Starting CNA Class Next Week Need Info?

NM nurse to be · Apr 13, 2010

You will pick up most of your skills after school. You will get the basics and how to do things safely in class. As you've seen, what they teach in school and what is in the real world often differ greatly. But not always in bad ways.

I haven't worked in a hospital but I can tell you there are rewarding parts of LTC, even while the admin does its level best to make it hard for us. The thing I like about long term as opposed to the rehab section is getting to make a relationship with my residents. You get attached to them and know how they like things. I find that the ones no one gets along with tend to be my favorites somehow. The pay isn't the best but if you intend to use this as a career step in the medical field, the experience can't be beat. You will see good aides and not so good, same for nurses. I look at it as how to's and how NOT to's :)

You will learn things like how to change someone or the basics of dressing and transfers. But you won't get competent at those until you do it day in and day out for awhile. It's totally different the first time you have to dress a stroke patient, as opposed to an able bodied classmate playing 'stroke'. If you get good at picking out the good aides and making friends with them, life will be easier. As you've seen here, there does seem to be a universal hazing thing with new aides. I've talked about this at work and the consensus seems to be that so many come and go and don't bother to work when they're there. Once you pass muster, so to speak, and people know you're serious about staying on, not just floating by, life will get easier for you. It won't be easy to start with and you will go home hating it, I can almost promise you that. BUT I can also say it doesn't stay that way. If you can get through the learning process on the job, you'll be fine :)

Good luck in your class!

ccasey013 · Apr 13, 2010

That you so much for all the great information i really do appretiate it..:)