[SeekerOfLife]

Anyone a certified nursing assistant? A few months ago , I received my certification. I have heard so many "horror" stories of how veteran cnas treat new cnas. I am currently working home health care, but it is too boring. I would like to know, in detail if possible, how to survive as a new cna in a nursing home facility. I believe I have the heart for the work. But, I am too sensitive. I am also dealing with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD, and OCD. Help please!

[winter4me]

Try it. My suggestion would be to interview at half a dozen or so places, get a tour and a "feel", what you heard can be true, but if you are willing to work and help others, coworkers can also be very supportive. If a place doesn't "work" for you, look around again, it is all about where you are and who you work with. Health care is tough right now (I am a LTC nurse, and was once an aide...and we NEED good aides with hearts who build on their skills); you want to find a place that has a "team" mentality, and that just feels good to you.
You might also want to check out "assisted living", it is not as slow (I too find home care dull, it's great for some people, not others)as home care, and not as fast-paced as LTC or skilled nursing units. Good Luck!!! Just don't be afraid to get out there and try---also plan to continue your education, the more you have, the more control you will gain over your work and environment. Remember, if a place doesn't work out, it is not your fault. It is okay to look around, to try different jobs...

[SeekerOfLife]

winter4me: I wish to thank you for your encouragement. I want to work in a team-work environment. We are supposed to be there for the residents, right? It's not supposed to be about what Sally, Martha, or Jane wants. And I especially appreciate what you said about it not being my fault if a particular place doesn't work out. Thanks so much.

[tealBumblebee]

Hi Seeker! I'm a CNA (since ~2 years ago) and I love love love it.

Now, to be fair, I swore to myself that i'd never work in a nursing home (obviously unless i had no other choice) but mainly because of all the horror stories. I also notice that working at a nursing home vs. other places can be very laborious and daunting and I just would rather not. There are many total care patients (i had a 300+ lb. total care patient at one point) in a nursing home and from my "hands on" experience when being trained, if you're not at a good nursing home (there are a few really good ones here that pay super well, are really good to the patients but require a lot of strenuous work) this could be exhausting day in and day out. I know this could come off as lazy, but its not. Its practicing good self care. And I think that if more people would do this then companies would take better care at supplying their CNA's with the proper equipment and necessities needed to care for their patients most efficiently.

So, I decided to seek out my options in other venues.

Now, I work as a patient care tech (generally what its called on most applications even if it has another title) at one of our hospitals in the emergency department. Its awesome. It's not a CNA certified required position, but you do get a pay increase for having the certification (and it makes you more hireable because you already know basic patient care techniques). The hospital I work at has also trained me to do catheters (in my CNA we were taught how but told we would not be allowed to do them), set up cardiac monitors as well as perform EKG's (these roles do not extend to other hospitals though, so if I work at another hospital I would not be "automatically" allowed to do these things and would probably have to show comprehension of the skill). Beyond those, I do the basic care that any CNA would do, and generally, the patients aren't hard to manage. I think that the fact that I can ask a nurse, doctor, coordinator, etc. for help if I needed (because in an ER they are always around) makes me more confident in adequately doing my job.

In regards to the mental health complications, I too suffer from depression, anxiety and low self esteem along with schizotypal pd and others. I can honestly say, that I have not had a bad experience working there in relation to my "condition". I think as far as schizotypal goes, this truly ended up being a good job for me because I work pretty much independantly. We all do. We don't have a boss watching over us twenty four hours a day (she may come out once a shift a few times a week but its not to hover its for other things) and I can choose how much I want to be around my patient outside of doing my job. To be fair though, I do find it emotionally daunting working in the behavioral health area because nurses in the ER don't have an extensive knowledge on mental health as an actual mental health facility would and I tend to abhor how "unsympathetic" or "quick to say someone is showing out" some of the nurses can be. In those instances I walk away and stock. When i'm feeling depressed, theres usually enough other chaos to avoid the focus being on me and it allows me something more powerful to focus on (my patient).

Now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that working at a hospital is the magic cure, there will be annoying coworkers who gossip (for me, that's a big anxiety trigger) and patients who are simply unhappy with the world and lashing out at everybody (though I tend to get along best with these patients because I can't help but sympathize with them). There's manual labor required (I have had to do chest compressions (alternating of course) for up to two hours on a patient who had cardiac arrested) but I just find that the "general environment" working there is better. I could have just lucked out though, because i've had a nurse manager tell me not to come work at her hospital because of how labor intense and incohesive their environment is.

I agree with Winter that you should check out the different places around you before applying - and I would go as far as to say do not apply somewhere you don't want to simply because "you need the money" - no good can come out of that.

Ps. Sorry this reply is so long. Don't hate me. I hope this helps some though.

[SeekerOfLife]

tealBumblebee: thanks so much for the imput. Where I live in NC, the hospital requires a 12 hour shift. I know a CNA that works there, and she told me that she never gets a real break. She just dashes to the close by break room, gobbles a snack, and goes back to work. Plus, the hospital often offers CNAs $500 sign on bonuses. I question why they would offer this money? Is it really that bad to work there?
If I think of anymore questions, may I submit them to you?

[tealBumblebee]

Originally Posted by seekersinking

tealBumblebee: thanks so much for the imput. Where I live in NC, the hospital requires a 12 hour shift. I know a CNA that works there, and she told me that she never gets a real break. She just dashes to the close by break room, gobbles a snack, and goes back to work. Plus, the hospital often offers CNAs $500 sign on bonuses. I question why they would offer this money? Is it really that bad to work there?
If I think of anymore questions, may I submit them to you?

