mar12011

Good advice Buduca, I need to re-train my brain each time I walk into a pt's room, otherwise I still try to use my back muscles, and often neglect to raise the bed, IOW, inevitable back-strain on the way.

I was working in a SNF/LTCF for 3 mos. straight out of CNA class, then I FINALLY got a hospital job 4 weeks ago - a WORLD of a difference!!! The first thing that hit me BIG TIME was my first 1/2 hour at the med ctr I saw RN's answering call lights, and 4 weeks later I think I'm still in shock!! Also, at the SNF, it may have just been because I was on night shift (still am on nights at the med ctr) and there were only 3 of us CNA's in my unit, BUT trying to get help to do turning the pts, etc. was like pulling teeth. At the med ctr the word TEAMWORK is front & center what they thrive on -- it is outstanding. Plus on from the work angle, you have a much more likelihood of seeing a huge variety of diseases, post-op variances, it's not just changing briefs and cleaning up poop. Not that there is anything wrong w/working SNF/LTCF, I just think it's a personal preference.

Uh-oh! From reading all the replies, I guess I have been doing it wrong the past 5 months. I work nights, 3-12's, I usually do one night then have a day off, then do 2 nights back-to-back, and when I am done with the 2 back-to-back I will stay up the next day (just like I am doing right now) all day and go to sleep at night. I always feel zonked.................................... I have no trouble at all staying awake in the overnight when running down call lights, but I cannot get used to sleeping during the day.

No doubt it is all about technique/angles, I just need a really good teacher to show me the ins & outs. Any tidbits you can pass along would be welcome. Having worked in the hospital now for the past 2 weeks, I am VERY pleased that it is much more of a team effort than when I was at the SNF. What still is shocking and hugely encouraging is how the RNs quickly answer the call lights when we CNA/PCT's are busy with other pts. I barely saw that once in the SNF.

Oh I hope I didn't instill any worry -- I actually did my first CNA job at a SNF/LTCF, 3rd shift, from July-mid Oct. (I strained my back) and it was way different there. If you had to put on the lights, you put on the lights -- a good deal of the pts there were less coherent, thus did not notice if the lights were on/off. Plus, they didn't care if I used the stethoscope to hear the breaths. Most the of job there seemed to be changing incontinent briefs and re-positioning. The vitals only had to charted at end of shift (unless the pt had fallen, then they were on neuros and done 4x for the first 60 min. -- 2x the next, then once an hour for 4 hours or something like that) , and we did it on paper not on the computer, etc. You will do fine, I am sure!!

THANKS for the encouraging words. Yes, I was certified as a CNA in April. I am now working in a hospital where there is much better team help with turning, so that is nice. But I just finished my 3rd of 6 days of orientation and my preceptor has shown frustration with me - I am not good at taking respiration without having the lights on in the pts room, at the SNF I worked at I was allowed to use my stethoscope to get them. She also doesn't think I'm doing well with multitasking, and keeping organized -- both of which are ironic because I used to work in IT and had the multitasking there was on steroids compared to this job, but I am new and need to get used to the routine, which will take longer than the 6 days allotted time. Plus I am an organization fanatic -- to the point of nuttiness, but again being new at the hospital I need to find my stride before it will manifest itself. I trust the preceptor's observations, she is VERY good at her job, but I just think that if they don't have the ability to give me a few weeks to get up to speed I will soon be without a job. Oh well, back to IT!

Oh teamojonj, I sooooooooooooooooooooooooo have been through so many of the EXACT same things as you, my :redbeathe goes out to you!! I have been working my first 3 mos. as a CNA at SNF working the subacute unit. I have felt like a failure on SO many occasions there because of mistakes I've made or things I've overlooked. But with 15-20 pts at times to tend to, and only 7.5 hrs to do ALL tasks, it is a wonder I have it blown it bigger as a newbie. I am small like you, and turning/re-positioning most all pts has not been easy, I have had back aches a lot, even an injury now for 2 weeks from it. AND what cracked me up was reading what you wrote about putting the diapers on - that is something I have struggled with doing to spec since day one. It must seem odd to my co-workers since I am a 50 yr. old woman, but in all honesty I had NEVER in my life put a diaper on anyone before this job, not even a baby before. I did very little babysitting as a teen, the ones I did watch were not infants. I have never married and so never had kids, so no diaper changing there. I have worked 13 weeks now, and still I really want to perfect putting the dang things on straight!!!! ;0) I have loved my job greatly, despite what I feel is a bit of gruff from some of the well-seasoned co-workers who forget what it was like to be a newbie. Yes, yes, yes I need to improve on my skills, and yes I need to become more proficient at keeping all the checks & balances evened out, BUT I believe that comes w/time & familiarity. It would help less confident ones like me (and possibly you) to be given some latitude, and even some pointers at how to improve instead of being made to feel like a subpar CNA. Again, most of the co-workers I have had are real nice, but it only takes a few to really make you feel like you are in the wrong profession. Keep at it, do your best and try hard to not get discouraged, you are not alone in this!!

