AnnCNA

I find it hard to believe what a cna has to put up with especially for the amount of money your paid and the fact that your licensed and skilled. The reality is i could clean carpets for the amount of money i'm paid and i would have to fight with patients, worry about getting my job done in 8 hours and if i was negligent. Worst - when you have to listen to another aid telling you to do something that you really don't believe is necessary because of the situation. I don't believe in pinning residents to get diapers on or brushing teeth. I think its abusive and you wouldn't catch me doing that. I have seen it and i think those aids are really strange ones.

Check the State Department of Health web site for Nursing Aids. I had completed Nursing 1 in my associates degree program and had at least a C you can become an aid by the "alternate route". You need your transcript and a few other things, send a letter into the department the address is on the web site and you begin to be lead through the process. That way you don't have to repeat the same basic skills that are in a CNA program. I did it and was certified feb 2012 and have been working as an aid for almost a year and I'm in nursing school. It worked out. Pay is lousy for the amount of stamina required and personal assistance provided found it to be anywhere from 11 to 15 an hour. You do learn a lot and its a great prep for nursing. If you live in NJ, I don't know why you would really want to commute into the city for this position. Look around. K, good luck!

This is a great topic to read about. Sounds like a heavy load with some really good ways to remember priorities. I work as a CNA and always have to remember to prioritize. Truth is I don't always remember to do that, I just end up going from patient to patient until things are under control. Sometimes I ask for help and hear how busy the others are, most of the time the other aids know its a 2 person job and come help. Sometimes I just have to let the bells ring because I can't leave the patient in the circumstance they are in. I just had to deal with one of my assigned patients fell getting out of bed. It was close to lunch time and I didn't want to put her in bed. Soon enough I heard she fell. The DON told me she was high risk, didn't have the bed alarm on or the mats down. It was a mistake that I will have to learn from. I had a few fall precautions in place but not all needed for this patient. Nothing funny about it with that happens. not knowing that my fall patient was apparently, "Q15" till after the fall when the DON told me. A women I never met before. I'm venting and trying to recover from the incident.

What do I say to future employers about this fall situation? I was working per diem CNA. I was asked to put the patient down for a nap she was in a wheel chair. B4 I put her bed, I asked if she want to stay in the chair because it was lunch time. She say no. I put her in bed had call bell next to face and the bed was low and bed rails up. She snuggled to sleep. I figured I didn't need mat in place at the time I didn't put it down. Another aid passed her tray for lunch. I was busy with 2 other patients. I went to lunch came back, checked around on things. THis patient was right next to the nurses station. i was walking down the hall the ADON got in my face and said, "Did I put __ down for a nap because she fell and the mat was not down and the bed was not alarmed." I say yes and felt bad. I didn't remember this patient require the bed alarm. The patient was not hurt. The nurse told me the ADON wanted to see me. I ended up seeing the DON and HR people I never saw before and they said they were talking with me to let me know that they would not be calling me for work any more and they didn't want me to call and call. Apparently, They were annoyed because the patient was q15 monitoring, which I never heard what that was or deep inside I never heard the term before. I failed and didn't take the time to get report from the nurse and found out this patient fell earlier in the week. I always do the best I can at work, and this is my first position as a CNA. I'm just short of a year. I've learned alot and worked some heavy duty loads in the past. I'm not happy with myself for the incident but I don't have any idea what to say about it going forward. ANyone with good advise.