two weeks as a CNA, and something doesnt seem right?

[Eddiejf321]

ok. Working 3rd shift(soon changing to second shift) at a LTC.

I dont have problems taking care of the incontinent residents. but If i were to honestly wake a resident up EVERY 2 hours to see if they need changed, they would kill me!! I find it important to KNOW the resident and before working solo in that section of the LTC(this is important to the question) No the nurses don't help, we are more or less left to 'figure it out' Each day during the shift report, i write down on a pad room/bed numbers and who is incontinent and who 'needs help' getting to the bathroom.

Ok, Saturday evening for Sunday. I spent an hour dressing a resident who had a stroke, and thus has difficulty speaking and has a one sided weakness, and is OVERLY picky about the care i gave her(which is her right) She is also 'large' in size, and is unable to help me the way some others can. and I am a single male. I will be damned if I am going to be perfect at putting a bra on a resident , the first time ive had to do it. this time consuming task did indeed leave me 'saying some bad words' about being behind, which was overheard...

so thats part 1.. part 2 is this...

i also dressed another resident. partially.. meaning i put her pants on 1/2 way in her brief needs changed. i was rushing as i was an hour behind.. i noticed wetness on her sheets behind her back. I assumed it to be sweat. it did not smell of urine, nor appeared yellow. I should of stopped then and there to change the sheet, but did not, due to me wanting to get done.. I also asked a dayshift CNA for help, and he flat out told me no.

Ok.. so it was brought to the higher ups of both incidents, and I was told to not return the next day till the DON and admin can discuss this. my major concern of course is it going on my record as Neglect, which I feel was not but it will pretty much my short career as a CNA and any chance of me becoming a surgical technologist as I want to be.

I realize my mistake, and regret it immensely. that resident is somebody's mother, daughter, wife, aunt...

It was my first night alone on that section. Should I give up on myself and wanting to help others, or firmly believe, I tried my hardest. i was trained on dressing with a one sided weakness on a mannequin. I will be damned if I get it perfect on a human being, with weight and girth. Hell, its hard to dress myself perfectly..

AND another thing.... the getting the resident up, and dressing them.. I will be damned I am perfectly comfortable with the sit and stand and hoyer, anytime soon. just because I am given 5 minutes of training, does NOT make me comfortable using it ALONE with a human being. this is another reason I am going to second shift, should i keep my job. help more readily available.

am I 'at fault'? should i be given a 'second chance'? I absolutely love what I do. I love to help residents, I have no problems with the nightly changing and cleanings, I love to take a minute and make some residents smile and laugh, or discuss books.

just do me a favor.. if you ever meet someone about to become a CNA, tell them addimently to NOT work 3rd shift starting out, but rather second. Thats my mistake I think

Eddie

[Hygiene Queen]

It takes time to learn how to do these things efficiently and smoothly.

However, you stated, "this time consuming task did indeed leave me 'saying some bad words' about being behind, which was overheard...".

This never acceptable no matter how frustrated you are.

You've been struggling and you've made some mistakes, but there's no excuse for swearing.

You want to be professional.

If the sheets are wet, it doesn't matter if it's sweat, urine, water... whatever... you need to change the sheets to ensure that you maintain your patient's skin integrity and comfort.

Changing and turning patients every two hours is important. Again, skin integrity. If you don't do it, patients develop decubes, discomfort and infection.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

I don't know if you deserve a second chance because I haven't seen you in action, but you have to think about why we do these things, even if it makes us uncomfortable or consumes our time. It's not about us.

If you really want to do this, you need to think about what you did wrong, why it was wrong and what you are going to do to correct it. Think about it, come up with a plan, blame no one and nothing and present this to your DON.

You have to own up to your mistakes and show you are actively working to improve.

It can be tough starting out... ohhhhh, I remember it so well.

[loriangel14, RN]

You need find another job. Expecting you to use the hoyer or the sit to stand alone is dangerous.