Well hey all, it all is looking a little calmer for my head to deal with now. I had a phone interview for the Tech Support job today and it sounds like an outstanding job and place to work, but it also sounds like there are dozens of other candidates in the running, so I was really putting the cart WAY before the horse on this. Funny how things go, I was thinking I'd be better off taking the IT job this morning, thinking I'm just not equipped enough at the turning patients deal and all that in my CNA job (last night was not so great all around at work). But just when I think I would go the IT route, the job becomes more elusive, either way it's a win-win for me in one way or the other. I love the CNA job that I have, even if I'm not so great at it, so if I stay there I am happy. I did make it to the next round of the interview process with the IT job, and so have another phone interview on Friday, but with so many to compete with for the job, only the Lord knows if I'll get an offer -- if I do, that's great too. Thanks again for all of your advice on this!!!!!!!!!!! :0)

TaraAnn91 - yeah subacute is definitely a better deal than LTCF as far as I can tell. There is so much variance between patients, and for the most part they are not there for more than a month or two. Brian -- I forgot to add to my last comment, I am confused as to your suggesting I should take a CNA job... I have a CNA job already. But I've been working all night and so am probably not reading what you wrote correctly.

good pt!!!

But it's already been 20 months since I've been in IT, so I feel the skills I had are already being lost - "if you don't use it, you lose it" sort of thing. I really have little desire to go back to IT; the money situation would be the only impetus. I would think if I stay on the CNA route, then say in 4 months I hurt my back badly and so attempt to go back to IT, the IT people would surmise I have been out of the market for so long I'd have to be re-trained to be of any value.... this could all be easily remedied if as CNAs we weren't paid so crummily (crummily? ).

fuzzywuzzy, that is me EXACTLY!!! Everything gets out of proportion in my head when it comes to decisions of this magnitude. I feel like the situation is going to be one I am locked into for years on end, and the regrets will badger my conscience. If I take the IT job I am going to soooooooooooo green with envy every time I work on an issue because it will involve hospitals, nurses, etc. PLUS I'll be confined to sitting at a desk vs. getting to run around answering call lights. If I keep the CNA job and in two months my 11 yr old car with 184K miles on it goes to the car graveyard, I'll be kicking myself to no end that I could have afforded a new car IF it took the IT/Tech Support job. UGH!!!! But neither decision is morally right or morally wrong, they both could have potential consequences that will haunt BECAUSE I LET them haunt me. "Regrets yet, doubts no".

Thanks for the replies. No, I cannot say I see my going into IT all those years ago as a mistake, per se. I am grateful for the two jobs I had. But in another way, if I could do it all over again I definitely would have gotten myself on the waiting list for the nursing route. I seriously have changed my mind 15 times in the past 2 days about what I will do if offered the job w/McKesson. I still am not sure. They use Unix environments, which really jazzes me and always has, if it's actually possible for me to get jazzed about operating systems, etc. I could put a good deal of $$ away to save up for LPN training, but then again if I make the $52K I will never get any scholarship $$............ oh there I go typing away all the pros & cons, I cannot seem to stop my head. Whatever, I just need to make a decision if I get a firm offer and whichever way it goes I need to be okay with it. Thanks again!

