have had the proper training. I don't want to overstep my bounds, but it seems that someone should suggest some no-rinse soap or something to use other than the shower stall. On my second day I had to show my trainer how to make an occupied bed! Then I heard another one say "well, there's not a whole lot you can do about bed sores." Or maybe there is just a huge difference between ALF standards and SNF (where I did my clinicals).

So I just started a job at an assisted living facility on the locked down dementia floor. Last night my trainer showed me how to bathe one of the male residents. It was at bed time (9pm or so) and he insisted that he just wanted to go to bed. The caregiver sat him in the shower chair in the shower stall completely uncovered. He of course began screaming, cursing and swinging. The caregiver used a soapy washcloth to lather up body parts, including his hair. She then used a basin filled with water and kind of flung the water onto him to rinse him without getting hit. The entire time he screamed and cursed, growing more and more agitated. This is how all of the staff showers him. She just laughed and smiled at me. I'm a new Nursing Assistant so I know that my opinions may be idealistic and there is a "real world" of nursing in which the skill steps learned during the CNA course are just not realistic. I know that you are there to give care to those who can't do it for themselves, even though they may not want us to. It just seems to me that forcing this shower while he was already agitated, leaving him completely naked on a shower chair and flinging buckets of water onto him was not the best approach, nor was it at all dignified. I would think that trying at another time, offering the option of a bed bath, keeping him covered or just trying to wash different body areas throughout your shift would all be better alternatives. I would love the opinion or advice of those who have worked with the patients with dementia and let me know if I'm totally off base. I'm new so I don't want to challenge the practices that are in place but I question their methods. Also many of the caregivers are not CNAs but have been in the field for years with whatever "training" the AL facility provides...