Seems to be quite the trend...

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I've been doing a LOT of reading up about the whole job description of a CNA, along w/ a lot of forums w/ people's opinions and stories. Is it just me or does it seem like when this question is asked, "Do you like being a CNA?" Everyone basically just moans and gripes about it?

For example, "Being a CNA sucks!" or "All you do is the grunt work, not enough pay, and you get hit/yelled at/pinched/kicked all day!" Of course, CNA's are going to do the grunt work... It's called starting from the bottom and working your way up. It would be like in any workplace if you're starting at the bottom. It'll usually never be what you WANT to do.

It just makes me kind of sad to hear some of the things that people say about their job and especially about what they have to do. I mean, of course no one likes to pick up feces/vomit/whatever! but from what I've read these people are making it sound like they didn't even know the job description before they started.

I've done a LOTTTT of research and I already am expecting to be overworked, stressed, changing out a lot of bedpans, and dealing with tempermental residents. All I think about is... How would I feel if I was in that position? I would be completely humiliated if I couldn't make it to the bathroom on time and had to call someone in to clean up my mess or how awkward it would be to have someone bathe ME because I can't. And yes I do know there is going to be those residents who, well, milk it out knowing there's someone who's always there to do anything for you. However then you got just the people who honestly don't even want to be helped let alone touched.

Anyway about the low pay, I live in Oregon and the average pay rate for a CNA is 12-15 dollars/hour. Which is definitely not bad over here! I just feel like I ALWAYS see people who HATE this job and have a lot to complain about. I wanna hear some positive things people! There has to be SOME people who enjoy being a CNA and those 'little things' that make their day just an itty bit better.

Please reply if you DO love being a CNA & why!

-People who don't enjoy it, don't reply.

Maybe you don't work in a nursing home, but 75% of my day is toileting. The rest of my duties get squeezed in around potty trips.

Im at the LTC doing clinicals with a CNA 3 days a week, Im there almost as long as she is minus 3 hours.

I dont see her taking someone to the bathroom much. She gets there at 3pm I get there at 4pm, assisting the resident at dinner is the big part if you ask me. We have 2 shifts at dinner (independent and assisted) and she has a mix of them. I record Intake in the books and after dinner is bath or peri-care time. I do alot of baths and most residents go to the bath room during this time. I like it, its great to know you've helped someone and they seem very apperitive about you doing so. She lets me do it by myself- it doesnt bother me much, I look forward to going to my clinicals. We have a problem resident, lol she'll hit, bite, cuss and punch! we bathe her to...:)

The residents wear briefs.

( Reading your previous post- Let me just say this: You certainly aren't shy here on this site!! I have encountered you before, you are a feisty 1 LOL :argue:)

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OMG! how inappropiate! Errrghhhh... yeah well right now I'm in CNA training class and oh how i LOVE it! Our instructor does such a good job at telling us just how important CNA's are to the team. Yes we do wipe butt. Yes we do clean up vomit. Yes it is part of the job description. No thats not what our job is all about though. Its just that small part in taking care of other people. What do they expect? When people age... they just magically stop urinating & pooping? Its really frustrating anyway I love my class and I'm really happy about the job decisions Ive made for myself. :)

How far along are you in your class? We finished Health care concepts, I made it with a 99% A. it was a month long. We finished Lab, and Nursing Assistant. Now we are doing clinicals in LTC for 7 days then we will do 7 days in Hospital, then back to class for Home Health Aide. Im having a good time to. I like all my class mates and I think my teacher is awesome! Good For You!

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Not really!! :icon_roll It might be for those who really try to avoid this part of the job.

I know what you're saying, and I agree with you, but there really is more to it. As a nurse I should really explain why it's BIG PART of the job. Our jobs (yes even nurses) is to keep the patients skin clean, dry & intact. If we neglect that part of the job then WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE. The skin will tend to break down and that's how open wounds develop. When an open wound develops it's classified into IV stages. Once skin break down happens it's very hard to keep it from breaking down even more. We will have to work extra hard to keep it from getting worse. If it gets worse then of course the care plan must be modified in order to include that plan of treatment. When the skin breaks down we as nurses have to take the extra time (and yes we are getting paid for it, but we want to avoid skin break down as much as possible) to follow the treatment plan, follow up with the doctor, follow up with case management etc. Most likely the family is going to want to know "why does my dad have an open wound? How did my dad get the open wound? What's going to happen next?" Imagine as a nurse we have to answer all these questions deligently. So yes, wiping bottoms is a big part of the job of a CNA AND NURSE. Of course there's more when you have skin break down but this is just a fraction of what really goes on when you have someone with an open wound on their bottom. The biggest complaints that I've heard are skin break downs, and unfortunately that lies with the CNA because they do the most of the dirty work. But the nurse is held accountable for making sure that that wound doesn't get any bigger with treatment, but she/he only has control over so much. Since the CNAs are our eyes and ears, they must work with us in order to keep this from happening and that goes with good hygiene.

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I am just starting my second week this coming week lol so its still pretty fresh & new. but we start our first day of clinicals on thursday, & so im kinda nervous. Honestly, im not sure if the ltc/nursing homes is "for me." I definitely would have NOO problem working there at all but i always wanted to work in a hospital. specifically w/ cancer patients

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I totally agree with you. I just joined today, and I have been horrified at some of the comments.

