Scared to Touch Residents

Can't say that I have

I just recieved my first job as a CNA, I start on monday. Even though I haven't started yet, i know how you feel because i was volunteering at the hospital to get some experience because i couldn't find anyone to hire me, because of no experience. Anyway, they let me take a patients blood pressure and i was so nervous and it wasn't because i didn't know what i was doing, i just froze up. By the 3rd week, i looked like i'd been working at the hospital for months. Everyone is a little nervous in the begin, Just be confident and give your self time to adjust to the new job. I will be a nervous next week too, because it's my first CNA job, but i'm just going to be confident and do my best. I know that the nervousness will pass. Hang in there, you'll be fine :)

I didn't experience that. But if you hurt someone, they'll probably deck you. If it's night shift you're mostly boosting and rolling people and putting them on bedpans, rather than getting them in and out of bed, wheelchairs, toilets, feeding, etc. I don't think you have much to worry about aside from banging someone's knee on a siderail. Just use the pad or drawsheet to roll people so you don't split their butt cracks and don't roll so hard they go over the side of the bed! lol. But standing around letting coworkers do all the work isn't going to help you get over your fear- it's just going to annoy people.

I was scared @ first when I got my 1st job. I didn't want to break the residents or something! Yes many of them are fragile, but they will not turn into a pile of dust if you touch them lol. That's what I had to realize. And now I'm okay! You will be too..it just takes time. Don't let your nerves get to you :)

I used to be terrified to touch my residents: it would take me 10 minutes just to undress someone for bed.

Over time, I learned this:

Most people are a lot tougher and more resilient than you think they are!!

There a few exceptions, like people who are taking steroids and have paper-thin skin.

But aside from that, you'd practically have to abuse someone to actually harm them. If you are doing cares and being gentle, you don't have to worry about hurting anybody.

Anybody else experience this when they first started out?

Yep, I sure did.

I did my CNA training at the Red Cross. During our three-day clinical, we were assigned 3 students to one resident (I wish I had enjoyed THAT more!), then then instructors came around and helped us out and gave us advice.

I was terrified. I had never provided direct care before and had NO idea how it was going to go. Fortunately, one of the classmates I was grouped with, Paul, had some experience and he kind of jumped in and took the lead. His attitude really helped me and the other student out a lot. We rotated being the "lead" and followed Paul's examples. Oh man, I still remember the poor resident tolerating the three of us rolling him back and forth trying to figure out how to change his briefs and get him ready for bed.

As I started my first job, I went right back to terrified. My preceptor was awesome though, she basically finally stood back and said, "All right, your turn." It was nerve wracking, I tore the first brief I was supposed to apply, and I was covered in sweat when I was finished. - But I got through my first resident!

As the days went on the terror subsided bit by bit as I learned to be a CNA. If you keep at it and force yourself to get in there and do some work and yes, make some mistakes, you will be fine.

I had a pretty difficult client today. A middle aged gentlemen with ALS, had to stand-pivot transfer him to a commode chair, to a stair lift-chair, back to the commode chair, to the hoyer and into bed and do all his cares, including g-tube maintenance. By myself. At his house with his wife watching. - And I had never met the guy before.

It went great! He and his family were very happy with me. I didn't even think about it.

Seeing your post made me think about how so very scared I was when I started out. Get in there and do some work and you will be fine too!

Good luck.

I think that's normal. With new residents or new jobs, I was always afraid of not doing it "right". After all, every single resident is going to have their own preferences about how things are done.

The first time I had to shave someone, I tried my best to avoid my clinical instructor so I could get out of it. No dice. The poor guy was as nervous as me but he was a trooper. I only nicked him twice! Afterward, he told me how nervous he was but praised me for doing a good job!

Thank you everybody. I made it through the night and no one turned into a pile of dust! As the shift went on I became less afraid to get in there. I think it's going to take me awhile to get over this nervous feeling. However, I really enjoyed my shift. My mentor said I have the makings of a great CNA which made really happy.

Again, thank you everyone for your answers. It makes me feel a bit more at ease.

I always find it intimidating trying to learn everyone's preferences. Once, I started a new job at a nursing home. I was asked to put a resident to bed. While attempting to get her ready, she went bananas and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Turns out, she likes to wear no fewer than 4 pairs of panties to bed. No one told me.

Thank you for posting this. I am in my CNA class now, and very scared to touch people. Or, I should say, scared to hurt people. I don't want to do anything wrong and harm a resident. Glad to know I am not the only one.