CapeCodDreamer

Please forgive me if this post for advice also turns into a mini-rant, but I don't know where else to turn! I was on the employment roster at a place from late August to mid-November, but was out with an injury from mid-September until my position co...

Thank you for the validation---coming from someone who knows the MA market, it helps tremendously. Unfortunately, one of the two hospitals in the area just bought out the other one, and they just don't seem to be hiring. Period. Whether you have 0 ye...

What do you guys think? Where can I chip away/add in/reformat? Name Street Address | Town, State, Zip | Phone | Email OBJECTIVE I intend to use my training and experience as a nursing assistant/home health aide, as well as my experience as a volun...

Are there any other students on the waiting list/already in the Middlesex ADN program? What do you think of it? What are its strengths and drawbacks?

1. All of the programs around here either have waiting lists, or don't accept students who are transferring into the program with already completed college credits (because they fill up with recently-graduated-from-high-school freshmen). So, I'm look...

Love, love, love night shift! I don't think I could deal with the, albeit controlled, chaos that is 7-3 or 3-11 where I work! :-)

The competition and sometimes downright absurd requirements (that are, seemingly, ever-changing) just to get into the nursing program can be very frustrating. I can totally relate with you there. I have a 4.0 college GPA, but because I didn't choose ...

Definitely look at the prerequisites your school is requiring and get working on them! Nursing school is hard enough without having to worry about random Humanities (or other G.E.) courses at the same time. You might want to also get your CNA, PCT, o...

Just curious for all those who answered "no"...What would you rather be doing for work? I ask this in all sincerity, because I'm on the fence, myself, and trying to get an idea of all the options out there.

Just check around this site, and I'm sure you'll find lots of different places: adult day care, hospital settings (and all the units contained therein), pediatric LTC, recovery programs, home health, rehabilitation facilities, etc. I'm still surprise...

I graduated my CNA program this past summer, for reference. I loved clinicals, aside from a couple of issues that ended up leading to my instructor's resignation at the end of our program. But the clinicals, themselves, weren't at all bad! If you hav...

If you absolutely hate it (the very thought of doing any CNA-related work causes anxiety, the thought of doing it day-after-day causes you to sink into a depression), don't be a CNA. If you're going into it because "being a CNA is the only way you mi...

This is the basic structure of my resume that got me hired on the spot, with no paid work experience in the field: First and Last Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Phone Number E-mail Address OBJECTIVE State what you have to offer the facility and l...

Are you at a major university or smaller community college? Even if you plan on doing your nursing program at uni-level, I highly recommend getting the math basics done at a community college for two reasons: A) the class sizes are usually smaller, a...

In my area, there is only one type of CNA program. The program, itself, was geared toward the care of the elderly. Our clinicals were in a geriatric nursing home. Right out of graduation, I was hired at a pediatric long-term care facility. So, there ...

I got my CNA card in the mail this past Tuesday! I passed!

From one newbie to another, "Hang in there!" Depending on the facility, the overall feeling of being rushed and having to leave things half (or un-)done might never go away, but your ability to cope with the situations will improve, given time and t...

If you really want to learn about the profession, you could try shadowing an RN or working as a CNA first.

If you feel you can swing it (and you can afford it!), I've learned through experience that have more pieces of paper behind your name (in most cases) can only help. I know that my current employer was very impressed that, although I was wait-listed ...

I'm still on orientation as a new CNA and don't know what to do. Our residents are 100% dependent, incontinent, and receive CNA-performed chest PT with hand percussors. All of a sudden my hand and wrist have been starting to really hurt whenever I tr...

Really scared I might lose my job. I'm still on orientation and already I'm MLOA. The thing is, I can see it from my side (didn't count on being injured and don't want to be fired over something I have no control over) and their's (they need able-bod...

The population I work with is especially taxing on the body and mind, BUT...my fellow employees from management to OP/PT to NSG to security to the front desk staff are A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Massachusetts-I got bed pan and side lying, plus the 6 principles of care as I was going through the other skills.

Ended up getting sent home last night, since I was a liability to the facility even if I was just doing our nightly chores, which I understand. Right now I'm on temporary leave until I can get it looked at, which probably won't be until next week (wh...

What areas did you do your best on? Which were your most difficult areas? Aside from focusing on the areas that you need to improve on, the best advice I can give is to not stress out. It's easier said than done, I know, but when you stress you lose ...