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

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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.

Ugh this poster doesn't deserve the time it takes to respond to this. If you want actual advice here the least you can do is not speak of patients so disrespectfully.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
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.

I think you might be right about CNA not being the right path for you. Seriously. At first I really thought you were just trolling, but this comment made me think you might be for real, so I want to answer you seriously. Not everybody is cut out to be a CNA, and its okay if you aren't. There are other ways to help people - like being a medical assistant - that might be a better fit. Medical assistants generally work in places like clinics where people go for their annual physical exam. They get peoples vitals and things like that. The people are generally less bedridden and more well-appearing, on the whole. You might consider looking into that instead.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Yes, OP, it is really mean but you *didn't* have to say it. If you consider sick, elderly, frail people to be "melted, fat, puffy blobs moaning in a bed", you really don't need to be a CNA, at least not in a place where you'd encounter patients like you've described. This is healthcare---the vast majority of patients you'll see in almost ANY setting is the elderly, who generally use more health services than young adults and children.

Here's my advice, if you decide to stay on at your current LTC: get to know the residents under your care as people. Like a PP said, most have had long, productive lives and they deserve respect. They have fascinating tales to tell, if given the opportunity. Give them a chance to show they are more than just residents of a long-term care facility; you might learn something.

But at this point, I think you would do well to reconsider your choice of occupations. Being a CNA isn't for everyone.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

When I was in nursing school, our first clinicals were either a SNF or a TCU. The clinical groups were supposed to switch sites mid-semester. However, the SNF, which we had been going to for years, had gotten really, really bad. A classmate who hasn't been there for a week did an assessment on a resident she'd never seen before, reported a large purple bruise on a patient's back, and got accused of patient abuse. The clinical instructors were appalled. We needed the clinical hours, but they didn't want any other students exposed to a facility that bad. Long story short, the clinical groups stayed where they were. I was in the TCU group, and my SNF classmates all swore up and down that they would never work in a SNF, or put a family member in one. The state shut the facility down about a year later.

Maybe the setting is the problem. Lots of people don't want to work in SNFs. There's nothing wrong with that. I've worked in 2 SNFs, and I will only consider doing it again if my family is facing immediate homelessness. If you still want to be a CNA, keep at it. It won't take too much longer, and you've already figured out where you don't want to work. Once you get your CNA cert, you can work in home care, corrections, schools, hospitals, and lots of other places.

If you really don't want to be a CNA, maybe another medical role would be a better fit. Try to figure out what you want.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

I'm going to be really mean and say it, speaking as a registered nurse working in long term care.

If you referred to my patients like that within my earshot, I'd have you removed from my unit, with strict orders not to return, I'd also be filing a formal complaint with your school.

Your patients are peoples mothers, fathers, grand parents, they are your seniors and deserving of respect and referring them to 'fat mouthy puffy blobs' is not remotely close to basic courtesy.

If your patients are moaning, perhaps they are in pain, perhaps you should be letting the registered nurse know your concerns. My CNAs all know they can and I expect them to report things like that to me.

I suggest you seriously consider your career path.

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OP, my brother and I recently had to place our sweet precious 93 year old mother in long term care after she suffered a stroke two days before Mothers' Day. Until the previous week she had lived independently in her home with only minimal help with doctor's visits and grocery shopping. She was the eldest of 6 children and is, ironically, the only one still living. She is the mother of three children, grandmother of eight, and great grandmother of four, two of which are my grandsons. In three weeks she will be 94 and I cherish every single minute I still have with her. If you were assigned to my mother and I heard you referring to her in disgusting terms like you did here, you wouldn't work five more minutes in LTC.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to CNA forum

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Specializes in PICU.

I am going to give the OP a small break and hope that this reponse was just out of shock and having never seen people who need total care. I am hoping that the OP was just looking for words to describe what they saw but not truly think of people in those terms.

OP:

Once you start working with people who are sick and in need of cae, you will get a better understanding of why this post is very mean.

It is scary to see people who are dependent on someone else for all of their care. Due to the disease process, aging, or effects of the medications, many have muscle wasting, retain fluid, and can have scary appearances if you have not seen anything like that before.

One thing that is helpful to move forward from their scary appearance is to learn more about them, try to gain an understanding of what their life was liek prior to being in an LTC. Learn a little more about what brought them to the LTC.

It is a shock to see people who were once upright, walking, working, hanging out with their family, holding and giving love to their family, to now being dependent on someone for the most basic of needs.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

sevensonnets -- I'm so sorry to hear about your mom.

RNNPICU -- I really hope you're right... although I would hope one's initial response to the shock of seeing people like that would be one of compassion, vs one of disgust. ("Fat, puffy melted blob..." pretty indicative of disgust.)

It's possible the OP is very young and will look back on this and be horrified at his/her words. In WI where I hail from, as a CNA I worked with several 16-17 yr olds. I was 18 myself when I was first certified. The "this might sound mean but I have to say it" line sounds an awful lot like the line my middle school classmates liked to throw around "Not to be mean or anything, but..." That line was invariably followed by words that were, well, mean. As in, "not to be mean or anything, but you're dressed like a hooker," or "not to be mean or anything, but your face looks like a pizza." (True examples referring to my 14 yr old skin and short shorts.)

All the more reason to advise an attitude adjustment. ;)

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
I feel the best helping children...what kind of CNA jobs can I get working with children or babies? Please help.

Just to let you know, since most CNA jobs involve caring for sick people...

children and babies can also become swollen/puffy and so sick that they can't do much else but lay in bed moaning. Fair warning. Sometimes kids die, too. It won't be like babysitting. They will be sick.

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Usually if you feel the need to put a disclaimer before something - "I'm not racist but" for example, it's best left unsaid.

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You obviously wanted to read the drama since you all came here.

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