Hi all! I have a possible quandary making my mind turn to scrambled eggs... I have always wanted to be a nurse (LPN or RN), but an impatient decision over 30 yrs ago landed me in an Information Technology route that I inadvertently stayed in for 27+ yrs. Upon getting laid off I went to CNA training and got my first job last month working subacute. I LOVE it, absolutely find it soooooooooooooooo rewarding to help others, and I love the fact of being on my feet and moving around -- I don't love the turning & lifting so much, but that's just b/c I am not that strong. The only downside is the pay - it is close to impossible to survive on the wages. On a whim last week I saw a Tech Support job with a HUGE medical software company, so I applied. They sent me a written interview of sorts to fill out and return. In it I requested the salary I had made before I got laid off from my last Tech Support job, which is nearly THREE times the amount I make as a CNA!!! I now have a phone interview set up for Tues. morning w/them. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo confused as what to do. If I take the job I would be learning the ins & outs of the software that many hospital staff folks use, which could be a plus if I eventually become an LPN or RN. BUT I would lose the chance of the highly valuable experience working subacute right now. PLUS like I said, I love the CNA job. I am going to a comm college on Mon. to inquire about their LPN program. It would be real hard to go to school while learning the software for the Tech Support job, and I would be on pager duty rotation with that job, which would make it hard to commit to classes. AAAAAAAAAAARGH!! I know this all sounds jumbled -- I don't know that there is any one "good" decision to be made. :confused:

I was told that about being a volunteer too, but sadly it did not pan out for me. I began to volunteer at a Denver hospital in March 2010 assisting the CNA's (stocking PPE boxes in patient's rooms, passing water, taking away food trays, etc.) By God's enabling I did that for 15 months, and was always praised and thanked for the job I did and help provided. I had started volunteering when I was going to school for a Surg Tech program, BUT I soooooooooooooo fell in love with doing floor work via my volunteer job that I realized 18 weeks into the ST course that I really wanted to be a nurse, so I quit the ST class and got certified as a NA. Everyone told me I'd most likely be a shoe-in at the hospital I volunteered at, but after 3 LONG months of applying for CNA job after CNA job, speaking to HR, getting letters of recommendation, NOTHING!! I was told that I need the experience before being hired - what a shame, because I know the supply rooms for the Ortho Surg & Med Surg floors real well, know most of the RNs and CNAs on those floors (they all are WONDERFUL to work with!!), etc. Once I got certified many of those CNAs & RNs were surprised (well at least they told me they were, I have no reason to think they were just trying to be nice by pretending to be surprised) that I was not hired there. Praise God, I did get a position at a SNF and so I am content for now, but I really wouldn't bank on volunteering as being the sure-fire way of getting in w/o 6 mos. in a LTCF or SNF first.

I passed my exam on April 1st. All the HR people were telling me to apply online, so I did just that and only had 3 interviews in 3 months!!!! SO after feeling quite dejected, I listened to the excellent advice of a good friend and one day I went to 3 LTC facilities in the Denver area and applied in person. The first one I went to was seriously discouraging as just like you said, the receptionist was real cranky and told me that it would take over 45 min. to fill out all the paperwork, so she advised I take it home to fill out, then to boot she said that they were not currently hiring CNA's... I took the gobs of paperwork and sat out in the guest area and in 20 min. was done with the paperwork, and I left thinking that was a huge waste of time. Well 4 days later I got a call from HR saying they saw my application and would I like to come in for an interview!!! The DON could not have been more of the complete antithesis of the receptionist!!! She offered me a job there, and the only reason I did not jump at the opportunity was because she said for brand spanking new CNAs they hire you are PRN till they feel you are a good fit, then you can be put on as F/T. The same day I applied at the above LTCF, I also went to two others in the area. I got a call the very next day about one of them, and had an interview the next week. The long and the short of it is I had a whopping 3 interviews in 3 mos from applying online, and I had 2 interviews in 1 week from applying in person. Food for thought. I would do both ways if I were you. :0)

Well a HUGE THANKS evabloomv!!! Keep me posted on how it goes for you too as we become seasoned CNA's. You know what is extraordinary to me -- I've been volunteering at a downtown hospital for the past 16 months, and I soooooooooo love it (helping the CNA's & RN's out) -- I soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo badly wanted to work as a CNA there, but after I got my license I couldn't get a job there no matter how many times I applied (they want only CNA's w/exp) -- I never thought I would want to work in an LTCF, yet that's exactly where I am (well it's a skilled nursing/rehab/LTCF/subacute facility, I work in the subacute unit) and to my shock I REALLY, REALLY love it. Isn't life odd? But God is good, He knew exactly where He wanted me, and what is best for me too. Now only if I can all the steps down, and especially get the muscle to do the turns alone!! :0)

