s.wilson84

I work in Psych LTC in a county run facility. We have a few residents who are total cares but most are independent. A lot of my day is spent making sure everybody is where they need to be, comes back from leaving the unit in time, eats their food and takes care of themselves, etc. We do rounds on the hour every hour, plus there are others who are 15 minute checks. Some residents are combative, manipulative, and/or flight risks so it's not all a cake walk (actually some days are very, very, very hard) but I love it. Coming from a straight LTC facility to this one was a huge change. The work is physically less demanding by a long shot but it is mentally exhausting. When I leave, most times I don't even turn the radio on because I need to let my brain leak out of my ears a little. Make sure you find a buddy at work to vent to if you have to. Psych patients can be very trying people, but it is rewarding work.

When I read your post it sounds like you are taking them both at the same time. If this is true, then that is probably the problem. Those are each classes that take HUGE amounts of work to understand the concepts and it sounds to me like you are doing too much at once. I would retake them only one at a time and I am willing to bet you see a big increase in your grade.

As a CNA in a LTC facility, I can tell you firsthand that a lot of the nurses do the same work that we do, plus their med pass and nurse duties. If I have five people that have to use the restroom at the same time, guess what? A nurse puts one or two of them on or off the toilet and cleans up their bum because I can't be in five places at once. Another big thing to consider is, that school is a LOT easier for me because I have a whole pool of nurses of whom I can ask questions without feeling stupid or them talking down to me, and I get to see procedures over and over again and do them myself sometimes while they supervise. They are all eager to help me learn. Also, since I am employed as a CNA after I complete my year of employment (in two months) they will pay for the rest of my school through their tuition reimbursement program. While the work is certainly not glamorous by any means, it does have its benefits and you would be surprised how big of an impact the patients have on you as a person. It makes you a lot more marketable out of nursing school as well, because you will already have a lot of patient care experience. Sometimes they hire nurses right out of nursing school and they have NO idea how to talk to/act around patients once they're out of their clinicals and are downright grossed out by things such as changing bags on ileostomies and such. If you work as a CNA, it's a good way to get over that bump in the road where you want to barf at everything you see and toughen up your skin a little.

I passed on the first time and I was sooo nervous. As long as you did well in the clinical portion of your class you will do fine on the test. I missed some of the smaller steps but I still passed.

I'm a CNA in a LTC facility, and I have to say that I love (most) of my nurses. They actually appreciate us and say "thank you for all your hard work" before we go home for the day. Granted, there are a few I'd like to knock down a few inches but MOST of them are awesome. The ones I don't like, I just use them as an example of what I don't want to be like when I'm done with my RN program. Honestly when I started as a CNA I was scared of the nurses, but then I quickly learned that the other aides are far worse than the nurses. Some of them are downright scary :/

Unless you have a connection, it is ridiculously hard to get hired in a hospital when you are fresh out of CNA class. Most places require experience and if you don't have it, they won't even consider you. My advice would be to apply at a LTC facility that has a short term rehab unit, or try a staffing agency. I know several CNA's through All Midlands ( a staffing agency here) who were given temp positions at hospitals which turned into permanent job offers. Good luck!

30 Days?? I'm in Nebraska, and when I took my state tests (both written and clinical) I found out the same day whether or not I passed. I got my certificate after I finished the clinical portion (written was the day before) but it did take about three weeks for me to be added to the state registry.