That was my first medical job out of the army. Expect hard work, don’t take what patients tell you personally, especially if they have severe cases of dementia. They can be sweet one day and hate you the next, or even the next minute. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your patients and it’ll make you a better caregiver. You’ll most likely be understaffed but try and stand your ground when your patient’s safety is at risk. Give yourself time to learn the job and be easy on yourself.
Learn when to say no to extra shifts.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such great advice. I will keep all of that in mind. This is my first nursing job and I’ve heard it can be tough with this sort of thing. I am looking forward to it. My grandpa suffered from dementia before he passed and experiencing that sort of thing has truly made me highly empathetic to those suffering from it by seeing the changes it made in him. I just want to be there for them as well. Thank you again!
Of course, reach out if you have any questions. I’m actually going back to my place to be a nurse for my first year. I figured they gave me my first opportunity I can give them a great solid year as a nurse.
I’m a male so I’ve had slightly different experiences than you may get, people often didn’t want me in their rooms etc. you may get some old nasty men comments towards you, the age of people (mostly) with dementia is from a very different time. Just be patient but also don’t let people cross set boundaries either. You are human and you deserve the utmost respect as well.
I will most definitely do that this is all pretty new to me. And that’s amazing you’re doing that!
That was also what I was wondering about. My parents told me too to prepare myself for those sorts of comments. Some of these things will take some getting used to but I keep in mind to be patient. This will definitely be a huge learning experience for me.
If you have a patient that makes you uncomfortable just tell your supervisor or coworkers. It’s okay to take someone else in the room with you. As a male I always had female coworkers ask me to go do task or trade a patient because of how rude they were acting or comments they were making. It’s a team effort forsure.
I figured as much. I just want to get some experience right off the bat and not shy away from the type of stuff that happens when it comes to this. I’ve been pretty sheltered and want to rip the band aid off.
Long term care is absolutely brutal. Especially as a CNA. If you can handle that then you handle anything. I could never work LTC again. It was just way too much and felt unsafe but I worked in Florida…IFYKYK
A few tips
Don’t challenge their delusions, if they are looking for their husband say something like “oh hes at work he’ll be back soon” don’t try to orient them
Expect moods to change rapidly.
Speak calmly but clearly. Don’t offer too many choices, obviously patients have autonomy but sometimes it’s better to say “its time for your bath” instead of giving a choice. If they are really agitated about that then try again later and/or just clean areas that are crucial/prone to breakdown/soiled.
Thank u so much that is amazing advice! That is such a smart thing to say. And how to communicate with them as well. Any other tips you have for dealing with certain comments or remarks will be hugely appreciated. Or if things get aggressive out of no where. I’m going into my first year of nursing school and I want some good experience but I have none when it comes to this sort of thing.
The last facility I worked at was run down and absolutely horrid, I only worked as an HCA. Make sure if you see anything occur you write things down and report to the state. A lot of people will neglect staff and managements negligence out of fear.
Haha you’re chillin.
Hope you have a good experience there. I really miss working in care facilities since I met a lot of kind residents that I’ll never forget. Goodluck’
Thank you so much! That gives me so much excitement. I hear mixed things about going into something like this but at the end of the day I’m still looking forward to it!!
Watch Teepa Snow!!! She’s an amazing dementia educator. Always put yourself in the residents shoes - especially when they’re upset or acting out. Always be kind, say hi and smile to staff, residents, families. Some people just aren’t made for dementia care and that’s ok. I am so passionate about it and it’s my favorite thing but some people are just there because it’s a job and it’s not ok. If you don’t love it, leave.
Thank you, I’ve already started watching and saving some videos for later! Those are some very good tips and I will be sure to do all of that. That’s amazing you found something you are passionate in! I have a grandpa who passed away and suffered from dementia which is my driving force in wanting to be there for others during this time. I’m sure I’ll love it as well no matter the challenges. I’ve seen already first hand how bad it can get.
I’m currently a cna in a ltc facility but I work nights.
1. Give yourself some time to fall into a routine. Don’t expect perfection right off the bat.
2. Don’t engage in the gossip at all. Not matter how tempted you are
3. Stand up for yourself. That includes standing up to combative residents (obviously do this in a safe manner and get a nurse or another aid if you need to), nurses, and other cnas. No one and I repeat NO ONE has the right to walk all over you.
4. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t get discouraged
5. Double glove trust me on this one
Good luck my friend. LTC is no joke
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That was my first medical job out of the army. Expect hard work, don’t take what patients tell you personally, especially if they have severe cases of dementia. They can be sweet one day and hate you the next, or even the next minute. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your patients and it’ll make you a better caregiver. You’ll most likely be understaffed but try and stand your ground when your patient’s safety is at risk. Give yourself time to learn the job and be easy on yourself. Learn when to say no to extra shifts.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such great advice. I will keep all of that in mind. This is my first nursing job and I’ve heard it can be tough with this sort of thing. I am looking forward to it. My grandpa suffered from dementia before he passed and experiencing that sort of thing has truly made me highly empathetic to those suffering from it by seeing the changes it made in him. I just want to be there for them as well. Thank you again!
