Sometimes I Miss Being a CNA

TazziRN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

Sounds like you're having a crisis of some kind.......do you need a break?

{{{Angie}}}

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a crisis. Maybe you need a vacation?

I miss the bedbaths, the smell of that SeptiSoap.

The pts. who soaked their sheets with nightsweats and were so grateful for their 9th linen change in 6 hours.

The pts. who used to be farmers who got up at 0400, ready for their bedbath supplies, cup of coffee (especially if it was their first cup since surgery), and newspaper.

Finding creative ways to reposition a bedridden pt. so that you weren't just simply going from one side to the next.

Finding creative ways to help a pt. with a hydrocele lay down comfortably (a folded towel wrapped with a soft pillow case to 'prop' the scrotum seemed to work well most of the time. Plus, a pillow pllaced on the belly, and another pillow on top of the thights created a 'tent' so that sheets or blankets didn't touch the scrotum and add to the pain.)

Middle of the night teaching about 'splinting' an adbdominal incision.

Getting the warm blanket for the pt. who's cold, putting it under their other blankets, then hearing the pt. snore 15 minutes later.

allantiques4me · Feb 11, 2007

Theres been times Ive missed being an aide.Especially when an emergent or difficult situation arises.I was a very confident N/a.If a serious situation arose,I would get the"nurse"Now I AM the "nurse"and have to be the one making some serious decisions.It can be extremely scary at times.

imenid37 · Feb 11, 2007

When I first got out of school I missed being a nursing assistant and was overwhelmed by the documentation and amount of time I needed to do that. I missed being with the patients. I ended up switching clinical areas and was much happier. 20 years later, I have a new job in education and miss the patients again, although I still get plenty of patient care time too. Documentation takes us away from the patients more than ever. Have a break, do something nice for you, but hang in there. You wouldn't want the salary associated with being an aide. They are more underpaid than the nurses.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

I guess it was the thread about the bed baths. I miss having the time to do complete bed baths on patients, lotion, nail care, all that.

Every time I'm passing pills in the hospital and doing my assessments, I'm thinking how awful it is that for our Tele patients, they need a doctor's order to be able to bathe. (Or, ironically, they get 2 showers before an open-heart procedure.)

To me, that's such a basic nursing task--to help the patients feel better by getting them cleaned up.

We hardly have time to reposition patients nowadays, and I think it's sad that we have to be so hard-pressed that we can't do the basics anymore.

Bluehair · Feb 11, 2007

This thread instantly struck a responsive chord with me. One of the things that drew me to nursing in the first place was that feeling you get from doing something for a patient that makes them feel so much better. It seems sometimes the more responsibility I take on in my career, the further I get from that. That's usually my signal that I am taking on too much and need a break.

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

I don't miss having a nurse come to me at the end of shift complaining that I didn't do my 8th bedbath, when at the time I was helping out a fellow CNA transfer a patient to bed who weighed a ton!

I don't miss being looked down upon by fellow health care workers for cleaning people's behinds!

I don't miss arrogant nurses who wouldn't greet you in the morning 'cause you weren't part of the "ICU Club."

I don't miss the poor pay for back breaking work.

PS. I take time to help my CNAs, do you?

allnurses Guide · Feb 11, 2007

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a crisis. Maybe you need a vacation?
I miss the bedbaths, the smell of that SeptiSoap.
The pts. who soaked their sheets with nightsweats and were so grateful for their 9th linen change in 6 hours.
The pts. who used to be farmers who got up at 0400, ready for their bedbath supplies, cup of coffee (especially if it was their first cup since surgery), and newspaper.
Finding creative ways to reposition a bedridden pt. so that you weren't just simply going from one side to the next.
Finding creative ways to help a pt. with a hydrocele lay down comfortably (a folded towel wrapped with a soft pillow case to 'prop' the scrotum seemed to work well most of the time. Plus, a pillow pllaced on the belly, and another pillow on top of the thights created a 'tent' so that sheets or blankets didn't touch the scrotum and add to the pain.)
Middle of the night teaching about 'splinting' an adbdominal incision.
Getting the warm blanket for the pt. who's cold, putting it under their other blankets, then hearing the pt. snore 15 minutes later.

I never was a CNA - and I do these things now.

Whenever someone starts to gripe about our job, I mention my clinical rotation on a busy big city med/surg ward where the nurses never stopped. We are so very lucky to work in a small rural hospital where you still have time to do the basics.

steph

tryingtomakeit, RN · Feb 12, 2007

I miss being able to go in, do my job, and go home to my family.
I'm tired of all the responsibility and all the problems of being a nurse.
Anyone else feel like this or am I just having (another) midlife crisis?

Angie, I know exactly what you mean. I was a CNA for nearly twenty years before becoming a nurse. I miss it terribly sometimes.

TigerGalLE, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2007

I start my 2nd week of orientation tomorrow. I was a tech for 6 months on the same floor before I graduated. I am so suprised at how busy I stay as a nurse and how little time i actually spend with my patients. I am no longer able to carry on conversations during bed baths and linen changes. I definately miss that.. and I feel some what out of the loop.. I feel like i knew a lot more about my patients and their needs when I was a tech. Now all i do is push meds and hang fluids....

I do not miss the pay I got as a tech. Techs work way harder than how much they are paid. And I don't miss nurses refusing to help me even though it was their patient too...

I do and will always treat my techs good. Because I know how they feel!!

AuntieRN · Feb 12, 2007

Angie I am with ya too. I like tryingtomakeit was a CNA for over 23 years. I miss it something awful at times.