This might be really mean but I have to say it...

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2017

If you describe patients as "melted blobs" it could possibly be that nursing, whatever aspect it may be is not for you.

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2017

Those "melted fat puffy blobs" who are moaning in bed are human beings. You aren't going to get away from things you don't like if you work as a CNA. If you can't look at them as anything but "moaning blobs" might I suggest some serious soul searching because you are going to be unhappy in your work.

BTW: Sometimes children are stuck in bed, moaning, some drool. And some are going to be fat. Because they are sick. Are you going to refer to them as "melted fat puffy blobs" also? Seriously, do some soul searching. All patients deserve some respect.

Beeboop12 · Sep 11, 2017

Duhh they are human beings.

Sour Lemon · Sep 11, 2017

So I am doing clinicals for Nursing Assisting and every single patient in this Long Term Care facility looks like a melted fat puffy blob moaning in pain on a bed. It's terrifying, I don't even know if I want to go back to school tomorrow. I know their medications make them look like that but it's still scary to me. Are all CNA jobs going to be me helping melted blobs moaning in pain on a bed? I can't take it. I feel bad for them but am wondering what other CNA jobs I could take? I feel the best helping children...what kind of CNA jobs can I get working with children or babies? Please help.

Most people who need nursing care are adults, and of those adults, the majority are elderly. You'll be much more likely to end up working with adults than you will with children ...especially as a new CNA with no experience.

I went to nursing school in my 30s and absolutely could not have been a nurse any sooner than that. My family always encouraged me, and my answer was always, "No way!"

You may not be ready yet, either. I'm assuming (and hoping) that you're in your early 20s. May I ask ...what initially motivated you to become a CNA?

psu_213, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2017

Duhh they are human beings.

Trust me, I'm not trying to throw you to the wolves here...

But, I think a bit of introspection is in order. What were you expecting the residents to look like? Have you studied the pathophysiology and expected appearance of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's etc.? I've been a CNA in LTC. It's not glamorous, and I think you need to think hard about your future plans...

Beeboop12 · Sep 11, 2017

Thank you. No I haven't studied any of that because I'm literally in an 8 week CNA course. Nobody told me I have to do post mortem care and such either. I think I was picturing cna as a caregiver who takes vitals. Maybe medical assisting would suit me more. I wanted to be a CNA to help people but honestly so far it's just terrifying. The people look really scary and I feel bad for them like I shouldn't be there. It was only the first clinical day so maybe I will feel differently. But they threw us in and said go take care of ventilator patients, dementia, etc and I've never been around that stuff and if none of that scared any of you guys at first god bless you.

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2017

Duhh they are human beings.

Then please try to treat them as such. Not as "melting, fat, puffy blobs"

djh123 · Sep 11, 2017

All I can say is, I've been at a LTC/rehab facility for 4.5 years, and only a *VERY* few patients would fall into the - I'm not even going to say it - category you described.

Purple_roses · Sep 11, 2017

Duhh they are human beings.

Eh. I was going to post a thoughtful response but your attitude is seriously ridiculous.

GeminiNurse29 · Sep 11, 2017

They're sick, mentally and or physically. Did you think they'd be all sunshine and roses? Have you cleaned and toileted anyone yet? Imagine if it was your grandparent or parent there in that bed.

If you don't like the hands on factor, maybe nursing and patient care isn't for you.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2017

If you describe patients as "melted blobs" it could possibly be that nursing, whatever aspect it may be is not for you.

Don't forget the "fat" and "puffy" modifers to "blobs." :sarcastic:

OP: These people have led productive lives. They've been entrepreneurs, have run farms, have been teachers or served in the military. Some have even been nurses!! They have raised families...but first were their parents' beloved children.

Allow me for a moment to tell you about a few of my beloved family members who have ended up in nursing facilities.

Grandpa P was the son of Danish inmigrant farmers. He went on to run the farm himself. He raised five children and was an incredibly loving grandpa! He was adored by my children; in fact a few months ago, my 10 yr old daughter cried because she still misses him. He was married to the love of his life for 67 years!! At age 102, he fell at home. While in the hospital he contracted pneumonia... he never recovered and wasn't able to go home. He died at age 104.

Grandma R also raised five children, while suffering from depression and a verbally abusive marriage. She remarried the year before I was born....I'll get to him next. To know her was to love her. She was one to drive three hours to hear me sing in recitals or with my college choir. She would even mail care packages to help my 18 yr old self feel like home. Dementia would eventually rob her of the ability to be at home. She was a wanderer, and it had become too difficult to keep her safe. She was moved into a memory care home.

Grandpa R, again married my grandma before I was born. I never once felt like anything but a beloved granddaughter -- no "step," nor "wife's granddaughter." I received Reader's Digests in the mail for twenty years; he noticed that I enjoyed theirs, when I became bored with the adult conversations while visiting. So when I started college, he started my gift subscription. He was a Navy pilot during WWII. He exemplified "in sickness and in health" by caring for his wife at home (with the help of an adult day program, and that of her famiky) until he couldn't. He was nearly 90 years old when she died. Earlier this year, he fell at home, sustaining some facial fractures and a TBI. He never recovered either and was transferred to a SNF, where he declined extremely quickly.

Aunt M -- Grandpa P's sister -- was a rural schoolteacher, back in the day when teachers boarded with a family near the school. She told stories of being cold and hungry, because the jerks she lived with wanted to maximize their profits. She too declined cognitively so went to LTC........where she corrected the staff's grammar, and tried to teach the other ladies at the dinner table. :laugh:

They were most certainly NOT blobs! They were amazing people. And a few more years or decades, and that could be any one of us.

If you truly feel that way, you should listen to your heart and not go to school tomorrow. Your attitude is exceedingly flawed, and needs to be fixed. Those poor people don't deserve it.