I love hearing how it's not so much strength, as it is technique -- that gives me hope that I will be able to do this eventually (I hope "eventually" is SOON). Last night I foolishly tried to turn this 175 lb. guy who is pretty much in a vegetative state, and his knees are practically paralyzed, so I couldn't do the bending the knee and turning technique -- I nearly gave my lower back a good strain. Then later in the night I had to put a new incontinence brief on him, it too me nearly 15 minutes, and again my lower back took a slight hit. The other two CNA's were real busy with their patients, and I kind of frustrated one of them last week because I had to ask him 3 times in 3 hours to help me turning patients. BUT again, all of your posts are highly encouraging, and also the CNA in the evening shift in my hall as she gave me the turnover report, her arms are actually as skinny as mine and she can turn the same pts..... so maybe someday (in the not too distant future, LOL!?) I will be that 70 yr old CNA showing a young CNA with pipe-cleaner arms that it can be easily done too!

REALLY, in only 100 days? That is great!!!! I will be happier than the newest Powerball winner if I can post that here in 3 more months! I hope the two other CNA's will help me out, showing me some tricks of how they do it.... time will tell.

Hey you might not be a Picasso, but you sure rival Rembrandt here!! LOL!!! That is VERY helpful Mike -- I am going to see if some of my friends might let me attempt to practice on them today (when I wanted to do the same for my CNA skills exam, none were all too thrilled to follow suit... not even just taking vitals! ) THX again!!!

Gotcha' -- using mostly the quad muscles, w/abs tightened? Just like you said, I am getting more & more convinced it's about technique more than brawn. I need to practice my brains out on this. THX Mike!!

Hi Mike!! Help me out with this - I was trying to make a mental picture of it, but methinks I'm missing something of what you said. When you say, "Place one hand dorsally on the patient's shoulder that is away from you, and the other hand over and laterally on the knee that is now pointing in the air" -- say I am standing at their left side - I would place my left hand on top of their right knee, and then also have my right arm under their right shoulder, no? Also, when you said have the dorsal side of my hand on their shoulder, I cannot picture that. I would think it would make more sense to have the palm (not dorsal) of my right hand on top of their right shoulder, no? Please clarify for me, I am sure it's my sleep depp'd brain not processing this... THX!!

This forum is OUTSTANDING!!! THANKS for all the excellent advice and encouragement - checking out the Unit Clerk position, or Assisted Living -- bringing the gait belt -- using solid body mechanics, etc. - you all are a tremendous help to me!!!! I just pulled out the job specs sheet to see again how much it said we would be responsible to lift, it says 20 lbs. "constantly, up to 2/3rds of the time, but 50 lbs. "occasionally up to 1/3rd of the time", and up to 100 lbs. NEVER. I will need to get clarification on that if it does become an issue in the very near future that I would be let go. Maybe it's semantics, in that it means lifting in the full sense of the word, and that turning is another story completely. I would sometimes be expected to lift (alone) 50 lbs., but that the weight numbers don't apply to turning a body in bed... hmmmm..... MANY thx again all!!!

GREAT to hear that VivaLasViejas! Yeah I brought my gait belt w/me the first night, but the other 2 CNA's don't use them, so I put mine away thinking I wouldn't have to either, but that was silly logic -- they can flip pts on their sides like they were burgers in a frying pan b/c they are MUCH stronger than moi. I put the belt in my bag and will bring it AND use it on Monday, regardless!!

fuzzywuzzy, that is soooooooooooo encouraging to hear!! I was talking to my pastor yesterday, as he is a tremendously gifted counselor, to see if I should just throw in the towel with this at times seeming like a pipe dream desire, he said absolutely not, not yet. He as well said that he bets as I try and try each night to do it, that my muscles will grow and I will develop a technique that works for me, wherein I will be able to turn them. Prayerfully & hopefully I wait to see if 2 mos. from now I look back on this and am ever amazed that I will be able to do it. By God's grace. THX for the encouragement!