Anyways. I trained on several different shifts, but they've had me working mainly on the 4 PM - 12 AM shift. Which, honestly, is a breeze.
After I get to work and get report, I just get to walk around and take everyone's vital signs. All I really have to do is respirations and blood pressures. Temp, pulse, and O2 saturation are all done electronically. So thats pretty easy and it gives me practice to keep up those skills!
Usually soon after I finish the vitals, its time for dinner! Which is generally enjoyable. We just help everyone get down to the dining room and serve meals. We get one free meal per shift we work. So I usually eat in the dining room with the residents. This serves a double purpose - 1. We have to have at least one CNA in the room whenever there is food. In case of choking. And 2. It's fun chat time!
After dinner things get a little busier for a while, trying to get everyone back to their rooms and settled in, and people sometimes want to start getting ready for bed.
Things settle down pretty quickly. And then its basically just chilling, doing some cleaning, charting the vitals that were taken earlier, and answering call lights.
There are some... less than appealing parts of the job. I get to help a lot of people to and from the bathroom, change incontinence pads, help people wipe, etc. And I'm really not a big fan of emptying catheters. But... those parts are definitely outweighed by the enjoyable things. And it doesn't bother me as much since I know that its something that these people really just need help with. So its really rewarding.
Anyways. That is my job. And so far, I love it. Hard work, but worth it.
