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Thread: The stressed out life of a CNA

  1. #11
    Super Moderator cougarnurse's Avatar
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    Hey, I did the LPN to RN route, with 2 years of being a CNA before LPN school. Now it is MANDATORY that one get the ol' CNA before one gets into the first semester of Clinical out my way.

    Think of it this way: you are learning and earning. Hppy is right; there will be a way to get your RN, TRUST me!

  2. #12
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    You still have to pay thousands of dollars for a promotion if you are a CNA. Some of us are getting older and in some places CNA wages are not high enough to even think about going to school plus the lack of benefits. I think what needs to be done is CNAs should all have the ability for an apprenticeship and should not have to pay thousands of dollars for schooling just for a job promotion. Even in a sewage plant the workers have an ability for promotion. I think a lot of what would fix the CNA shortage or the shortage of quality CNAs would be for one, get the nurses out from behind the nurses station. A medical secretary can answer phone calls and go get the nurse if they are needed on the phone. Charting should be done in the halls and believe me they do not have as much as some would like to act like they do. i have worked in hospitals and nursing homes. From what I have experienced hospital nurses are far more busy. Also the nurses need to quit creatively looking to find things for CNAs to do when they are already busy. Remember it is not an abomination when a CNA sits down. They are tired. Another thing i have experienced as I have never seen as many bad backs, knees, etc.... than when CNAs ask nurses for help. LOL Also remember CNAs are not your servants. That is a big one. We are not there to keep nurses from having to get up. Let us forget, picking up a phone is not hard and calling a doctor or pharmacy is not back breaking work and takes a few minutes so please do not use that against a CNA that sees you as lazy. With that being said, I do thank all the nurses out there who do participate in the care fo patients and work as a team with the CNAs instead of sitting and letting the CNAs do most of the work. They are very appreciated and cherished.

  3. #13
    Thank you for your forum post. I greatly appreciate your insights and what you are talking about. I have been in your shoes before. It is very stressful when staff members are out. I remember when we were suppose to have five staff members on our floor; we only had two for the long morning and a third came at 12:00 pm. It was a very long and hard morning. I just hoped that nothing would happen on the floor when I worked that day and nothing did happen. Everything went very smooth. My co-worker and I worked out a plan and we decided since there were two of us that I would serve the meals and she would get the coffee. I would also check the door to make sure that nobody walked out of the the building. As long as you work out a plan, everything should be OK and take it easy as well. Good luck to you. Purplespider, CNA

  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by duaneconnell View Post
    Thank you for your forum post. I greatly appreciate your insights and what you are talking about. I have been in your shoes before. It is very stressful when staff members are out. I remember when we were suppose to have five staff members on our floor; we only had two for the long morning and a third came at 12:00 pm. It was a very long and hard morning. I just hoped that nothing would happen on the floor when I worked that day and nothing did happen. Everything went very smooth. My co-worker and I worked out a plan and we decided since there were two of us that I would serve the meals and she would get the coffee. I would also check the door to make sure that nobody walked out of the the building. As long as you work out a plan, everything should be OK and take it easy as well. Good luck to you. Purplespider, CNA

    I think that it is wise that nursing students get their CNA; even before they start nursing rotations for several reasons. It gets their feet wet into the nursing field. It gets them use to the nursing skills in which they will need to learn. It also helps them overall understand the basic nursing care which brings a good foundation for all nursing care. Getting the CNA is also a good idea for job prospects as well while you are in nursing school. If the managers see that you have a CNA, then you are credible in your job and can get one. Overall, having your CNA is a good idea.

  5. #15
    All of nursing education is getting more complex and broader in nature; including the role of a CNA. In the state where I live, I have to fill out a questionaire sheet whenever I renew my certificate license for the CNA and it wants to show how many nursing hours that I worked during the year and what were my duties. I also know that certain nursing programs have to have documentation that you completed some course work before you come to the nursing school; especially in doing some online course material. CNA's work has become more diverse over the years. CNA's do have options for advancement and get higher nursing title's like LPN/LVN or RN. My good friend from nursing school was a CNA in high school and when I met her, she wanted to get into higher status in the nursing profession; so that is why she was going to get her BSN (RN) degree and possibly her masters in the future. So, being a CNA is a gift in that you learn the basic ideas and things of nursing and you can advance upward from there.

  6. #16
    I really think that becoming a CNA is a great idea for several reasons. It allows you to take the first step and get the basic care needs of nursing over and take the certification test. When students take the CNA portion first, it is like the first piece of the puzzle has been solved and more pieces are building to formulate a well-rounded nurse. I think that employers want employees to become more and more certified and licensed with credentials because it is a changing world and all employees need to have more credentials in order to compete with other employees. Nursing is constantly changing and nursing students are becoming more and more CNA's while they are in school so they can work in the nursing field right away and get the exposure that they need. I would say that I am thankful that nursing students are able to become CNA's.

  7. #17
    I could definitely tell from the rehab center where my mom was for about 44 days that CNA's today are very stressed out. I was stressed out when I worked as a CNA myself for years, but now I think that the work load is far harder. There are so many things to do and so many directions to go into these days. Plus, CNA's can advance and become more things on the job now. I think that the things in order to make the work load more manageable are:
    1. Work on tasks that need to be worked on first and prioritize them.
    2. Have good relations and communication with your boss.
    3. Understand what your job details are and do it.
    4. Keep in mind of all options.

    I hope this helps.

  8. #18
    I think that it is wise to have your CNA before you take the LPN course work because of these reasons:

    1. It helps to get your foot in the door into the healthcare field.
    2. It allows you to have that medical foundation that will flourish into more abundant nursing care.
    I think that more and more nursing programs should require the students to have their CNA and I am so thankful that you got the chance to have yours in order to become an LPN.
    I wish you the best.

  9. #19
    These are all great ideas and true statements about CNA's. I have been a CNA for about 17 years now. I have worked in long-term care facility and in the schools. I have seen so many changes that are happening all around and everywhere in the medical field. I did not have any trouble working on the weekends, except just getting out of bed if I stayed up too late. I usually had the hardest time at the end of the day when I just felt drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. All of that stress of the day took a toll on me and I felt just rung out. That is why being a CNA is so stressful because I try my hardest to do a good job and be the best that I can be, but at the end of the day I am so tired that I have to close my eyes sometimes before I can even drive home. Being a CNA is a great reward; the only thing that I have to remember going forward is to pace myself better during the day so that I am not so tired when I go home.

  10. #20
    I really think that is great to have the CNA out of the way for several reasons:

    1. You get the healthcare experience that you need along with a certification that you also need in the present and future.
    2. Having your CNA helps in the general healthcare aspect because it is a stepping stone to a lot of things.
    3. It helps to know what the basic level of care is and have that mastered before being in advanced level of nursing care.

    I wish you the best.

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