IEDave ASN, CNA, LVN

Better bring some Febreze along for the decomp... As for me, I'd prefer CPR if for no other reason that I'm bloody well going to get that LVN license one way or another! ----- Dave

Crazy? Nope - just being a nurse. Part of my reason for getting a CNA certificate was to work in situations where I might/would witness a patient die. My concern was whether my experience with my mother's passing might cause an emotional backlash th...

Guess I'll throw in my 2 drachmas on this one as well... For me, while getting broadsided by the Great Recession was a contributing factor, my decision to go into nursing was not. A bit of background - back in '79, my dad passed away when I was 15. M...

+1 on changing employers; so long as you're not having difficulty with the patients/residents/clients I'd say tough it out. Incidentally, I'm a 50 y.o. male and I received the same hazing you're getting - it's not gender specific. Had one instance w...

Me - I do the BP first, and depending on whether the cuff has a pulse sensor or not determines what comes next. If there's a pulse sensor I do the respiration count while the cuff's doing it's thing; if no pulse sensor I do the respiration count whil...

Afternoon, Kevin: Just to present you with an alternative that's likely a bit more accurate - I've been accepted into an LVN program through a community college in California (Chaffey, down in Southern California). I also wasn't selected on the first...

And would you be so kind as to share exactly where you got that specific figure from? California EDD? BLS? Local psychic? ----- Dave

Proud? Of myself? No - while I felt a certain amount of pride of accomplishment when I earned my CNA certification, and having made the cut for LVN, I'm not too terribly proud of that - I've done better. Of my co-workers? Some; perhaps most. The majo...

Missed the class covering male pattern baldness, did we? I WISH I could "grow it out again"! Anyway - +1 on pretty much everyone's observations; follow the CI's lead while in school; neat & tidy during interviews; whatever doesn't get you writt...

Just got accepted (abt. 2 days after your original post). Can't tell you about the whole program, but I've got clinicals on Wednesdays 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays are between 4 & 8 hours a day (start time is 8:00 to 9:00 de...

Can't really comment too much on the legalities in MD; here in CA you can start applying the minute you successfully complete the class. Took CA DPH about 45 days to get my cert to me when I finished Red Cross training. Obviously having the certifica...

Nicely written - I can relate. As a CNA, one of my tasks is to do pt. escort runs. Which means I get to wear my scrubs in public, plus name badge - and, yeah, early on I figured out that's going to make me target #1 for every medico-social situation ...

Heard this many times myself, usually after discussing my late mother's passing. My gerontology professor had this happen with her father; when I volunteered with a hospice organization pretty much everyone had their stories about it; and when my mom...

Um, 50 and just got accepted into the VN program at a local CC. Did the combined A&P class (plus lab, which wasn't a prereq), Math for Healthcare professionals (dimensional analysis) and intro VN class for prereqs. General Ed I had from my previo...

LTC - 103 y.o. female resident. Delightful lady, loved to talk with her. ---- Dave

Nice! Congrats!

Hmm...interesting. Here (Chaffey College/So. Calif.) it's 3 main prereqs (A&P, Math for Healthcare Professionals & an intro VN course). Pass those with a C or better and you can apply for the VN program; if you get accepted (plan on straight ...

Couple of thoughts: First, "divide et impera" - take a look at what you're studying, and concentrate on what you don't already know. For example - if you already know what a femur is, then check it off & move on to patella, etc. Don't waste your ...

My - comparing the 2 tests is very much an "apples vs. oranges" comparison. The written I took was actually pretty challenging (got an 88 on the written, whereas the classroom final I got a 95 on), but the stress level is practically nil being it's ...

It wasn't easy. For her, the worst part was that the whole exchange occurred in the main hallway, and several people witnessed both the tirade and the, um, "landing", shall we say. Thankfully the poop on the floor wasn't on a part of the run I was a...

What state do you live in? California; or Insanity. Works out about the same. How long have you been a CNA? Just about 4 months. How long did it take you to find your first job? About 6 weeks, although I had a job offer in 4 days after completing my ...

One possibility would be to get assigned as a per diem CNA, and then give 2 weeks. At that point you're not on a run, and have some control over which shifts you work. Whether they'd work with you on this or not - dunno. Doesn't sound like it, but at...

Oh, yeah - as a CNA, I've run most of the gamut of bodily secretions; and, gagged at pretty much all of them. :barf01: Surprised the heck out of me when I wanted to hurl during my first brief changes (on my first night as a CNA) but ended up being fi...

Short version - 'cause they're twits. Long version - CNA's tend to come from varying backgrounds, and a fair number of them come from broken homes, socially disadvantaged backgrounds, etc. and simply don't know any better. Others know better, but fi...

Here in CA, the gist of the skills test is that it's a simulation of how you would do these skills in the "real world". So - if you'd normally be wearing a wristwatch, wear one. If you need to take it off for a skill - remove it. If the rails are sup...