OhioTry

I actually failed the skill test the first time - though I aced the written. It's harder if you don't have any previous experience. Nursing school itself is much more academic.

Yes, the nurase probably thought you were wearing dirty gloves because you had them on in the hallway. I wastaught to always glove and de-glove in the resident's room, so you don't carry germs in from the hall.

Hire more CNAs to respond to the alarms so that the nurses don't have to.

I was allowed to wear white "leather" tennis shoes in my STNA training program. Their acceptability varies from program to program and job to job. Our only rules were white shoes only and no crocs. Solid shoes are a must for practical reasons, and I do wish that I'd bought shoes with Velcro straps rather than lace-ups because the laces can get filthy. As other posters have said, check with your program about whether or not your tennies will be acceptable.

1. You might want to look in more rural areas as well as urban ones. There are fewer aides in those areas so demand is greater. 2. You generally need some experiance in a long-term care facility before you can get hired as a home health aide or hospital tech. 3. CNAs are in demand right now. Rest assured you will be hired.

My ID badge contains my full first and last name, which are both unusual in a WASP-y, multiple last names sort of way. My first name is hard to pronounce, so I go by a nickname 95% of the time, so I had to tell people that. It was a bit annoying, and some people prefer to use my middle name (not on the nametag) rather than my normal nickname, which is a shortened form of my first name.

Whisky and soda, or red wine, are my two go-to stress relievers in the winter. Beer, wine spritzers, and gin martinis handle my problems in the summer. I know it's not the healthiest way of managing stress, but I'm to old to change my ways now. And I know my limits- I drink enough to get a good buzz and then stop (2.5 drinks), I've only had a hangover twice in my life and I don't care to try for a third one.

Just wanted to post an update- I did very well today on my first day back on the job, and was seen doing well by management, and praised for it. I had a good day and am feeling relaxed and capable.

STNA and CNA are two different names for the same job. Most states have Certified Nursing Assistants, but a few states, including my own state of Ohio, have State Tested Nursing Assistants. The qualifications are exactly the same, the course of instruction is quite similar, and you do get a certificate at the end. In fact, if I moved to Texas it would be quite simple to become a CNA due to reciprocity. The job does not pay very well but it's a foot in the door that will let you work in healthcare while attending nursing school.

I think I forgot to mention that I recieved a 3-day suspension along with the write-up, which combined with my managers remarks was extremely discouraging since I love my job and really want to keep it. That said, looking on the bright side they could have fired me outright, since I am in my probationary period. And when I said to the DON that I had been overconfident and had asked to be taken off orientation too early she agreed that when I come in on Friday I will be working with a preceptor. This does suggest that they do think I could be a good STNA with sufficiant time and additional training- they are willing to invest more time and money in me. So I will not give up now.

I want to preface this post by saying that I really love being a CNA- it's not always a laugh a minute, but it gives me very deep joy. And I love working with older adults- learning about their life experiences and sharing their final journey. So it was very discouraging for my manager to ask me "do you really think that you're cut out for this" when she wrote me up today. I know I want to do long term care even when I'm a fully fledged nurse. And I love the facility I work at because it's really close to me. So this development is very discouraging. I deserved the write-up- I ran over one resident's toes with another's wheelchair, and that could have been serious. But dredging up every negative thing my manager could find out about me is discouraging- I'm new, so I'm going to make mistakes, the important thing is to learn from them. I could really use some encouragement right now, particularly from other people who had a rough start. PS. My pharmacy deserves a special dishonorable mention for not getting my ADD pills (Dexedrine) in stock promptly. I was without them for two weeks and that no doubt hurt my performance.

I know of a little boy, about three years old, named "Tumor". His mother was 48 when she had him, and apparently he was initially mistaken for uterine cancer.

The practical skills should be taught hands-on. Ideally these should include skills that will be needed on the job whether or not they are on the state test. I am very glad that our class got taught how to take a manual blood pressure in addition to the skills on the state exam. I wish we had been given hands on experience in using a hoyer lift, and in peri-care on a male as well as a female. Please explain the difference between giving peri-care to an uncircumcised and circumcised male.

Are you using "narcotics" as a shorthand for all controlled substances or do you specifically mean only narcotic pain medications? I'm only a CNA so obviously in my facility I have nothing to do with med pass. But I am prescribed a powerful stimulant to medicate my ADD, and I was under the impression that it was a serious no-no to give any of my medication to someone else, even if I know they have legit AD(H)D. It's not a narcotic but it has similar abuse potential in the opposite direction.

Hello, everyone. I am a pre-nursing student and a STNA, which is the Ohio equivalent of a CNA. I work in a long term care facility that requires the aides to wear navy blue scrub bottoms but allows us to wear any scrub top we like. Unfortunately, when my parents went out to look for a nice patterned scrub top to give me as a Christmas present, they discovered that the patterned scrubs at the local uniform shop were all VERY girly, and ended up giving me a very nice solid burgundy top instead. Likewise, I have not found any manly patterned scrubs in my own searches of local stores. Lots of cutesy, girly prints, but never a paisley, pinstripe, Hawaiian, or western print to be found. I was wondering if the other guys on this forum had any better luck, and if so where such scrubs could be bought, presumably online.

The highest nursing degree my school offers is the ADN, the only other degree offered is an LPN diploma.

The local hospital in my area does not require certification for tech positions, but it does give STNAs preference over uncertified persons in hiring. In fact, it's very hard to get hired as a tech without being a STNA unless you have previous tech experience. From what I've heard from hospital ER techs, they actually have a wider scope of practice than nursing assistants in nursing homes. For instance, they insert foley catheters and IVs, and perform CPR. Those procedures are usually only done Such work is considered working as a nursing assistant for the purpose of keeping your license in Ohio.

Right now I'm working on my ADN. After a few years of work (3-5), I'm going to go back to school and do an ADN to BSN program. After that I'm going to get my Doctor of Nursing Practice so that I can prescribe and be called "doctor". I mean, I'm going to consider myself a "gent" after I have my RN, but being an official doctor and having the right to prescribe will be the icing on the cake.

My school requires students to have their STNA (Ohio equivalent to CNA) certificate as a prerequisite before they can enter the nursing program proper. This has a threefold purpose. Firstly, as a community college with a STNA program, requiring the certification means that there is no duplication of effort in teaching the same basic skills to nursing students and STNAs. Furthermore, requiring students to be STNAs means that the "Introduction to Nursing" course can begin at a higher level. Finally, requiring students to have their STNA means that even those students who fail to get into or complete the nursing program can still find jobs in healthcare.

I am a former United Methodist seminarian and pastor.

There are of course, some things only a doctor can do- diagnosing and prescribing medications being two common ones that I can think of off the top of my head. Likewise, there are some things nurses can do but aides can't, like passing meds. If someone is busy with things that only they can do, then it's OK to leave the grunt work to the closest aide. But there's a special place in hell for people who let their snobbery get in the way of providing a patient/resident with the best care possible. Fortunately this doctor realized this, and decided that the best way she could help in that moment was by changing a bed. She could have found an aide to do it, but that would have taken longer than simply doing it herself.

I am working as a STNA (which is what Ohio calls a CNA) while I am attending school. I'm working full time because unlike you I have no outside financial support, and attending school part-time. It works well for me.