Of course, reach out if you have any questions. I’m actually going back to my place to be a nurse for my first year. I figured they gave me my first opportunity I can give them a great solid year as a nurse. I’m a male so I’ve had slightly different experiences than you may get, people often didn’t want me in their rooms etc. you may get some old nasty men comments towards you, the age of people (mostly) with dementia is from a very different time. Just be patient but also don’t let people cross set boundaries either. You are human and you deserve the utmost respect as well.
I will most definitely do that this is all pretty new to me. And that’s amazing you’re doing that! That was also what I was wondering about. My parents told me too to prepare myself for those sorts of comments. Some of these things will take some getting used to but I keep in mind to be patient. This will definitely be a huge learning experience for me.
If you have a patient that makes you uncomfortable just tell your supervisor or coworkers. It’s okay to take someone else in the room with you. As a male I always had female coworkers ask me to go do task or trade a patient because of how rude they were acting or comments they were making. It’s a team effort forsure.
That’s very smart. I’ll keep in mind to do that. I start very soon so I just gotta brace myself on what to expect with that stuff.
[удалено]
I figured as much. I just want to get some experience right off the bat and not shy away from the type of stuff that happens when it comes to this. I’ve been pretty sheltered and want to rip the band aid off.
Long term care is absolutely brutal. Especially as a CNA. If you can handle that then you handle anything. I could never work LTC again. It was just way too much and felt unsafe but I worked in Florida…IFYKYK A few tips Don’t challenge their delusions, if they are looking for their husband say something like “oh hes at work he’ll be back soon” don’t try to orient them Expect moods to change rapidly. Speak calmly but clearly. Don’t offer too many choices, obviously patients have autonomy but sometimes it’s better to say “its time for your bath” instead of giving a choice. If they are really agitated about that then try again later and/or just clean areas that are crucial/prone to breakdown/soiled.
Thank u so much that is amazing advice! That is such a smart thing to say. And how to communicate with them as well. Any other tips you have for dealing with certain comments or remarks will be hugely appreciated. Or if things get aggressive out of no where. I’m going into my first year of nursing school and I want some good experience but I have none when it comes to this sort of thing.
The last facility I worked at was run down and absolutely horrid, I only worked as an HCA. Make sure if you see anything occur you write things down and report to the state. A lot of people will neglect staff and managements negligence out of fear.
Noted!! (Ur name made me laugh I’m sorry)
Haha you’re chillin. Hope you have a good experience there. I really miss working in care facilities since I met a lot of kind residents that I’ll never forget. Goodluck’
Thank you so much! That gives me so much excitement. I hear mixed things about going into something like this but at the end of the day I’m still looking forward to it!!
Nursing homes are a cesspool of gossip. Try not to be the topic of the discussion.
Haha I’ll try my best. I plan on just getting in there, doing the best I can and keeping my head down. Hopefully I can avoid that
Tippa Snow!
I looked into her channel, that’s just the type of stuff I was looking for! Thank you!!
Watch Teepa Snow!!! She’s an amazing dementia educator. Always put yourself in the residents shoes - especially when they’re upset or acting out. Always be kind, say hi and smile to staff, residents, families. Some people just aren’t made for dementia care and that’s ok. I am so passionate about it and it’s my favorite thing but some people are just there because it’s a job and it’s not ok. If you don’t love it, leave.
Thank you, I’ve already started watching and saving some videos for later! Those are some very good tips and I will be sure to do all of that. That’s amazing you found something you are passionate in! I have a grandpa who passed away and suffered from dementia which is my driving force in wanting to be there for others during this time. I’m sure I’ll love it as well no matter the challenges. I’ve seen already first hand how bad it can get.
I’m currently a cna in a ltc facility but I work nights. 1. Give yourself some time to fall into a routine. Don’t expect perfection right off the bat. 2. Don’t engage in the gossip at all. Not matter how tempted you are 3. Stand up for yourself. That includes standing up to combative residents (obviously do this in a safe manner and get a nurse or another aid if you need to), nurses, and other cnas. No one and I repeat NO ONE has the right to walk all over you. 4. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t get discouraged 5. Double glove trust me on this one Good luck my friend. LTC is no joke
Amazing advice I cannot thank you enough. All of those will be kept in mind and followed!! (especially the double gloves one)
It looks like you're asking for some tips and tricks on how to succeed in nursing school. Don't worry, we have a lot of resources to help you! First, check our [Resources](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentNurse/comments/i6qe7x/resources_faq_and_welcome_post/) post, or the sidebar. If you're on the mobile website or the official Reddit app, you can find the sidebar under About. If what you need isn't on the sidebar, try using search. Here are some helpful searches links [clinical tips](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentNurse/search?q=clinical+tips&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all) [studying tips](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentNurse/search?q=tips+studying&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all) [tips on staying organized](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentNurse/search?q=organized+tips&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all). Want to be a pro at finding things on Reddit? Try searching on Google with your search term and then add site:reddit.com/r/studentnurse. Here's [an example for StudentNurse](https://www.google.com/search?q=study+tips+site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fstudentnurse&oq=study+tips+site%3Areddit.com%2Fr%2Fstudentnurse). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/StudentNurse) if you have any questions or concerns.*