Career Success After CNA Training

After you have completed CNA training and have begun working as a certified nursing assistant, you may be surprised to find that your job does not always entail assisting residents with personal or nursing care. You may also be called up on to help them take part in recreational activities.

These activities, often referred to as recreational therapy, are more than just ways to help the patients pass the time. These services help residents gain the skills they need to enhance their functional independence and improve their quality of life. After CNA training, you may be able to help those you care for with activities that prevent the decline of psychosocial, cognitive, and physical functioning.

After CNA Training: Assisting With Recreational Activities for Residents

If you are asked to assist your residents with recreational activities after CNA training, there are many different activities you might encounter. Here are just a few of the most common, and the cognitive, psychosocial, and physical benefits they provide your patients.

• Games- Many nursing homes and hospitals introduce their patients to a variety of games, depending on the individual’s interests and injuries. They may play cards, board games, or even video games with devices like the Nintendo Wii. Cards and board games allow them to keep their mind sharp and interact with other patients in a relaxed social setting. High tech gaming devices like the Wii provide many therapeutic benefits, such as increasing range of motion, balance, and endurance.

• Cooking- After CNA training, you may be asked to help residents take part in cooking groups. During this type of recreational activity, patients will have the opportunity to work together to create edible dishes, while learning techniques such as meal preparation, safety awareness, and how to manage their homes. This activity is especially helpful to those who will be returning to their home environment, but it is also beneficial to long term residents who need to work on their fine and gross motor skills and increase their self-esteem.

• Art- While art may have not been a class you had to take during your CNA training, assisting your residents with creative art projects can provide many benefits. Art will allow patients to express themselves and their feelings while increasing their fine and gross motor skills by using necessary tools and equipment.

• Sports- Competition and teamwork can be obtained through many adaptive sports, like wheelchair tennis, hand cycling, golf, softball, and wheelchair basketball. Even a simple game of catch using a big rubber ball can be stimulating, fun, and promote social interaction.

• Gardening- If you are working in a facility that promotes gardening activities for your patients, you are in luck. Gardening is more than just a project your patients will enjoy. It is a therapy tool that can be used for many different patients to increase fine and gross motor skills, social interaction, promote self-esteem, and assist in maintaining residual skills. This type of activity is great for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s because it provides sensory experiences without being over stimulating, emphasizes reminiscence, and can be done at the patient’s own pace.

As a CNA training graduate, you may have the opportunity to assist many patients with recreational activities. While these activities may seem like another way to pass the time, they can be extremely beneficial to a patient’s health.

CNA Training & Career

If you are looking for financial assistance with your CNA training in New York, here is the information specific for the city of New York. Certified nursing assistants are in demand in large, urban, metropolitan cities, even if the rate of employment is down in other areas. According to the Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for CNA training graduates will continue to increase from now through 2020.

The current cost of CNA training in the United States ranges anywhere from $1,000 to as high as $5,000, depending on where the course is offered. In New York City, CNA training averages between $1500 to $2,000 but not everyone is able to afford this. Even with payment programs, the individuals who are most in need of jobs find it difficult, if not impossible to come up with the CNA training tuition. If this sounds like you, we may have good news for you. Here are several avenues you may not have tried that can offer you CNA training at a reduced cost or sometimes completely free. If you qualify for a grant to pay for you CNA training, this means the total cost will be provided for you. On the other hand, there are some programs who offer to pay for a good portion, leaving the aspiring CNA student to pay for the remainder.

CNA Training through the New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education offers free CNA training in five regions. To qualify, potential students will need to be full time residents of New York City and fall within certain income qualifications. To find out more about how the NYC Department of Education can help you obtain CNA training at free or low cost, visit schools.nyc.org.

CNA Training Through Workforce 1 Grants

Workforce 1 Grants are provided to qualified residents of New York whose household income is not over $56 thousand dollars annually. If you fall within this range, you may qualify for free CNA training by becoming a member of Workforce 1 (which is free of charge to join).

