so i started working at this one facility about 2 months ago as a brand new cna, & everything was going great. everyone i met seemed to be great understanding people, the job wasn’t that bad, & i was starting to get in the hang of this cna thing. this is my first full-time job i literally JUST graduated from undergrad, so while im waiting for absn school to start I have been able to work a lot more. anyways with this being my first full-time job that means i have access to PTO & sick time, well i decided to call out the other day because i genuinely felt like if i went in that night i would not make it thru the shift. I barely got any sleep before my previous shift & had a busy day since i was going to go visit my mom back home the next day (i was going to leave straight from work). mind u i didn’t just call in because i was “tired”, i felt like shit in general and didn’t want to take that attitude or vibe to work with me that night. i called off at like 9am which was TEN whole hours before my next shift started.

I messaged HR around 8am if id be able to use pto or some sick time to cover the absence before i had actually went to call out, I got no reply. So then I went to call the # to go call out, i told the scheduler that after last shift i just can’t see myself going in that night & it being a good night since i have things to do & probably won’t get to sleep early enough on top of me not getting any sleep before my last shift. would you believe this lady said “that’s not a good excuse and i’m going to put you in the phone with the DON” & just hung up…

so at this point im like “???” okay. I get a call back from the same # with the DON on the phone & she basically starts chewing me out saying that me being tired is unacceptable, if i wanted to use pto i should’ve taken the proper channels, and if i knew i was going to be leaving out of town i should’ve planned better. she then says that she’s in the HR office and i’m on speaker and that basically everyone in management is hearing this conversation. that part really took me back cause what??? then at the end of the convo she tried to be funny and say “enjoy your trip” then hung up the phone. all of this because i asked to use some fkn pto that i’ve never had before, like yall genuinely could’ve just said no & kept it pushing 😭. now don’t get me wrong, i do understand the planning aspect, but this was a last minute thing… we work every other weekend so i knew id be able to make it to my moms place without using any pto, i mean how can someone plan to be exhausted???

this whole situation just put a bad taste in my mouth with this facility. the only reason i felt comfortable texting and asking HR about the PTO thing was because the lady who works in hr made it seem like she was an understanding and cool woman. well i was clearly wrong. same for the DON, she’s new and made it seem like any problem we have we can just go talk to her about it, yeah okay. soon as i got off the phone with them i started looking for a new job. the only reason i didn’t quit right then and there on the phone is because my friends birthday trip is in a few weeks & i still need to be paid, lmao. but it’s fine, soon as i get back im quitting & everyone will know exactly why, how tf don’t expect to keep staff if you’re rude and degrading towards them???

I’m sure this question has been asked hundreds of times, but I’m not sifting through hundreds of posts to find the answers. 😂

I work weekends at a new facility, and I’m currently going through the “I’m new, so apparently everything that goes wrong is my fault” stage.
One of the employees (I’m not entirely sure what her title is because she works in therapy but isn’t licensed?) was caught calling me “retarded” and “a dumb bitch” over a situation that genuinely was not my fault.

For context, a resident who is nearly completely independent went to therapy without pants on. This resident gets herself up, gets herself dressed, and rarely needs assistance with anything. She usually isn’t even up that early. Instead of simply asking where the resident’s room and closet were so she could help resolve the situation, this employee threw a fit. Honestly, it felt like she was looking for a reason to start something.

There’s also a nurse on another hall who seems to have a problem with me. She’s called me lazy, despite the fact that I DON’T EVEN WORK ON HER HALL. She’s the one who sits behind the nurses station and watches TikTok . Or clocks in and GOES HOME for an hour. She has no firsthand knowledge of how I do my job, yet she’s targeted me on multiple occasions. I’ve been firm in response without being outright confrontational.
The problem is that the way I’m being talked about and spoken to is absolutely ridiculous. I understand being new means I have things to learn, and I’m perfectly willing to accept constructive criticism. What I’m not willing to accept is being insulted, talked down about, or treated like a punching bag because I’m the new girl. There’s a clear difference.

