What would you like ?

These are the things that I think EVERY cna should know (esp. in LTC)...

1) Diabetic coma vs Diabetic shock (signs & symptoms, etc.)

2) Signs & Symptoms of Stroke

3) Signs & Symptoms of Heart Attack

4) Importance of counting Respiratory Rate (don't just chart 18 or 20).

5) All about Decubs...how to prevent, how to recognize the beginning of, etc.

6) Nutrition...why should you take the extra time to ENCOURAGE that pt

to eat. In the elderly..taste starts to go, smell starts to go...eating

just is not that appealing anymore, but they still need nutrition to

maintain muscle and repair the body. Meals should be made pleasing to

the eye...should be unrushed...and should be seasoned!

I'm sure there are more and I'd certainly add to it "the importance of the cna to the facility." I'm not talking about a fake "pat on the back." I'm talking about a true, heartfelt "this is why you matter to us" kinda thing. CNA's are the FRONT line of healthcare. When I worked LTC, I was always telling nurses that I saw a "red spot" on the sacrum of a pt, or sometimes, I'd notice that a pt that usually was "with it" is now confused. I often "knew" the pt's better than the nurses because I spent a lot more time with them doing personal care, talking, etc. SO yes CNA's are very important and they need to know that they are, so they get that "oh, I am just a cna" thing out of their heads. They are not JUST cna's...they are many times the EYES and EARS of the nurse. Sometimes we are the nurses' HANDS as we give that bed bath OR we are the nurses' HEART as we sit there and let the resident with tear filled eyes share one of their many stories with us while we hold their hand or embrace them with a hug. Yes, we are SO much more than JUST a cna!

Sincerely,

Jay

ps-please let us know how your educational day went.

-Diabetes is a big one, thats something that a lot of CNAs I work with know nil about, until they run into a diabetic badness. Appropriate diabetic diet is very important too.

-Dementia norms/abnorms and dealing with difficult behaviors. Use examples from the facility. Too many times have I had the conversation, "Mrs. Jones wantted to get dressed for the day!" "That's normal." "But it's 3am!" "She has dementia, that's normal."

-If your CNAs do BPs review those, both manual and automatic.

If I think of more I'll let you know.