mattg

Nurse Mendoza is very helpful!

Oh man. Reading this thread helped A LOT. I just recently got my CNA and I had clinical all last week. I was put on the dementia floor all week. The first day I was watching two CNAs give this resident a bed bath. Well everything was a-okay until they turned him over and I saw poop all over the soaker and bed. Instantly the room went from smelling like soap to feces. I gagged quite a bit and almost got sick. After my first day I was pretty confident that this isn't for me but I went back the second day and they left me alone and I had to change someones incontinence brief. Well I couldn't get it off, so I had a CNA come in and take it off, she took it off and threw it on the floor. Mind you, this wasn't a solid BM, it was diarrhea. Running down the residents leg and the hitting the floor. The fact that she actually threw it on the floor and I watched it splatter, was absolutely disgusting to me. I learned real quick that I better breathe through my mouth to get this resident cleaned up and changed. Long story short, the first day sucked, the second day wasn't terrible, the final day I loved it. I finally got to know the residents and they were awesome. What got me through it was I was helping someone who couldn't help themselves and it made me feel better, no matter how awful it smelled. I plan on becoming a FNP in the future, but for now when I start nursing school and work as one, this information will hopefully help for my bedside nursing career.