I Did It!

It's time to celebrate!

I was warned that most students that go through my CNA training program take 2 or 3 tries to pass the state exam, if they ever test at all.

I passed on the first go!

My skills were bed pan, ambulation with a walker, positioning a patient on their left side, measuring and recording I/O and of course hand washing. 

I laughed when she said I would be demonstrating the bed pan.  Of course I have only ever had to assist a patient to use a bed pan once.  It didn't go so well, she insisted on rolling on and off the pan and was heavy, the pan (plastic mind you, not that harsh metal) suctioned to her backside while she sat on it.  She rolled before I could un-suction the pan and it spilt everywhere.  Yay for making and occupied bed at the same time!  One of the girls waiting to perform her skills was retaking the test.  She failed one skill her first go through... the bed pan (insert moody dun dun dunnnnn!)

The bed pan was my first skill.  My RN Observer read the scenario and we went in to get started.  I knocked on the door, greeted my "patient" (a volunteer that comes to help out). Introduced myself and got started.  Then my patient started to change my scenario.  According to my scenario "Mr. Smith" was able to lift his hips for positioning and removing the pan.  Well once we got started, "Mr. Smith" decided he was too weak to lift, and wanted to roll on and off the pan.  SERIOUSLY??? I was convinced I was failing at that point.  I performed the steps (pretty sure I was missing the little ones)  I don't know what went through the Observer's mind when I said "I'm a barrier girl, you can never be to cautious."  I had barriers on all surface I might even think of putting my graduate or the pan down on. 

I completed my skills in less time than allotted.  The girls I was testing with all rushed me outside the building when they realized I was out.  One of the girls was from my class,  I so wanted to be the confident and positive girl she knew from our classes.  I was the one that was called on to teach the class, the first to have my skills checked off for lab and was caring for multiple patients on my own before anyone else in the group.  That day I really didn't know how it was going to go.  I smiled, I knew she needed me to tell her it was easy, all I said was "now we wait and see". 

And I waited.  I was told 3 days to wait for my results.  Three days is an eternity when it comes to things like this.  When I went online to check, I was told I was not in the system.  I called the facilitators, they told me I could check back online at 5:30.  I checked, not in the system. I called, they were closed for the day. I called the next morning, that time I was told 5:00.  People I work with were telling me not to worry.  I know my job, I do it well and if I failed they would have told me right away so I could pay the fee to retest and get it scheduled.  Each shift I have worked since Saturday I have scrutinized every thing I do.  Would I have passed my state exam if that was my skill?  Long days.  Luckily, yesterday at 3:30 I got an email that my scores had posted and I could check after 5:30.  And there it was, 94% on the written exam and each of my five skills passed. 

Happy dance! I am now ahead of all the other students in my class for school this fall =o)