I live close by (not in NC but close enough). My hospital offers different things, part time, full time, PRN. I am part time and am contracted to work only 20 hours a week - as you probably noticed, that can't be divided into 12 hour shifts. I generally work one 12 hour shift and one 8 hour shift a week. 7 am to 7 pm. I've seen everything from a 4 hour shift to a 6 hour shift, to 10 hours to 12. I find that I prefer 6-8 hour shifts, but i'm completely fine with 12 hour shifts. Even if you were to work full time (36 hours a wk) that would be 3 12 hour shifts- giving you four days to recuperate. Usually there's a day in between, but some people (like me) prefer to just get it all out of the way and have that solid few day break in between.

In regards to breaks, she's fairly accurate. It's not uncommon to eat and run. But I work at an ER, so thats not uncommon for the cna's, nurses, or doctors. If you don't get a lunch break, you are compensated financially for that time and many people who do 8 hour shifts prefer not to even take a lunch break (it depends on the day for me, sometimes I break just to get away even if i'm not hungry). Another thing about the hospital (from what i've noticed) is food is everywhere. The ambulances bring candy (they brought brownies and cinnamon rolls last wk), the doctors bring donuts, a nurse will bring cupcakes or breakfast, the lab lady brings fresh fruits and veggies. And just like your friend, if you need to allot yourself a small break to go quickly munch on something - its acceptable (at least, where I work it is). They don't want you sitting at the desk, feet kicked up, plate in hand - but daily a good bit of nurses will go to the cafe and grab breakfast and munch on it between caring for patients. On the day that I don't have time to get a break to munch on food - usually noone has. And we're all hungry and grumpy and empathetic of each others misery (i've got a almond joy in my bag if you want! grab a pack of saltines; its great with pb!, want me to make a fresh pot of coffee?, etc.) I guess it's just something i've gotten used to. If you're a continuous muncher (some days i am but not often), I would simply suggest packing a bag of quick snacks (a can of nuts, some chewy bars, cut up apple slices, pretzels, chips, a energy bar, gatorade, high sugared soda - mountain dew is a common one, a sandwich cut up in halfs, carrot sticks with dip, etc.) That way, you'll be content throughout the day.

I would guess that the hospital offered a sign on bonus because not many people are applying. Maybe they do have a highly rigorous environment that is difficult for many people to function in. Your friend seems to be making it though, so it's not impossible. My hospital did not offer a sign on bonus lol, but it would have been nice . Every business is run its own way though, so it could be that they have greater competition at another city hospital and they want to make their offer more appealing (in which case i'd scope out both hospitals). Also before hiring, my hospital offers a shadow day where the applicant shadows a person of the same position (and its usually random so there no "high energy" liaison there to give you a false picture). The person you shadow gets to know you and offers their opinion if they think you are cut out for the job (did you seem pretty interested or were you texting on your phone in patients rooms, did you seem to understand things pretty easily or were you lost in all the chaos) and you are able to get first hand (without touching) experience on the tasks. That would be a good time to see if the job is right for you. Also, there is 4 wks minimum of orienting alongside a coworker - so there is plenty of time to really evaluate if you like the job or not.

Of course if you have anymore questions you can contact me. That's what PC is for. Again, hospitals aren't your only option - but because of my experience, they are mine. I'm currently trying to get a second job at the childrens hospital here (hard to get in because no one wants to leave lol) and I think that tbh, if I worked full time at my job i'd be pretty exhausted and may not enjoy it as much (it would require 5 8 hour shifts for me).

[SeekerOfLife]

Thanks again Teal. I have to be concerned about breaks because I have hypoglycemia. I can get to feeling downright sick if I go too long without eating.

[tealBumblebee]

Originally Posted by seekersinking

Thanks again Teal. I have to be concerned about breaks because I have hypoglycemia. I can get to feeling downright sick if I go too long without eating.

There should be no reason that you wouldn't be allowed to snack or check your sugar, etc.

[SingDanceRunLife]

My only input is think about the pay because it's often crap. My friend's husband is a CNA and has been one for YEARS and I made more per hour than he did working at Sears, and at one point, my friend made the same as him working at a gas station. At my current job (daycare assistant), I make what the average CNA makes where I live.

[Human Res Adm]

I get a lot of questions regarding becoming an EEG Technician from CNA's and Homecare workers looking to change careers in the healthcare field. Some hospitals and doctor's offices will provide on the job training for the right candidate. They will usually start with CNA's first, because they have basic healthcare training. There is a very limited number of college's that even offer this type of coursework. Watch out for loading up on a lot of student loans, this isn't exactly the highest paying job, but it is pretty steady work.


I found this EEG Technician Online Training Program, proprofs.com/training/course/?title=MjAxMTY3D. It seems tocover a lot of what an EEG Tech would be expected to know, it might at least get your foot in the door with a Dr.'s office or hospital.



Hope this helps, Good Luck!

[Daniel44114]

There are a number of benefits to enrolling in a CNA classes. They are a great option for those who wish to increase their income as well as their opportunity for career advancement in the health care industry. Because there are so many different programs being offered by educational institutions across the country, it is important to consider a few key things before making any decisions as to which one you choose. The program that you go into to earn your certificate is paramount to where you end up working after all of your training and education is complete.