Leaving this facility this early isn’t an option for me, so I’m trying to figure out how to navigate this professionally without letting people walk all over me.
For those of you who have worked in LTC, SNF, or other healthcare facilities for a while: How do you handle the catty coworkers and workplace bullying without making yourself a target or getting caught up in unnecessary drama?

Do you address it directly? Document everything and go to management? Kill them with kindness? Set firm boundaries and keep it moving?
I know I can’t control how other people act, but I would appreciate some advice on how to protect myself, earn respect, and get through this stage without losing my mind. Because I am NOT used to this petty of drama especially in a workplace.

At my job for NOC shift, we’re not allowed to wake the patients early to check or reposition them. We’re supposed to let them sleep. So we only change and reposition them once besides passing out ice water. I see other CNAs start changing residents at 5AM and finish all of them by 6:30AM so they can return the cart to the laundry lady who gets mad if we return it after that time. Well yesterday I got an assignment that I was unfamiliar with (because they keep jumping me around while other CNAs get a fixed assignment). And in my assignment, I basically had to go from one wing to another wing because it was just basically random rooms that other CNAs do not want.

For my assignment, I had 16 residents and 13 of them needed to be changed and repositioned. 5 of them are on g-tubes so I had to get the nurse to turn them off. Well I asked the nurse at 3AM after my break if she could please turn them off so I can start changing them and she tells me it’s too early. I told her my assignment is very heavy and I’m unfamiliar with these rooms and she’s like yeah but morning shift doesn’t change them right away so they’re just going to be sitting in their soaked briefs if you start changing them too soon. Well my thought process was since it literally take me at least 15 minutes to change someone because I have to wait for the water to get hot (we use towel and water), gather all my supplies (we don’t have a linen cart so we have to get it one at a time from the supplies)…not to mention my rooms are all over the place so I have to factor in the time to get there. Well the nurse starts turning off the gtube at 3:30AM and it turns out pretty much all of the patients couldn’t even assist in rolling so it’s very hard to change them. One of them was a 200lb+ man and he couldn’t even move his body because he was in pain. I’m a 150lb woman and I basically had to do my best to roll him myself. And you may ask, why did I not ask for any help?? Like we don’t do that here at all. When I was training with my preceptors they all tell me, try not to ask for help and try to just do it yourself because there’s not a lot of people during NOC anyways. Also I had like 2 patients (thankfully females) who kept throwing punches at me as I was changing them. Their grips were so hard they wouldn’t let me brief them up. Another man was soaked everywhere so I had to do a full bed change/gown change and that took a while for me as well. When I finished, it all took me a little after 6:30AM and of course the laundry lady got mad at me because she wants it returned latest 6:30AM.

I dont know if it’s just me but when I was training with my preceptors we didn’t have to change that many people?? Like they only had 6-7 incontinent patients. I’m the newest one here but they did this with a girl that I became close to who had to quit and she was getting like 10+ incontinent patients and would often finish late as well.

Am I just really slow or is it not normal to be assigned 10+ incontinent patients with a lot of total dependents?

I’m almost done with my clinicals, and honestly it’s made me rethink if I even want to be an CNA. I’ve been a medical assistant and gave that up to take care of my grandma. I’ve always considered being a nurse and I believe that being a CNA would be the next best step for me. I’m not sure if it’s the facility I’m at, the school I went to, or the current CNA/Nurses that I deal with…. But I’m honestly starting to rethink it all. I haven’t felt this humiliated, depressed, or defeated in my life. I’m hoping that once I’m done and I’m able to move to better place things will get better, but part of me doesn’t even want to do it anymore.

Can anyone give me literally any information about travel CNA jobs? Experience, companies, pay? Thanks!

CNA in long-term care. I’m having a lot of trouble pushing the linen carts / meal carts / wheelchairs around all day, and my back is killing me. Do you guys have the same issue? Which carts or equipment are the worst for you?

Considering working overnights so I can go to school during the day. It balances better for me tbh. What’s it like and is it easier? I have autoimmune issues and I get fatigue/weakness during flares so im wondering if this will be easier on my body. I worked overnight for hotels before I love the schedule.

