Colorado Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
**PennyCandy**
Hi, Sunflower22 suggested I ask you about your CNA experiences..
What did/do you like most about being a CNA? If you were one before applying to get your RN did you find it helpful? What does a typical day look like for a CNA?
I'm hoping to take a 5 week program in June because I'm not a resident of CO yet and I would be wait listed for the RN program along with all the pre-reqs I'd have to take anyway. So I figured I'd get started in the healthcare field while waiting.
TIA!! : )
Re: **PennyCandy**
Sorry to invade your post for Penny, I just had to chime in here ; )
I was a CNA for a while in 2 very different facilities. The only job I could find right after finishing the program was at a nursing and rehab center (which is typical for a CNA's first job). We were always understaffed and the work was really, REALLY hard. I worked 12's which was nice because I only worked 3 days/week but 1 of those days off was spent sleeping and the other was spent catching up on all the chores I couldn't accomplish during working days so it wasn't like I had a 4 day weekend every week, really, if that makes sense. Basically, my duties were: waking, toileting, dressing, and hygiene, serving breakfast, wheeling/walking patients back to bed/to therapy/to activity, toileting, lunch, wheeling/walking patients back to bed/therapy/activity, toileting, bathing, toileting, dinner, wheeling/walking patients back to bed/therapy/activity, toileting and bedtime prep, bedtime. Whew! Days were long and my back hurt. I was paid less than $10/hour. I loved helping people who couldn't help themselves and I felt a great sense of fulfillment from doing a job that most people couldn't handle but I'll never do it again.
The other CNA job I had was at a memory care facility where all residents had to be ambulatory (which really helped my back since I didn't have to do transfers all.day.long) but were all behavioral due to Alzheimer's and/or Dementia. The shifts were also only 8 hours long which helped with staff burn-out. In this job, I had more cleaning duties (we did the laundry for the residents and had to "bus tables" for meals). I was paid a little better for this job... hard to recall though... maybe $11/hour? Oh, I also had to do the QMAP for this job because we passed meds for the residents and had no RN on the premises.
I'm not sure if PennyCandy will have a completely different story and experience or if hers is similar to mine, but I wanted you to have the little info I have from my past since it was a huge part of my development as a person (hello! compassion and patience much??) and got me out of direct care as I realized I wasn't really cut out for it as a long term career.
The first job I had was in a nursing home and it's a lot different than the hospital job I have now.
I did evenings in the nursing home. As soon as I got there, I got report. Then, I filled my linen cart. As soon as I got back I started with my showers and changed their bed linens. By the time I was done with showers it was time to toilet everyone and get them to dinner. During dinner I passed out meals and then helped the people that needed to be fed. As soon as dinner was over I started getting residents to bed. Since I worked the same unit all the time, I knew the residents well enough to to know their routines and worked out a schedule so I got everyone to bed when they wanted. I didn't finish with bed time until 9:00 or 9:30 and then just answered call lights the rest of the night and charted. It doesn't sound like much, but I worked so I hard I lost a significant amount of weight.
At the hospital I work 6-6:30. I do vitals signs at 6:00am. I do rounds at 7, 9, 11, 1, 3, and 5. I have to at least ask every patient if they want to shower so as soon as they are ready after breakfast I start with that. I usually do about 4, but I've done as many as 6 in one day. I also change their sheets when they take a shower. I really try to get all of my showers done before lunch because the afternoon is often super busy. We expect our patients to be up for meals since they are most often there for rehab so I help them do that. In between helping with showers, toileting, and what not I answer call lights or work at the desk. I do blood sugars at 11:30 and 4:30 and another set of vitals between 5:00 and 6:00 depending on how many patients we have. I often float to other units either as a secretary or a tech and do 1:1 with patients that need 1 on 1 supervision for whatever reason. I've been to three units in one day before. All of the units function differently so that can be tough. We also care for hospice patients, which require different care completely. We still round on them every hour, but we do a lot of re-positioning and other comfort cares. It can be emotionally tough, but helping someone to go peacefully and with dignity is worth the toll it takes.
I'm also the unit secretary so when I'm not doing patient care I work the desk. I answer phones, put physician orders into the computer system, stuff charts, order supplies, etc. When we get new admissions, I make sure the get entered into are system, put their chart together, and put their orders in. When they are discharged, I take them out of the system and tear down their charts for medical records.
In an average day at the hospital I literally walk 5 miles. It's hard work. I love, love, love my patients though and I'm good at my job so they love me back, which is so rewarding. I learn something new almost every time I work and I can tell you that working in the hospital now is putting me miles ahead of my peers.
Depending on where you work and what type of facility it is, I think you can expect to make anywhere from $10 to $13 an hour or so. I can't think of anything else, but if you have any specific questions, let me know.
Thank you! This was very helpful!
Wow I wasn't expecting you to write that much, but I REALLY appreciate it! Thanks for all the info.. very helpful. Just wanted to get an Idea. I'm really excited to get into this and gain experience before getting my RN.
Thanks again for all the info!