PartyPiper

Just as an FYI, there is a new girl training at my job, and she's in an RN program, and the LPN students are running rings around her. Why? Because she has NO patient experience. I know she cried today, but the thing is she needs to get over it and get used to it, otherwise her clinicals are going to be one big nasty nasty shock.

I'm a little concerned that your trainer wasn't there. But other than that, practice practice practice. There really is no other way to learn this stuff other than being thrown in. Have you asked one of the other CNAs or nurses for help? Sometimes it helps to be honest and say "I don't have a lot of experience doing this, would you mind shadowing me or showing it to me one more time?" Most nurses and CNAs would rather you do it right. If they aren't training you properly and won't help you, find a new place to work, because that's a recipe for getting cited for something.

It's so that when you go into your clinicals, you have some idea what you're doing and they can spend less time going over those things. You might want to consider using it and putting it to work. Being a "lowly" CNA might sound like it's beneath you, but the experience is invaluable when you are in your clinicals. Also, some programs require so many hours of experience before you're admitted anyway.

Does anyone know if this is normal? Our facility has a hard time retaining CNAs, and I'm starting to have a pretty good idea as to why. Today we went to a meeting, and we were told that if someone called in for the next shift, (AM, PM, NOC) then one person would be designated to stay for the next shift. If they refused to stay, the management said that they would move to have our license revoked for abandonment. If you can't stay, you have to find someone else to either come in for that shift, or come in early for the other shift. I don't think that is a CNA job. I think that staffing should be management's job to deal with. Can they really move to revoke your registration if you can't stay? Some people have kids, are single parents, or have nursing school classes that they cannot miss. I'm working tomorrow night, and my husband said I should figure out what I'm going to do in case someone does call in. I've actually already given my notice because I got a better job (one where I can actually get time off without begging someone to cover my shift), but they asked me to stay as an on call person before they outlined this policy, and now I'm petrified that I will have to deal with not only having to pick up someone's shift, but also having to pick up two shifts. They don't have any one on call because that would cost money, and they also have one of the other CNAs handle the schedule. She only does it for about five hours a week. Management says that it is up to the CNAs to deal with staffing issues, and so the result if this is that we have to do all of our regular duties plus make time to call everyone on staff to get shifts covered when someone calls in.