And finding fault because you struggled to dress a large female patient and had trouble with her bra? really? That's pretty petty. Dressing people that can't help/move is really challenging, even with experience. Don't beat yourself up over this. Sometimes all you can do is your best. I hope you are able to find a better place to work. Good luck.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I agree that 5 minutes training on how to use the hoyer lift is nowhere near enough. Hygiene Queen and Lori gave you some good advice and I have nothing to add to it. I do agree that you should have a buddy to assist you until you have been around for a few weeks then let you go on your own.

I was an aid for three months in nursing school, and it was insane the lack of training I had having never worked in health care before. I was a nursing student but most of my experience at that point had been with mostly alert patients who could help me move them.

[Davey Do]

​Everything Hygiene Queen said in her Post, including,

It can be tough starting out... ohhhhh, I remember it so well.

Just about everything was hard before it became easy.

If you stick with this Line of Work, Eddie, you will find the Ways and Methods to Integrate yourself into your Work. For example, we don't always need to wake a Client or Patient up in order to check if they're Incontinent. Use your Senses (Sight, Tactile, Olfactory, e.g.) and/or a Penlight Flashlight.

Now, if you don't stick with this Line of Work, at least you'll have a Good Appreciation of it.

BTW- The Bra thing, as with Everything Else- Remember: Practise Provides Opportunity for Possible Improvement.

The Best to you, Eddie.

[Eddiejf321]

thanks everyone for your help and advice. I accept responsbility for my choices and lack of inaction. I will use this experience to learn and grow.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I was a CNA for five yrs, 3 of those in LTC. We did not wake residents who were continent and moving independently in bed. If they repositioned themelves BUT were incontinent, we'd say "Time to check your bed" and look w/ a flashlight. Keeping residents clean/dry and repostioning them is VERY important though! If you're interested to know why, Google Image "pressure ulcers." (what used to be called "bedsores.") I don't recommend looking at those pictures on a full stomach, or just before eating.

Mechanical lifts are not supposed to be operated by a single caregiver. It's dangerous. One of the first patients I cared for during orientation on my current job was an LTC resident who was dropped from a lift getting into the bathtub, and she hit her head causing a brain bleed...hence the need to go to the ICU. It's not about your abilities or your work ethic to be uncomfortable doing it alone. It's about resident safety.

[beshacohen]

I would bet my license that your facility has a policy requiring two staff members to participate in any transfers using a lift. At my facility all transfers requiring lifts require two staff members, but the aids never follow this policy. If they did, they would be hard-pressed to get their work done.

It's a real problem that your co-worker said, "No" when you asked for help.

[loriangel14, RN]

Most manufacturers of mechanical lifts will have very clear guidelines about having two people to operate the lift. I would run for the hills and find a safer job. It's just a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

[Glad2014]

Yeah...I understand your concerns. I remember when I was a CNA for 7 years before I became RN. I don't think is good Idea to wake those LTC residents to check them....understanding that it take them forever to fall asleep, so it will be hard for them to get sleep again. I think every CNA needs to know really who is a heavy weter resident, then pay particular attention on those. Plus, some of them usually know when they are wet and push call light.

[Nola009]

You are right in that 2nd shift is probably the best shift for a new CNA to start out on. It's not too fast of a pace (like first), and you get to know the residents better (as opposed to 3rd shift, where most are sleeping). You can plead your case to your boss and say what you might think went wrong, what you think you could do differently, and ask if they would be so gracious as to let you try another shift. Good luck.

[johnny_]

No, neglect is not going to show up on your background record. And it sounds like you were still working after the night shift ended. If you are unsure that you can't take care of a patient/resident one-on-one than be not ashamed to go ask another cna or nurse to help you. I would. And if anyone refuses to help u, leave the residents who are not 1-to-1 assistance dressed in bed.

If this happens again, you should make sure you remember the name of the CNAs who blew you off and the nurses who were working with you and a letter to the DON and your union rep saying you didnt get any assistance.