Workforce 1 is a service provided by the New York City Department of Small Business Services who helps prepare candidates for jobs opportunities in New York City. In order to provide strong matches between candidates and employers, Workforce 1 will often help provide education for members.

In 2010 alone, Workforce 1 helped to place over 30,000 New York residents in gainful employment. They provide industry specific education and job placement in the areas of healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation fields. To find out more about CNA training available through the Workforce 1 program, find their site through www.nyc.gov.

You can also contact the Healthcare Career Center by calling 718-609-2144. Why wait? If you live in New York City, put your best foot forward and find out how you can get assistance with your CNA training. With a little bit of work, soon you’ll be well on your way to an exciting career as a confident, qualified, CNA training graduate.

Once you’ve successfully completed your CNA training and have embarked on your new career, you may be tempted to fall into some of the same patterns I’ve seen other CNA training graduates fall into. There’s nothing wrong with finding your groove and becoming comfortable with your new position, but as a former CNA training graduate myself, I’ve seen many nursing assistants fall into one destructive pattern that actually cripples them without them even realizing it. The pattern I’m talking about is the inability to receive constructive criticism.

A CNA Training Graduate’s Worst Enemy

Now, if I weren’t a fellow CNA training student and graduate myself, you may take my advice and throw it out the nearest window, but as a peer, I’m here to tell you that I’ve seen this happen time and time again. Here’s the pattern:

A CNA training graduate secures a position at a local hospital or maybe a nursing home. In an effort to become an excellent employee, the CNA training graduate learns everything possible about their shift, their patients, their job requirements and more. After about six months have passed, what happens? The same CNA who was once eager to learn the ropes and open to direction and instruction becomes closed to new ideas, criticism or even questioning…He or she has arrived.

Now you may think this scenario is comical, but I’ve seen it happen time and again. CNA training graduates who have been on the job for any length of time often become possessive of their positions and closed to criticism. Allowing yourself to fall into these patterns is a recipe that will either lead to being fired or prevent you from being promoted. So, what can you do to guard against this destructive way of thinking?

Check yourself daily. Criticism isn’t a dirty word, even if it’s not brought to you in a kind manner. Always try to find the grain of truth in criticism and allow it to help you recognize areas where you could improve. Here are some tips to help you gain a new perspective.

A New Perspective for CNA Training Graduates

Remember, you can learn from anyone. Don’t close yourself off from new or recent CNA training graduates. Just because they don’t have much time in on the job doesn’t mean they don’t have ideas that can be useful.

Squash your pride. That’s the thing that stands in our path of success most of the time. If someone offers criticism, look at it as an opportunity to grow instead of a reason to harbor resentment. Part of maturity (which is necessary for promotions) lies in having the ability to handle all different types of people, opinions, and attitudes, while remaining calm and diplomatic yourself. If you are tossed around with every attitude, you’ll isolate yourself and never experience growth.

Show New CNA Training Graduates the Ropes

Another excellent way to expose yourself to growth is by leading the way for new employees and showing others the ropes. They can learn from you and you can learn from them. Keep lines of communication open and never think of yourself as better than another person just because you may have more experience.

Take this advice to heart and you’ll soon find new opportunities to further your career as a CNA training graduate.

Your CNA Training – On the Job Issues

Now that you’ve completed your CNA training and have made the decision to work as an in-home health care CNA, there are a lot of different issues you’ll have to learn to deal with. As a CNA training graduate, you are prepared for the basics, but what about helping a family decide that in home health care is no longer an option for their aging parent? Have you thought about how you would address an issue like this?

Here’s a scenario your CNA training probably didn’t prepare you for. Let’s say your job is coming by once per day and helping an elderly patient with light cleaning, cooking, grooming, bathing, and taking vital signs. Your normal shift at the home is four hours. What if suddenly, or even over the course of a few months, you notice distinct changes that may mean your patient may require a more serious level of care, such as full time nursing home care. Here are the warning signs. As we mentioned, your CNA training may not have prepared you for these determinations, but your first mission as a CNA training graduate should always be to improve the quality of life of those you care for. Keep that in mind as you look for these signs:

After CNA Training – Signs Your Patient May Need Additional Care

• Poor hygiene or untidy appearance. Has your patient suddenly stopped caring about his or her appearance? Maybe he or she doesn’t realize they are no longer practicing hygiene. Ask questions as you help them with their daily grooming. “Did you forget to brush your hair today? Did you misplace your hair brush?” Take note of the answers. Do they make sense? Does your patient seem disoriented or depressed?

• Isolation and reduced activity. Has your patient stopped making phone calls to friends and family? Have they become more isolated than usual? Did they stop taking part in crafts or activities they used to take part in?

• Have they changed eating habits, either reduced or increased? Reduced food intake can be a sign of depression or illness and should be treated with concern.

• Neglected finances or unopened mail can be a sign of confusion or disorientation.

• Falls or unexplained bruises or injuries should also be treated with concern and reported.

All of the above should be documented to discuss with family members during regular progress sessions. Never leave the judgment up to yourself. Your CNA training may have prepared you for basic care but never leave yourself liable for another person. Report everything.

After CNA Training – Discussing Concerns With Relatives

If any of these statements above are currently taking place at the in home daycare where you provide CNA services, call a meeting with relatives immediately. As you learned in your CNA training, your patient does have the right to privacy and to live their life freely, but it is also your duty to report any concerns you have to family members to allow the family to work out a plan of care together.

We hope this has helped you to recognize conditions and situations where your CNA training may not have directed you. As a CNA training graduate it is your duty to provide your patients with the best quality of life possible.

We get a lot of questions from recent CNA training graduates who become frustrated with their first jobs, especially if they are at retirement or senior adult centers. If you are a recent CNA training graduate looking for employment, keep this in mind: Although you’ve learned all the CNA training procedures and passed all the tests, nothing can prepare you fully for the balance you’ll need to develop after CNA training is over and your real life experiences begin. Here’s one of the questions we recently received.

Question From a Recent CNA Training Graduate About Time Management

I completed my CNA training and immediately found a position at an adult center.  I have to say that it is one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had.  Even though it’s extremely fast paced and I often find myself frustrated, I love the work and I love knowing that I leave every day having made a positive difference in the lives of my residents.

However, here’s the part I’m struggling with. I find myself continuously stressed out and I am starting to get depressed because I know I don’t have the speed yet that my coworkers have and I don’t know how to develop it. Because I haven’t brought myself up to speed yet,  I end up slowing down my partner as well and she becomes frustrated and annoyed with me. She is visibly upset with me almost daily. My coworkers continue to tell me I need to pick up the pace, but whenever I ask for specific tips, they just tell me it will take time and I’ll become faster as I build my routine. I don’t like feeling like I’m rushing my patients, but on the other hand I don’t like to feel like I’m slowing down my peers and not being as strong of a CNA training graduate as I could.

Our Answer – After CNA Training, How to Get in Your Groove

If you’ve ever had a baby, or even gotten a new puppy, we all know it takes some getting used to. Remember how it was at first? You wondered if you’d ever figure out how to adjust your new schedule and get the things done that you used to. Well, that may sound awfully simplistic when it’s compared to your CNA training and career, but really it’s very similar.

First of all, your CNA training taught you all the basics, but your peers will show you the real deal. When you are working with them, watch and learn. See which patient they care for first. Does Mr. Robinson need to be dressed first? Does Mrs. Smith need to be placed on the toilet 30 minutes after she returns from lunch or she will soil herself? Does Mr. Kramer cooperate with dressing and grooming better after his morning coffee? You’ll learn these little things that will save you time and energy, and guess what? Before you know it you won’t think about your CNA training or wonder about working faster. Everything will fall into place.

Stick with your new career, rely on the CNA training you’ve already received, and keep learning!

After CNA training, you may not have been prepared for the demand and physical toll of employment as a nursing assistant. It’s true. You are rush, rush, rush throughout an 8-10 hour shift. The work often involves lifting, being on your feet for the duration of the shift, carrying objects, cleaning and mopping, and basic physical labor. In order for the CNA training graduate to balance energy levels throughout the day, we have 5 simple but vital health tips for you to follow.

CNA Training – Balancing Energy on the Job

Drink plenty of water. Yes, we know, you’ve probably heard this advice before, and maybe learned it in your CNA training, but for those who are on their feet working and rushing around all day (which sounds like a normal shift for a CNA training graduate), it’s vital to stay hydrated. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, the first thing that goes is your ability to concentrate. Yep, it’s true. You’ll struggle to fill out paperwork, you won’t be able to multitask, and you will have trouble remembering your basic duties. Plain and simple, if you don’t drink enough water, you’ll have more trouble completing your shift than you should. It’s just not worth it. Carry a water bottle with you and take frequent breaks to hydrate.

Don’t over caffeinate. As important as it is to drink plenty of fluids, it’s also important to lay off the caffeine. Although it seems to give you a short term boost of energy, over caffeinating yourself always leads to a slump. If you rely on caffeine to get you through your day, ask yourself why. You may just need more sleep. Now that you’re a CNA training graduate and out in the work world, it’s time to implement a responsible schedule.

Get Enough Sleep. Even if you take a power nap when you get home from work, don’t use that as an excuse to skimp on sleep at night. You need a solid 7-8 hours for your body to recharge itself. This is basic health (and things every CNA training graduate should know).

Take Breaks on the Job. Remember when you were in CNA training classes and you tried to stay focused on your studies for more than one or two hours at a time? It doesn’t work very well, does it? The same is true for your CNA job. Take a short ten minute break after a couple hours of work. You’ll feel refreshed and gain your focus back.

Be Active. You may think you get enough exercise during your 8 hour shift as a CNA, but this isn’t true. Everyone needs time outdoors and some form of physical cardio exercise to stay healthy and keep that energy flowing. Take a walk after work (at a brisk pace), ride your bike a few times around the park, or take a Zumba or spinning class at your local gym. You’ll find that your energy levels at work will increase with the more physical activity you get.

Follow these steps to stay on top of your game and operate at peak performance as a CNA training graduate.

CNA Training & Career

Patient rights, you learned about this in CNA training, but by the time you are a CNA graduate and have a few months under your belt, you may have forgotten a few things. Unfortunately, failure to remember your CNA training and what you learned about resident rights doesn’t exempt you. Take a look at the following and see if you need to brush up on your skills.

CNA Training & Resident Rights

As you learned during CNA training, your patients have the following rights at all times:

• The right to be fully informed, both verbally and in writing, of the policies and procedures that protect the patient’s rights.

• All the rights of any United States citizen, including the right to vote (this of course, is if your residents are able).

• The right to be fully informed about their own current health condition and prognosis. Of course, as you learned during CNA training, you should never disclose information to other parties, because of the health privacy laws.

• The right for a resident to choose their own physician as well as the right to refuse medication, medical treatment or medical care. Regardless of how you, as a CNA wish to care for your residents and do what’s best for them, as a CNA training graduate, you learned that you can not force your patients to get dressed, receive help with grooming, take medications, shower, or even eat. We must assist only, always asking questions and receiving permission.

• The right to be completely free from punishment or involuntary isolation. Every nursing assistant whose completed their CNA training is well aware of this, yet it continues to be a big problem in the medical field. CNA’s often take it upon themselves to remove residents who won’t eat from the dining room and place them in their room, where they are alone. This is considered abuse under the involuntary seclusion rule. Never take it upon yourself to do this.

• Of course, every CNA training graduate has also learned that residents have the right to be free from verbal, physical, and mental abuse. Sometimes aides don’t feel they are abusing patients, but verbal abuse also involves the use of short, sharp words. Any type of ill-attitude that can cause a patient to feel bad or negative in any way is considered abuse.

• The right to be free from any type of restraints, either chemical or physical, unless ordered by a physician for the personal safety of the patient. Remember, as you’ve learned from your CNA training, keeping a resident in a chair pushed up to a table is a possible restraint, as is placing a resident in a recliner that they are not able to freely get up from .

Basically, we hope this refresher will help you to remember what you’ve learned from CNA training. Hopefully the reason you decided on this career was to help others and positively affect lives. Keeping the resident rights you learned in your CNA training at the forefront of your mind will keep you from making mistakes that could cost you your career.

CNA Training and Careers

Most nursing assistants spent quite a bit of time learning to lift residents during their CNA training. In the past, there was always the risk of injury and many CNA’s were required to lift patients who they were physically incapable of. CNA training taught two methods of lifting, one alone and the other with another CNA. CNA training also often included the mechanical lift method, but not always. Well, for any CNA who has experienced strains or sprains, hurt muscles, aching joints, or were just plain tired of lifting patients alone, there’s good news on the horizon, and it comes in the form of a new Safe Patient Handling Bill. Here’s the breakdown.

CNA Training and the Safe Patient Handling Bill

On October 9, 2011 a very important bill was passed into law, one which has made great strides for the nursing community. The bill became a law on January 1, 2012. What exactly does this mean for CNAs?

The bill, which is called the A.B. 1136 Swanson Safe Patient Handling Legislation, is considered to be the strongest healthcare worker and patient protection measure in the United States. The bill requires that all health care institutions provide around the clock lift teams and specialized lift equipment to help in the proper and safe handling of patients. The lifts or teams will be based on severity of illness as well as worker safety. The charge nurse responsible to coordinate the care of each patient will be responsible for professional judgment when coordinating patients who need to be professionally moved, and when.

CNA Training – What Does the New Bill Mean for You?

Some CNAs are afraid their particular facilities will not comply, but according to the new law, every care facility, even rural and children’s facilities have to comply. The only places exempt from the law are correctional facilities and developmental centers. Besides this, all facilities must comply, punishable by law if not put in place. If you’re wondering how it will be enforced, the Occupational Safety and Health Act will have jurisdiction over the bill and will be the enforcers.

So, My CNA Training for Lifting is No Longer Needed?

No, you’ll still occasionally be asked to assist with lifts and you’ll certainly need the information and CNA training you’ve received for emergency situations, but as far as lifting on a day to day basis, you will no longer be required to lift patients and you will not be disciplined or reprimanded in any way if you, based on your judgment, feel that it isn’t safe for you to lift a patient.

If you’re wondering who these lifting teams will be, the hospital or medical facilities will be training and designating the lift teams.

As you can see, your CNA training and your career is continuing to improve and evolve. If your hospital or facility hasn’t put a lift team into policy yet, talk to the charge nurse or ask your direct supervisor.

For more information on CNA training and careers, continue to follow our blog.

You’ve taken your CNA training classes and now you are ready to take the certification exam, or are you? You know the information like the back of your hand and you can still hear your CNA training instructor repeating the vital parts you’ll need to remember, but you’re still nervous. Here’s a few CNA training tips that will help you pass the exam, and calm your anxiety up until the big day.

From CNA Training to CNA Exam – What to Expect

According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, there isn’t a practice exam available for certification after your CNA training. However, you should be well prepared if you review the material you’ve learned in your CNA training classes. When you enter the exam, you will have the option to complete the quiz portion of the exam on paper, by computer or orally. If you feel more comfortable taking the exam in Spanish, that is also available.

After the written portion of the exam, you’ll also have a practical portion where you will be required to demonstrate two skills the examiner will select.

Tips for Passing the CNA Training Exam

For some, taking the written test is a bit easier than the practical portion because you don’t have someone standing over you following your every move. While the examiner understands that you’re nervous, he won’t let too many errors slide.

Many people draw a blank during the practical portion, forgetting the steps they learned in their CNA training. For this reason, we highly urge you to practice the practical skills with a partner, while going through the steps in your CNA training manual. The key is for each skill to come naturally without having to think about the steps.

 Tip #1: Wash Your Hands Correctly

Again, follow the steps from your CNA training classes. Remember to bring down some paper towels from the holders before you begin. Turn on the water, use plenty of soap and wash every part of your hand and up to your wrist. Make sure you scrub for at least 20 seconds and then rinse thoroughly. Grab the paper towel you have hanging to dry your hands. Take your used paper towel to turn off the faucet.

If you have acrylic nails, make sure you have them removed before your CNA training exam. If you have long fingernails, be sure to trim them short.

Tip #2: Privacy Is Priority

Whenever you enter a patient’s room, be sure to knock beforehand. If you are working on a patient behind a curtain, always close the curtain when you approach him and then close it when you leave. If you don’t have a physical door or curtain to close, simply telling the examiner what you will do is sufficient.

Tip #3: Safety Is Important

Just as you learned in CNA training, when you approach a patient, always remember to bring the bed up to work on him. When you are done, don’t forget to lower the bed again. Always use the gait belt for lifting patients or other large items. It’s also important not to forget to make sure your patient has the call button within reach. You may want to ask the patient where he would like it to make acknowledgement of the importance of it.

Being able to remember the steps that most CNA training exam takers miss and then demonstrating the skills you know well, you’ll be in a better position to pass your certification exam. And all of that work you’ve done in your CNA training will be well worth it.

Now that you’ve completed your CNA training, are you ready to get to work? While you may be anxious, it may be a little while longer before you actually land your new job.

Why? Here’s a little inside information. Finding a job after CNA training is much easier during certain times of the year.

If you understand the time of year that has the highest rates of CNA hiring  you’ll save yourself effort and boost your confidence when you’re able to find a new job quickly.

Time of Year CNA Training Graduates Find Jobs

If you finish your CNA training after the fall semester, take a deep sigh of relief because the winter season is one of the best times to find work. You’ll find hospitals, assisted living facilities and home care services scurry to find available CNAs.

Reasons for Rise in CNA Employment

• Increased Illness in Patients – The winter increases the rate of illness. This causes hospitals to flood with sick people. Assisted living facilities become busy as the current workers must pick up pace to take care of ill residents. Home care service agencies also seek CNAs to help in the increase in case load needs.

• Staff Illness – Hospital patients, assisted living residents and home care service receivers aren’t the only ones who become ill – staff does too. This means that these work settings suddenly find themselves short on care providers. To take the place of sick staff, CNA are employed at higher rates after CNA training.

• Holiday season – The winter is holiday season, so staff desire vacation time to be with their family. They also need a break from all of the busyness of dealing with sick patients and residents. For this reason, CNA training graduates are employed to fill in empty slots wherever needed.

Summer Employment After CNA Training

The summer is another big hiring time for CNA training graduates, which is perfect since many finish their coursework in the spring. Understanding the reasons why can help direct you to the work settings that are most in need of CNAs.

• Assisted Living Facilities – During the summer months, many employees hope to go on a long vacation. Some workers will take two weeks and that can put a huge strain on the employees that remain to take care of the residents. CNAs can greatly relieve the pressure and allow many other workers the chance to take a break as well.

• Hospital Setting – During the summer months, people become much more active. For this reason, there’s an increase in hospital admission due to injuries. In warmer climates, people commonly suffer from heat related issues. To keep up with the inbound of hurt patients, CNAs step in to give a helping hand.

• Home Care Services – For home care services, the needs for CNAs combine those in assisted living facilities and hospital settings. The elderly need regular check-ins and new client rates rise due to injuries. CNAs are employed to help with doing the check-ins and getting to know new clients to assess their needs and help nurses who can take on more demanding clients.

After CNA Training – CNA Jobs in the Off Season

If you’re graduating from CNA training right in time for the employment off season, don’t become discouraged. Many CNAs take additional coursework to advance in their current work place and that leaves room for newer CNAs to slide right in.

Apply to your desired work setting because you never know when they may need a CNA. If aren’t successful in landing a new job soon, you’ll know why. As a CNA training graduate, you will just have to hang tight until hiring season hits.