Tell Me About Being a CNA

I've worked in the medical field in one way or the other for many years.
One thing I can tell you is that there are differing definitions of CNA "training".
Licensed CNA's are more valued and higher paid.
If you take a weekend "training" you may get a certificate stating that you have learned how to turn or "transfer" a patient, use a Hoyer lift, etc. That type of training is not the same as prerequisite courses for a nursing program.
I have worked in hospitals and am currently working in the health care industry as far as in-home care. I'm on the administrative end of things. I have the utmost respect for our caregivers because I know that I could never do what they do. Blood and guts don't bother me. But the other stuff does. I admit it. I am very caring and compassionate, but I could never change an adult diaper or clean other bodily fluids.
In my experience, very few CNA's handle mostly paperwork or assessing things whether licensed or unlicensed. We have unlicensed caregivers who are trained in changing colostomy bags, caring for total bed care patients. We have patients who come home from the hospital after amputations due to diabetes, etc. It's not for the faint of heart.
There is nothing wrong with not being able to handle any of that.
Anyone can qualify for first aid or CPR training.
There might be agencies in your area that you can work for driving clients to appointments or doing housekeeping and meal preparation.
You could also look into medical assisting programs. Many physician offices hire them and they are the ones who take vitals, weight, symptoms, BP, etc prior to medical appointments.
Check to see if any facilities near you are hiring in the medical records department. Health Information Management isn't a bad position, still in the medical field, but less hands on as far as actual care.

I wish you the best, I really do, and I hope you get some responses from CNA's that can tell you how much they love their jobs. All the CNA's I know really love it and are dedicated to their patients and any aspects required.
It's not easy work, I do know that.

Best wishes.

You might also talk to Hospice in your area. They are wonderful and they need people to go out and help people in their homes as well as hospitals with in-house Hospice wings.

Dawn

I know someone who recently became a CNA in a nursing home and she loves working with people, taking care of them. The downside is a lot of physical labor. Lifting people who can't help and some are rather large. She is pretty exhausted by the end of the day.
Good luck to you.

I have a friend who is a CNA. Are you sure you can get certification in a weekend? Each state is different, but it took her about 4 months, and then she had to take the state exam. She did home care (was injured on the job). As with every job, there is good and bad. There is a lot of lifting involved - moving the patient, changing bedding.

When my MIL's health was failing, we hired CNA's to help her. They would help her bathe, help her with meals, change dressings on her wounds, make her comfortable and provide companionship.

My husband became one at the place where he worked as a dietitian. Pulling the occasional CNA shift gave us some extra income and let him get to know his patients better. It was a lot of bedpan changing and baths, changing soiled linens etc. My mother was an LPN and I would advise you to look at the facility as if you were planning on placing your loved one there. Look up the staffing ratios and check on their health inspections, etc. That way you can tell if they are usually short-handed or not, and how well they provide their employees with the needed time and resources to truly care for the patients.

When I was a CNA I spent the day giving baths, cleaning houses, doing lots of running errands, CNA's are NOT allowed to give meds, not allowed to do any patient care other than personal care like baths or hair brushing, they are there to help with daily living and not anything else. I was accused of being to stupid to be a real nurse, of being lazy because I wouldn't wash a person's private areas (She had full use of her hands, she only had general health issues that were not too serious), of being mean because I told one of the people no, I was not allowed to do work that took my feet off the floor, I was not going to climb a ladder to move boxes of metal parts off the top of the freezer. It was the worst job I ever had in my life and I hated each and every day I spent doing it.

If you are looking for a good paying job why aren't you going back to teaching? Even being a substitute pays more money than a CNA job per day. Plus it can work in to being a full time job when an opening comes up.

I have several friends who have gotten full time jobs through the school system by starting out as substitutes. One is the full time permanent substitute, that means if there is no one needing a substitute that day she goes to the admin building and does copies, answers the phones, helps with anything they need. She is on salary and works a regular day but what she does during the day is fluid/flexible. She is never bored for sure. My other friend is now a pre-K teacher after being a substitute for about 1 1/2 years.

I would think with your degree you could find full time good paying jobs without having to invest more money. With a BA you can word in child care, in a state office as a case worker for food stamps, child care, medical care, and even as a child welfare staff person. You could work in an agency that provides services to people with developmental disabilities, in a community agency like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Community Action, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, etc...each and every of the agencies require a Bachelors degree but are agencies that provide services to the community.

I personally would look for a job within the school district so that I would be working the same days my kids are in school. There are many jobs within the school that are not just teaching, you might even be able to work in the cafeteria and be off work shortly after noon. There are personal aid jobs where you are assigned to a handicapped person and are there to help them get lunch, help with toileting, getting from one class to another, taking them to another room if they have a behavior plan and need time away to calm down, etc....that would be much more fulfilling to me than working with a bunch of people who thing you are a CNA because you weren't smart enough to be a real nurse or to get a real job.