I am being recertified after moving to a different state, but I have been a CNA off and on for 15 yrs, and I LOVE it. I love caring for the elderly, and I love that close interaction that I have with them. I have had residents who wouldn't eat for anyone but me because other CNAs didn't take the time to TRY to get to know them ...they were just in there to push food in their mouth. I have had no other job that has been as rewarding as a CNA. I love seeing their smiles when I walk in or greet them. It just makes my day, and at the end of the day after I know I've given 100% I can rest well at night. If I were in their shoes, I would want the same in return.

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Specializes in LTC.
Im at the LTC doing clinicals with a CNA 3 days a week, Im there almost as long as she is minus 3 hours.

I dont see her taking someone to the bathroom much. She gets there at 3pm I get there at 4pm, assisting the resident at dinner is the big part if you ask me. We have 2 shifts at dinner (independent and assisted) and she has a mix of them. I record Intake in the books and after dinner is bath or peri-care time. I do alot of baths and most residents go to the bath room during this time. I like it, its great to know you've helped someone and they seem very apperitive about you doing so. She lets me do it by myself- it doesnt bother me much, I look forward to going to my clinicals. We have a problem resident, lol she'll hit, bite, cuss and punch! we bathe her to...:)

The residents wear briefs.

( Reading your previous post- Let me just say this: You certainly aren't shy here on this site!! I have encountered you before, you are a feisty 1 LOL :argue:)

Unless she works on a hall where not many people are incontinent, she should definitely be doing a lot of toileting. Anyone who is incontinent should be toileted at least every 2 hours, and in my experience, the people who DO know when they have to pee will ask you to go even more than that.

You are probably missing a lot of the potty trips because of your hours. Your CNA probably takes the whole wing to the bathroom from 3-4. And then the last 2 hours of her shift, after you leave, she is probably doing final rounds. While you're doing baths (which is probably awesome for her because it saves her so much time), she's probably running around changing briefs, so you're not getting the big picture on what's going on. On 3-11 you do 4 sets of rounds. One when you get there, one right after dinner (since you're getting people ready for bed this set of rounds usually takes care of itself), another one around 8ish, once everyone is in bed, and another one at 10.

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It's situations like this that makes me mad. You have CNAs (and SNAs) who are working their butts off already and are expected to take a resident to the toilet every 2 hours? PM shift you will have what, about 12-15 patients? How can you take all of them, give or take a few to the restroom every 2 hours? You'll never get anything done. Where's the quality care? I think that you guys give the best quality care that you can give taking into consideration the circumstances. If the ratios were better then maybe there would be less falls, less incontinence, bed sores, dehydration, etc. Keep up the good work my fellow CNAs, no matter what, even though I'm a LVN, I will always be a CNA too.

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Specializes in LTC.

I guess i was lucky. I only had 10 residents on second shift and normally only one shower per CNA. I'm pretty militant about changing, repositioning, and doing peri care after incontinence. It's just a peeve of mine or something, probably because I see a lot of people not bothering too much with those things. So that's what I always obsess over and I'd get a little system going where I could get it all done and keep up. I think it was much more do-able on second shift because once people are in bed you don't need any help changing someone or putting them on a bedpan. Plus they stay there instead of constantly disappearing because Rec took them or they wandered off and you're not supposed to leave the unit to find them until the other CNA gets back from her break.

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I'm pretty militant about changing, repositioning, and doing peri care after incontinence.

:redbeathe

:heartbeat

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I think that could be funny under certain circumstances... like if it came from a confused old lady. Some of them say the raunchiest things and they have no idea.

From a happy CNA who is waiting for nursing school entrance:

If you cannot handle the racist/sexist/downright gross comments, get spit on yelled at, called "bit$%" and worse, then DO NOT WORK IN LTC......

You Must have a sense of humor and realize that these people are in various stages of dementia. THe ones who aren't and say nasty things, well, I tell them they must be nice.

Signed, love my job, CNA, even though it is the hardest physical and emotionally exhausting work there is.

And yes, we are Underpaid.

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It's situations like this that makes me mad. You have CNAs (and SNAs) who are working their butts off already and are expected to take a resident to the toilet every 2 hours? PM shift you will have what, about 12-15 patients? How can you take all of them, give or take a few to the restroom every 2 hours? You'll never get anything done. Where's the quality care? I think that you guys give the best quality care that you can give taking into consideration the circumstances. If the ratios were better then maybe there would be less falls, less incontinence, bed sores, dehydration, etc. Keep up the good work my fellow CNAs, no matter what, even though I'm a LVN, I will always be a CNA too.

Thank YOU! That is very true everything you said. You are the kind of nurse I like to work for, and aspire to be.

:yeah::redbeathe

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We have a CNA on the floor who seems perpetually angry at the LVNs and RNs. She says that the nurses "don't do anything," while she is cleaning up crap, spit, and throw-up all day long and getting paid "next to nothing." My observation has been that the nurses are often so busy they can't eat take a meal break. And yes, they clean up crap, spit, and throw-up too.

My other thought is that since she has been at the same hospital for nearly 20 years, she should've upgraded to an LVN or RN position if she wanted more pay. She actually works next to an RN that did exactly that.

The nurses do not look down on her, but she seems to want to keep carrying that chip on her shoulder.

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