Sooooo... tell me this..

yelle418 · Jun 26, 2009

May I ask what you dislike about being a CNA? And also what appeals to you about being an RN ? I was a PCA, which is very similar to a CNA, and though i cant say that i hated it, it definitely wasn't my cup of tea. I worked in a nursing home and I can't say that i love working with the elderly, but i gained a lot of knowledge doing so, and feel that i walked away with a lot from the job. I liked the caring aspect, the relationships i formed, the respect i received from the patients' families - and those are all things that i think as a nurse, i will also enjoy. Of course as a CNA, you are doing a lot of the "dirty work" ,though that isnt a bad thing and will be benificial to you in the future, is this part of what you dislike? What do you think about the Nurse's role in your work setting? (other than them being rude, which is too bad). Im assuming you are working in some kind of Long term care facility? Personally, i dont think that is going to be the type of work i want to do as a nurse, though Im not sure what the future may hold with this economy.But keep in mind that as a nurse, you will have so many options in terms of work environment and you may find that it is just LTC that you hate and your passion may lie elsewhere. Im sorry I know im not really answering your question, Im about to start nursing school in the fall, so i cant tell you how its gonna be like. Just thought Id offer my opinion and persepective :nuke:.

Chapis · Jun 26, 2009

hello, i'm fixing to start ns, but my heart is on nicu, and i know that there will be places i might end up that aren't really what i wanted, but since my heart is in nicu i know i'll get there, i may not get it fresh out of ns, but i will, i just want to have a foot in the door-then transfer later., and about not making friends, i think that's best, no drama, no rumors, you go in do your job, then go home, you don't mess with no one and no one messes with you. but that's how it is, there will always be people we don't like-but that's in school, church, family, etc. . .

good luck

VenaKavaRN · Jun 26, 2009

I've worked as a CNA in two different nursing homes, and now have been working for 3 years in a hospital.

There is a world of difference.

I'm not sure what it is, but in my experience nursing homes just aren't for everyone. And I'm not one of the people that thrives working in one. In a nursing home, it's the same people with the same problems and hard, heavy work day after day. This can also make your coworkers a little unhappy (which it sounds like you're encountering). In a hospital, your patients change frequently so at least you're always seeing something new (and you know that eventually that mean old lady will leave, which makes it easier to be polite to her). It depends on the floor, but I think the actual workload is more intellectual for a CNA rather than physical. Yes, there are still messes to clean up and baths to give, but it's not nearly the heavy lifting that a nursing home is.

I've learned so much more about different conditions and diagnoses working in a hospital than I ever did in the nursing home. You might want to try switching to a different place to work - it sounds like you feel a lot like me about nursing homes.

As to the 'scurvy' nurses - you will probably find some of these everywhere. But the ratio (in my limited experience) seems to be more favorable in a hospital setting, although this will vary by what unit you're on.

Give it a try - and do what a previous poster said and think really hard about what you don't like as a CNA and if that will still be there when you graduate.