BethyC123

Thank you so much prmenrs. This is very helpful.

Hi! I am pretty sure I want to go into nursing, but I am confused, I guess, about what nurses actually do! I know that there are hundreds of different options, and that nurses do all sorts of things. I am talking mostly about RN's in a metropolitan hospital setting. I am most interested in pediatric oncology, labor and delivery, and pediatric hospice. I guess I am most curious about the delegation of duties. I was a CNA in a small hospital for a little while, and I hated it! All I got to do was make beds and empty bedpans, measure I&O's and every once in a while take vitals. I found it very boring. Do the RN's diagnose? Give the meds? Decide on courses of treatment? I think I'm just not sure what responsibilities the RN has and which belong to the doctor or the CNA. The RN's were not visible at all in the hospital I worked in, and the MD's were basically non-existent. Just give me a brief "day in the life" story. Thank you!!

I am a CNA working in an ALF in Washington state. When I first started here I was NOT a CNA, but I was passing meds on my first shift. At first I was very uncomfortable with it, but I read up on all the meds that all the residents were taking and became more familiar with the residents themselves, so that I felt more comfortable with it. I now feel very confident in giving the meds, but I still strongly disagree with the policy that allows me to do so. Before I felt comfortable, I took it upon myself to read up on basic pharmacology, drug info, patient backgrounds, etc. This was no trouble to me because I want to become a nurse so it is knowledge that I want to have anyway. However, there are many people who come to work as caregivers here (where the starting pay is $8.00/hr) just to have a job, and they don't really care very much for the residents or anything else. The turnover is VERY high. Hard work, low pay. I agree completely with The Commuter that it is all about the money. I find that very frustrating, but I guess it is true everywhere.

Thank you all for this thread. It is very helpful to read. I am currently a CNA with hopes of becoming an RN. I also suffer from depression/social anxiety/insomnia and have had lots of days where I wonder about my career path. It is good to know that I am not alone.

Hello! I am a very eager pre-nursing student finishing up the last of my pre-reqs before I start the nursing program. Math is not my strongest area. I did okay in algebra in high school, but that has been quite a while ago now! I would love it if it some of you old pro nurses out there could help me with a few things: 1. What is the most nursing-relevant area of math that I should review? Fractions? Algebra? I am not sure what to look at. 2. Are there any really great textbooks or websites that you would recommend that deal with math in nursing, or just math review in general? 3. I am considering putting off my chemistry one more quarter and taking an algebra review course before I tackle the chemistry. Would you recommend that? Thank you so much!

I work in a facility that houses both an Assisted Living building and a LTC Alzheimer's unit. I am not a nurse, just a CNA. But as someone who watched her mother die in Hospice, I really feel strongly about it. I couldn't agree more with the fact that families are reluctant. And I have been there, I was extremely reluctant to "give up hope" when my mother was ill. It felt almost like we would be saying we didn't love her or care if she died if we just "let her go" without trying everything possible. The bad thing is that it is such an emotional time for the family that they often can't see beyond that, to the fact that their loved one is in such pain that palliative treatment would be a much better option. It is a struggle where I work. Often patients are not put on Hospice care until they litterally have only days left to live. And it is very hard to see that, because as a caregiver you know that the patient is suffering so much, but that the family isn't willing to see Hospice as a kindness. Even when the patient is not in pain or suffering physically, I think Hospice can be the right way to go. I have a very old gentleman patient who sighs and looks sad every day, and even tells me that he wishes he could just "pass on peacefully in the night," but his family has him up for physical therapy, all kinds of medications and treatments. And at some point I suppose it comes down to an ethics decision, but I wonder if it wouldn't be better if a lot more patients like him were utilizing Hospice care. Sorry such a long post!

I have just about worn through my old shoes and am looking to get a new pair. My feet have been killing me ever since I started as a CNA and am on my feet running around for 8 hours at a time! I would love any and all recommendations on the best, most comfortable nursing shoe out there. Thank you!

Hello! I am currently a CNA who is anxiously awaiting starting nursing school. I have a plan for what I would like to do with my career, but I don't know if it is realistic at all. I need the advice of all you experienced nurses! I would like to go to school and get my RN, which I am figuring will take 2 to 3 years. (I already have one year of college.) Then I would like to be a travel nurse for a couple of years, working in med/surge, just to get some experience and to enjoy the travel! At that point I think I would like to settle down somewhere, start to work on getting my BSN, and begin to specialize in either neonatal nursing, or oncology. My questions are: can a new grad RN qualify to travel without any experience? Can you start to specialize right out of school, or do you need a few years of med/surge first? And is it realistic to think that I can finish school in 2 or 3 years while working as a CNA at the same time? Thank you very much for any advice!

Thank you for the advice. I am finding that when I get to work one on one with a patient for a while, it gets better. I imagine that most nurses find that to be true, also. It is easier when the census is lower! Jackie53, your advice about using the time to assess the patient is excellent. I hadn't really thought of it, but now is the perfect time to practice those skills. However, I am still looking forward to the time when I won't have to make quite so many beds!

Hello! I recently completed CNA training and took a job as a caregiver in an assisted living facility. Not fantastic work, but it was okay. I then got a job as a CNA on a med/surge unit at a hospital....and HATED it. I was so dissappointed, because I have wanted to be a nurse for a while now. However, I am wondering just how much similarity there is between being a CNA and being an RN, which is what I want to be eventually. (Actually, I'd like to get a BSN or MSN even.) The only things I did as a CNA were manual labor chores--making beds, lifting patients, serving food. Not that these aren't important tasks, but I was really hoping for something a bit more....cerebral! I want to have to use my brain when I work, too. I like pharmacology and would much rather assess a patient from a medical standpoint than simply help a patient brush their teeth. If I do become an RN, will things get better? Or do nurses mostly do the same things as CNA's? Help and advice, please! Thank you!

Hi! I am searching for any STNA or CNA classes in the North Seattle area of Washington. I live on Camano Island, but I am willing to bet that there would be more options around Everett. Does anyone know of any place that offeres classes around here? Thanks so much!