Hello, I am a 20 F ; ive been working at a LTC facility for over a year.
For some background our facility, is one of the lowest rated in the county. It’s absolutely horrid. We never have any wipes or briefs, everyday our shift is getting blamed for things we didn’t to, and constantly watched on like we’re children (for some reason it’s really discouraging feeling like if I fuck up just a little bit I’m going to be in trouble, whenever one else can sleep and do what they want). I only make 19.50, I have on average 20-23 people every night whom are all totals but 4. I come in everyday and work my ass off. I am starting to become resentful and hateful towards people that have nothing to do with what I have going on.
I’ve started getting to the point where I don’t even want to be in healthcare anymore. I am trying not to give up so fast, because I know some of it is the facility but the other part is just the fact that being a cna..sucks😐. I am not sure what to do, I want to help people but I don’t want to go to school (at least for an extended time) and I want to feel compensated for the work I’m doing!

What is some advice that I could take or some other career I could do in healthcare before throwing in the towel.
(I’ve looked into getting my cma, but it’s just less stress with the same pay🤷🏽‍♀️)

I started two weeks ago and it still feels like my body is adjusting. I’m already afraid I might eventually wreck my body doing this kind of work because I’m feeling some stiffness and soreness in places I’ve never felt before lol but I always try to be mindful of proper body mechanics. I foam roll and stretch after every shift. I still weight train and go to the gym, eat well, sleep well, etc. How can I properly maintain my body or is developing issues kinda inevitable :(

This is my first job interview since I got certified, and I really want it to work out.

They did a phone screening with me first, and it went well, cause she immediately scheduled me to meet with the unit nurse manager. She said I would get a tour of the unit, but I don't know what else will happen.

I've heard that some interviews kinda test you by asking you about different scenarios. If this happened to you, can you give examples? Are there specific answers they are looking for? What else do they ask you?

What about dress code? It feels like it's too much to wear a blazer, especially since we'll be walking around the unit.

hii! so i’m having a pretty rough day at work which makes me feel 10x as bad but, i am still fairly new to ltc (less than 6mos). there’s 9 assignments per shift at my job and i literally can only work 1 without asking for any help. is that a sign that the facility is too heavy? granted i am 5’2 120lbs but, when i do need help it’s for 2+/11 residents i have assigned.

I am very new to healthcare overall and I feel really slow when it comes to my work. I also feel like I’m learning something new every single day. When did you guys start feeling more confident at your job?

I work in hospice and makes me feel like crap that I work hard with my patients and make our company look good cause how well I do at my job..

I have to spend 45+ with each patient while my nurse only has to spend 15 minutes each and the nurse gets all the credit someone wants to sign on with our services. Im like I spend way more time with the patient and facility in one day then the nurse does in two weeks and i dont even get a good job

Im in the process of getting out of Healthcare because nurses get all the glory while aides make a measle 20 bucks hour.

I ask because I just got done with CNA school and my skills exam is on Sunday. I got a job and they’re just waiting for my license to get posted to the state registry after the exam. i’m wondering what to expect. If it matters, I live in Colorado. how long was your wait time?

Hi. Im 19, still in orientation for night shift and I just want.. to go. Idk. They had me do like two months of CNA classes, clinicals, as well as my residency (I passed) and then was on orientation on days for like 3 weeks for some reason even though that’s not my shift

I’m tired and I feel trapped. My mentor doesn’t even know how to orient. Her and my other coworker already threatened jump me in a haha jk way 😐and some of the residents are terrible. (Im talking like actually psychotic, as well as alert AND verbally aggressive/abusive) I’m low key afraid she’s eventually gonna hit me with her trapeze bar while I’m doing her.

And both my mentor and coworker want me to do her on my own now. And for some others , I’m not physically strong enough to even to do some of the one assists (they are heavy people)

And I feel like most of the time I haven’t even been getting taught things. They just constantly say hey can you get that bell or hey can you go grab that

Litterally go by myself for everyone so they don’t have to get up.. and I do it. I do every thing they tell me because I’m just the orient. It’s dehumanizing. It almost doesn’t even matter how good I do because eventually they’re probably gonna blame me or throw me under the bus for something and everyone will beleive them because seniority matters here.

