Unsatisfied with first CNA job, should I look for something else?

[brian82583]

I became certified in January, the only person in my class to pass the boards. I was fortunate to be offered employment within a week at a nursing home I applied at during school.

They put me on 3rd shifts in LTC. While it's nothing I wasn't expecting, in 3 weeks of working I have already become frustrated with the lack of reliable staffing and have a problem with the LPN I work with. People call out constantly, and there is no point/penalty system for it, so the people who suffer the most are the ones who are most commited. We are constantly understaffed, to the point where they are actually calling in help from agencies because none of their employees are willing to come in. We are underpaid (9.25 an hour, where the median in the area is 11 or so) so that also explains why people do not feel it is worth the trouble to work. I take care of about 13 incontinent patients, and that's when their is no call outs.

The LPN I work with has a very bad attitude, is lazy, and crude. When's she's not on the phone talking about her sex life, she is criticizing my technique, talking trash about other nurses and CNA's, and whining about anything she can think of, which makes me wonder what she's saying about me behind my back. I realize anywhere, in any field I go, I will have to work with people like that, but in this current situation she is the ONLY person I work with, every day. We practically have the same exact schedule. The other CNA's warned me about her, and I've come to find out she's already been written up before for being found sleeping in an empty patient room during her shift. I can't even understand why that in itself hasn't gotten her the boot.

I want a better paying job with better working circumstances, and a facility that hold its employees accountable for their attendance. But since I've only been here less than a month, I don't want prospective employees to feel that I'm flighty. I'm not sure how to go about this.

Brian

[JDZ344]

Start looking for a job, first. Getting an interview in itself will likely take a while. if the subject of why you left came up, just leave it simple: "It wasn't a good fit for me" or something along those lines.

[scottcna]

After waiting almost a year to get a job offer, I finally got my first CNA position on third shift LTC. While it wasn't nearly as horrible as the place you describe, I wasn't happy there. But it was a foot in the door and experience. After only a month and a half, I got a callback from the place I'm at now, which I love. If you're not happy at your job, find someplace you are happy at. Otherwise, you'll just be making everyone, including yourself, miserable.

[caliotter3]

Continue to work there while you look for another job. But be realistic. You describe what most LTC facilities are like to some degree. It would be best to keep this job and start the new one on a different shift or on your days off so you can figure out if the new job is the frying pan, the fire, or the whole pot thrown into a volcano. You can quit this one once you have determined that the new job environment is better. And don't forget home health. One patient. Hard to beat. Good luck.