i'm scared!

Published

sorry about how long this is...lol...

i recently decided i was going to be a nurse. until then i want to work as a CNA. i have signed up for all my classes, and if i pass them all, hopefully i will become one. meanwhile, i have been excited, researching everything about them and looking forward to actually doing something about it.

i am kind of scared about the whole thing though. i have read a lot on message boards that makes me wonder if i am making the right choice. is it really as horrible as a lot of people on these kind of sites make it sound? the ones i am concerned with are;

(these are actual things i have seen in nursing web sites. not all of them are word for word but it's the jist of what they said.)

*"cna's work for so very little money..."

-is this true? i live in san diego, and just had a baby girl with my husband that i need to take care of...how much do you uys usually get? i'm not looking for the lotto, but enough to get by...

*"cna's are constantly dealing with urine, feces, and other things, either changing incontinent adults, and cleaning up after them."

-i understand i will have to deal with this occasionally, but how often are you actually doing these things? do you find yourself dealing with this numorous times throughout the day?

*"cna's get picked on or bullied by the real nurses..."

-do nurses look down on cna's? or have you found that they treat them just as they would treat another nurse?

these are some of the things i picked up on nursing message boards, that have been really baffling me. could znyone give me advice or answers to any of these questions?

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Shannon

-Loving wife to Zechariah

-Mommy to Kayla Maylin born April 3, 2005 7 lbs. 3 oz. Had two strokes at birth due to the a high homocysteine level caused by the MTHFR genetic mutation. And she is absolutely PERFECT!!! Kids have strokes too!

...and future CNA and Nurse!

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ooooohh. ; ( no one helped me...lol. btw, once someone does get back to me about that, i had one more question...

how does this whole shift thing work? they can make you work over 12 hours in a row? if so how often do you find this happening? not that i am shocked but i wanna know what i am getting into.

c'mon, gimmie your stories!!

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Shannon

-Loving wife to Zechariah

-Mommy to Kayla Maylin born April 3, 2005 7 lbs. 3 oz. Had two strokes at birth due to the a high homocysteine level caused by the MTHFR genetic mutation. And she is absolutely PERFECT!!! Kids have strokes too!

...and future CNA and Nurse!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

I'd like to start off the replies a little:

*"cna's work for so very little money..."

CNAs make much less than nurses, of course. The pay depends upon where you live and where you work. I'm sure you will receive feedback from posters as to what range you may expect.

*"cna's are constantly dealing with urine, feces, and other things, either changing incontinent adults, and cleaning up after them."

This is alot of what CNAs do...in addition to many other things related to ADLs (activities of daily living)...such as bathing, dressing, ambulating, setting up/assisting with meals, informing the nurse in patient condition changes, et cetera.

*"cna's get picked on or bullied by the real nurses..."

This can be so variable. However, I have worked in many places that appreciate greatly the work and care given by CNAs...from the nurses. As a hospital RN, I do appreciate the CNAs/aides/PCAs that I work with. By performing these duties, it allows me to provide the clinical portion of patient care...meds, assessments, hanging blood, outreaching to docs and families, coordinating care, checking charts and taking off orders, ensuring adequate staffing,and crisis intervention (medical/psychological) . In order for me to do these things adequately, I rely on the CNAs to perform their roles. In this sense, we work as a team.

I wish you the best in your choices. I wish you the best with your family.

I hope this was helpful.

Wolfie

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thanks soo much for your help!

that's what i wanted to know! :D

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Shannon

-Loving wife to Zechariah

-Mommy to Kayla Maylin born April 3, 2005 7 lbs. 3 oz. Had two strokes at birth due to the a high homocysteine level caused by the MTHFR genetic mutation. And she is absolutely PERFECT!!! Kids have strokes too!

...and future CNA and Nurse!

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*"cna's work for so very little money..."

-CNA's usually have a slightly higher base salary than a housekeeper. At my hospital, they make between 8.75-11.50 per hour depending on experience, whereas a housekeeper has a base salary of $8. Things like shift diferentials (to work evening/night/weekend) and getting cross trained as a unit secretary help to raise this slightly.

*"cna's are constantly dealing with urine, feces, and other things, either changing incontinent adults, and cleaning up after them."

-In a nutshell, the majority of the work that I did as a CNA was vital signs and cleaning up patients (baths & incontinence/foleys) However, I had some amazing experiences with the patients. You really do have a first hand opportunity to touch the lives of some remarkable people. I walk away from my shifts exhausted, but, with a real sense of accomplishment and pride.

*"cna's get picked on or bullied by the real nurses..."

-Most of the nurses I have worked with have been wonderful. They see that you work hard and they value having you on the team! Good luck!

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*"cna's work for so very little money..."

-CNA's usually have a slightly higher base salary than a housekeeper. At my hospital, they make between 8.75-11.50 per hour depending on experience, whereas a housekeeper has a base salary of $8. Things like shift diferentials (to work evening/night/weekend) and getting cross trained as a unit secretary help to raise this slightly.

*"cna's are constantly dealing with urine, feces, and other things, either changing incontinent adults, and cleaning up after them."

-In a nutshell, the majority of the work that I did as a CNA was vital signs and cleaning up patients (baths & incontinence/foleys) However, I had some amazing experiences with the patients. You really do have a first hand opportunity to touch the lives of some remarkable people. I walk away from my shifts exhausted, but, with a real sense of accomplishment and pride.

*"cna's get picked on or bullied by the real nurses..."

-Most of the nurses I have worked with have been wonderful. They see that you work hard and they value having you on the team! Good luck!

thanks!

Shannon

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