I feel like this whole CNA course has just been such a lie. A shock, lies and more lies and now I just feel empty. And numb. But also not, because im tired and i try not to complain much about it but nobody TRULY understands how much so.

Just got my cna !

I could really use some help. I’m a new CNA and have only been in retail until now. I have some interviews at assisted living and potentially a hospital. I’ve never really done a more serious interview like this.. Does anyone have any advice PLEASE?? I feel embarrassed that I literally don’t know what to expect. I really appreciate any tips 🙏

I was an aide at a hospital but I did evenings 3-11 shifts. I started a job yesterday and they only do 12 hr shifts. So I’m doing 7a-7p. My feet were fine yesterday but today???! They hurt so bad. I wear on clouds. I wish I could wear my crocs :( but idk this place enough yet with how strict they are with shoes.

I’m going back again tomorrow. I might have to wear a different pair. I only have my on clouds, CDG converse, Air Force’s, and panda dunks lol

Always wanted to be a nurse and soon I’ll be a CNA. I love the idea of nursing but i hear so many horror stories of the stress and burnout that I’m not sure it’s worth it, plus I’ve never been academically strong so I’m not sure if I could even do it. I’ve heard about X-Ray techs and other jobs that pay as well and have a lot less stress to them. I’d like to hear any opinions on different paths in the medical field. Thanks!

I’m considering doing that but so overwhelmed with the whole process!

I don't know if my height has anything to do with it but I'm six feet tall and there's been some occasions when they assume I'm an RN when I haven't even completed my freshman year at college. Not only that but they even had high expectations of me since I first started as a CNA. It became obvious to me that CNAs would assume that I already had experience when I was barely starting to learn CNA.

Do CNAs ever deal with being misjudged?

Hi everyone!

I completed a CNA training course and passed both of my exams a few years ago. I never had the opportunity to get into the field (rural location) but am moving to a place with more opportunities. I have gained experience as a dental assistant and health care reporter in the time since…

Due to the move I looked into renewing my license and was approved to retake the exams for renewal (license has expired). I’ve been studying and am confident that I will be able to pass, but I’m worried I will be unsuccessful in an actual CNA role because of my lack of experience and the time between the job and my training. I also completed my training during the pandemic and as such was not able to complete actual clinicals during my program.

Anyone have any advice? Am I wrong to try seeking out employment now?

Hey all!

I got my CNA license last month and recently got hired as a CNA in a hospital (in the ICU area). I have 0 experience as a CNA or any hospital related work (except from my internship when I was in CNA school). I am also a nursing student (2nd year and will be graduating mid 2028 -- if I don't fail any classes, lol).

I really don't know what to expect, I was thinking of working in an LTC but I heard a lot of horror stories working in there.

Is hospital work any better? How can I prepare myself? What should I start working on? I think the hospital I'm going to be working on will be a bit busy, they hired me full time and they are aware I'm in school (I already gave them my schedule for this semester and next semester). I'm gonna start next week so I'm really nervous.

Oh a little background, I worked in tech industry for almost 2 decades and switching career to healthcare.

Thank you!

Hello fellow CNAs! I have been silently looking at other posts for a couple weeks now. I have decided to quit my job as a CNA at my local hospital. I have thought about it for weeks. I want to start this by saying I love my job, I dont mind the nitty gritty of CNA work at all. Unfortunately my issues lie in my hospital more than anything. Not only do I feel like my boss doesnt want me there, I feel like overall the environment is VERY toxic. You walk in there and your mood is immediately down and I dread every second. I understand that CNAs have a reputation to be the "grubs" of Healthcare, but my boss doesnt even acknowledge my existence. While she talks to the nurses on the floor in a chit chat kind of fashion she completely ignores me. I just feel unwanted and while I know to some this might seem like a dumb reason to quit. Just know I dont quit things without good reason usually and I can feel myself mentally exhausted by the end of my shifts, dreading my next one. Crying before work/during work. Nothing horrible has even happened, I just feel that no one is treating me with the respect I deserve. I don't care that I am the bottom of the totem pole. Without the bottom of the pole everything else would collapse. At least thats my opinion on it. (There are a couple other reasons I am deciding to quit that are more personal in nature, ie. Heath problems, college classes.)