Too small for CNA?

[PersevereB]

Hi all!

(New to the forum, have been lurking for a bit.)

I'm starting my CNA class in July, the wait list was super long. So I've been spending my wait time learning as much as possible about the job I will (one day) be doing and I have a major concern. I'm afraid I'll be too small to perform the daily tasks a CNA does. I'm only 5'1 and very slight, and I'm worried I won't be able to do much of the lifting it seems to require, even though I'm in decent shape. I really want to get into this field, and after I get the cert I'm planning on moving on to LPN one day.

My question being, am I going to be able to do my job well, without breaking myself? Or should I look into something else?

Thanks in advance for replies!

[canigraduate]

When I worked at an LTC, I worked in an area where almost EVERYONE is 5' 3" or less. We had lots of tiny little CNAs who were under 100 lbs and they outworked us larger (average-sized, not LARGE) women. Some were dancers, some were runners, some were just born to be small, but they were the go-to CNAs when you needed help. Hope that helps you!

PS - Don't assume that you'll be doing everything by yourself, either. It's perfectly OK to get help from as many people as necessary.

[ksuSN12]

Im small too. In clinicals I basically do the same thing a cna would do, and for lifting etc we have another person help. im 4'10 and about 100lbs so if i can do it then so can you :)

[tavia_yeung]

Thank you OP for posting this thread b/c I'm small too so I found that all the replies are very great and helpful. And thanks all for the awesome responses b/c you gave us hope and confident, that's like a good support for us small cna b/c I always worry that I'm small and no one would hire me. But finally they hired me and I had working 1 day so far, I'm very glad and happy that they gave me a chance to work as a cna. I know I'm small but I am a very, very, very hard-working person so I will do my best to show them that I can be a great cna too.

On my 1st day working I need to lift some heavy pts and I'm very glad that there are these 2 cna who are so helpful and nice b/c when I ask for their assistance they're always willing to help me right away. And they even help me w/ the ADLs sheets too b/c I'm new so I still not quite sure how to fill it out so I'm very lucky to have these 2 cna offered me w/ the big help. I hope I get to work evening-shift again b/c I like to working w/ these cna so I can always get their help when needed. I supposed to work morning-shift but that day they put me on the evening-shift, I really like to work 3-11pm b/c we aren't as busy as during the day. And when ppl are too busy then no one would want to assist w/ the lifting or anything so that's when I'm stressful the most, this happened during my orientation/training.