mommyof2nc

That's terrible pay. I live in NC and get paid a base pay of $9.50 but I work 3rd shift every other weekend, so I get another $1.50 on top of that per hour, so a total of $11 per hour. I hope you can find something else that pays better.

Sorry, it wouldn't let me edit my last post. I normally work in rehab but sometimes work either in medical or the Alzheimer's unit and I treat those residents the same way. Most of the time, they just tell me to have a good day too and are fine. I do have one resident that doesn't want me to leave her sometimes and thinks she's going to have to spend the day all by herself if I leave. Some days, though, she's totally fine with me leaving. lol

I work 3rd shift and I say goodbye to them after I see them during my last rounds. I usually just say something like, "Hope you have a good day" and leave it at that.

At my facility, 3rd shift has to get up 4 residents each if we have all of our CNAs there, 3 if we're short one CNA or 2 if we're short two CNAs. We have a bunch of restorative care residents that have to be up early because the restorative care people come and get them early for breakfasts, so it's usually just those residents that get up that early.

Yeah, I don't expect it to be easy - especially since I'm totally new to this field. I've always worked in office/desk jobs and have always wanted to go to nursing school. Once both of my kids started school, I decided that now is the time to really get serious about it. We do have an Alzheimer's unit in our facility and I will have to rotate through the different units for awhile, until I've been trained on everything, so I'm sure some units are more difficult than others. My first night of actual work is tomorrow, so I'll know more then, I guess. One thing I noticed during orientation and the few times I've been in there since then is that most of the staff and residents all seem happy and not stressed at all, so I think that's a good sign that this facility should be a happier place to work than others I've seen. Guess we'll see...

Also, don't just send in your resume or apply online - go in and fill out an actual application. Usually, they'll interview you on the spot if they're hiring. That's how I got my job at a nursing home and I don't have any experience. Good luck!

Thanks everyone! I just called there and they just got it back today (so it took 7 days). I'm starting orientation next Monday. Yay!

Ok, thank you! I guess I'll call them tomorrow if they don't call me today. I just tried Googling my old employer and found a class action suit against them for not paying employees, 4 different addresses for them, lots of people complaining about them. I'm SO glad I'm not working there anymore...

Ok, that's what I thought. I guess I'm just second guessing myself now because it seems like it's taking a long time for her to call me back. I guess it's taking so long because one of my past employers may be out of business. I tried to call them to verify address, phone, etc. but the phone was disconnected. They were having major money problems when I left my job there over a year ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're out of business now.

I interviewed for a CNA job last week and the DON called me last Wednesday, saying they were going to do a background check on me and, if I passed (which I should), she would call me to set up an orientation. I have a few questions about this. First, does this sound like I already have the job, provided I pass the background check? Or, do they do background checks on everyone, even if they aren't definitely going to hire them? And how long does a background check take? I realize I should have asked her these questions when she called but I just didn't think to ask.

I went to Carolinas College of Health Sciences - next to CMC Main. I liked it but it was a HUGE class (I think we had around 60-75 students), so the lecture part is basically just that - but they give you an outline of each lecture and you just have to add to it if you feel like you need to. I picked that school because at the time, I was working for a doctors' office near Presbyterian Hospital, so Carolinas College was easy to get to after work. For clinicals, they try to match you up to the nursing home or rehab center that's closest to where you live, so at least you don't have to drive very far. I think CPCC might be a bit cheaper, though, so that seems like a good option, too.

I used a fast track CNA program in Indian Trail and got a job but I really just used it as a refresher course. I took the whole CNA course with clinicals about 8 years ago and wanted to get re-certified without having to take the whole thing all over again. But, if you've never done any clinicals or taken the course, I would recommend taking the full course because that program is very fast paced and only takes one day to complete - then you study on your own. I personally would be 100 times more stressed out and nervous to take the test and/or work in a nursing home/hospital if I'd never taken the whole course. The program I used was Carolina Nursing Consultants - http://ncnurseaidetraining.com Good luck! :)

Ok, thanks for the replies! I'm planning on trying to get into a nursing program soon, so hopefully this job will be a good fit so I can go to school during the week and not have to worry about running back and forth between school, home and job.

I'm a new CNA (just passed the exam this past Saturday) and am waiting to start my first job with a nursing home. They're just completing a background check and then they said they would call me to set up an orientation. I'll be working 3rd shift every other weekend to start. I was told that 3rd shift CNAs can have anywhere from 20-30 patients because "they're basically all sleeping and you're really only responsible for keeping them dry and turning them every 2 hours." Oh, and the DON also said I'd only have to get a handful of the restorative care residents up around 5:00-6:00 a.m. Does this sound like a normal situation? Any advice you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks!