Swa03

Thanks so much! I surly will!

Thank you so much for the comment! It was really helpful! I will just try to stay patient and just learn it day by day.

Okay...so today was my first official day as a CNA. I never worked as a CNA before, so I had no experience. I'm certified but didn't go to a full CNA class/course. I just did a quick week program course and challenge the boards and took the exam in FL. So since it's my first day, I had to work with a preceptor. She was a little mean and a little harsh on me, but I was fine with it. BUT here is the main problem, when I got home, I really felt like crying because I felt like I was useless and don't deserve to work there and felt like I wasn't qualified for the job. I was just overwhelmed with all the things that you had to do as a CNA. I mean, I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH DOING THE TYPICAL CNA WORK, like bed bath, cleaning up stool, changing beds, etc. I was actually excited to do all that because I love HELPING people. Also, all the patients I had LOVED me and appreciated me. To get back to the problem, I was just overwhelmed by all the computer work(Charting), learning all where all the supplies were, and most importantly, THE TIME ROUTINE. For instance, taking vital signs every 4 hours and then knowing when to drain the urine bag, and then do this after that on a time crunch. I was overwhelmed with the time you have to do everything and the order you do everything after another. I felt very LOST and SLOW. I felt lost in a sense of not knowing what and when to do a lot things. I know this is only my first day, but I'm usually hard on myself. I want to be a good CNA and help these patients quickly with full intention from the bottom of my heart. But at this point, I feel like I'm worrying more about what to do next after this and that than actually taking care of patients. PLEASE HELP AND LEAVE ANY TIPS.

I believe they are the same thing. Patient care assistant and Certified Nurse assistant is the same thing. They are just two different names. It is also called, Nurse aide and many other different names. Also, I truly don't think one is higher than the other. Where I work, CNA's are called, PCA. If you're actually certified, you're labeled as "PCA-C".