Worried about not being good at job

[EphemeralMelody]

I'm thinking of becoming a CNA soon and I'm worried about not being very good at the job. I've read that in nursing homes especially, it can be very hard work and a lot of times, you're having to deal with a large number of patients in a limited period of time. Well, I'm not worried about a heavy workload, I enjoy something that keeps me on my feet and busy, but I want to make sure I'm able to give my patients the basic care that they need. This is why I think I'd prefer working in home care if possible, due to being able to give my patients more extensive and individualized care, but I've also read that you usually need to get your foot in the door by working at a nursing home first before you can get hired to do home care. Also, I'm a little confused about something - do you need a HHA (Home Health Aide) certification or anything like that before you're eligible to do home care, or are you able to do it with just a CNA certification?

I'm also worried that I'm going to be slow at the job and make stupid mistakes when I first start, and the employer's not gonna give me the chance to learn or improve and just let me go. I had this unfortunate experience when I applied for a vet tech/receptionist job near my house. I got the job, was supposed to have 4 days of training before I started the actual work, went in on the 2nd day and was expected to know how to do everything already even though I'd only had a couple hours training in a job I'd never had to do or knew anything about before. As a result, I was slow and didn't know how to do certain things, and really nervous, and made some STUPID STUPID mistakes. The lady decided she didn't want to have to take the time to train me and let me go. I'm worried about having an experience like this again. I realize that the CNA thing is going to be a little different, that I'm going to have months of education/training via classes before I start any actual job, but I'm still a little anxious.

[interceptinglight, CNA]

Be prepared to do most all of what you just mentioned -- You WILL be slow, you WILL feel bewildered by what you are expected to accomplish in an 8-hour shift, and you WILL make stupid mistakes. However, take heart -- every single CNA starts out that way without exception, and if any of them say different they are lying! I guarantee your employer will anticipate this and will NOT fire you on account if it. The volume of work you'll have every single shift will help you get your speed up in a relatively short period of time, and you'll learn to think and act quickly to deal with whatever comes up. Most hospitals and home health agencies are going to require such experience before they hire you.

If you enjoy a challenge, there is no more challenging position than in a nursing home. There you will develop skills and gain experience that you can't get anywhere else. As far as I know, or at least in my state -- there's no such thing as an HHA certification outside of a Nurse's Assistant Certification.

Good luck to you, and don't worry. Unless you are deliberately negligent or abusive to your patients, they are not going to fire you for being new and inexperienced.

[EphemeralMelody]

Thank you for the advice. And also...

Good luck to you, and don't worry. Unless you are deliberately negligent or abusive to your patients, they are not going to fire you for being new and inexperienced.

Yeah, that's what I would have assumed, but like I said, I WAS let go from the vet clinic job just for being new and inexperienced, and also making some STUPID mistakes on the 2nd day as a result of being too nervous to think straight. But then again, I also realize that becoming a CNA will be a little different: I'll be trained/educated for it beforehand.