Starting date is Monday! Would like feedback!

[thelittledoe]

Hey everyone,

So after a long wait (finished my CNA course mid-November) I'm finally starting my job on Monday at the local suburban hospital. I'm on what they call the 36 bed pre/post-op floor where I'll be taking care of patients who are higher risk but who won't be there more than a few days post-op.

Please let me know if you have any advice for a new CNA. Was it easy to transition from nursing home clinicals to hospital work? 7-3 shift vs. 3-11 shift? How many patients do you think I'll be caring for? Who should I ask questions to on the floor? Other CNA's, the charge nurse?

Thanks in advance!

[werty86]

congrats to you!

i been working on a 60-bed med-surg floor for a couple of months now. i like it a lot more than at my nursing home clinicals, that's for sure! i think hospital work is a lot less work. on days, i average about 6 patients. on midnights, i average about 10. 7-3 and 3-11 would be my ideal hours because they're busy and goes by fast, esp. the 7-3 shift.

my advice is to ask questions all the time and be willing to help and offer help to anyone who may need it (other nursing assistants, nurses, patients, visitors, etc.). also i tend to forget what i need to do sometimes, so every shift, i make a list of what to do on every hour of my shift and cross them off as i complete them. this has helped me a lot! for example, 7: do blood sugar, 8: wake pts up, 9: bathe pts 1, 2, 3, etc...

[thelittledoe]

Thanks so much Werty! Very helpful. Everyone at the hospital seems to happy and their employee satisfaction survey shows that everyone actually is happy. I'm so glad I found such a great organization. I'll definitely keep your points in mind about making a "to do" list.