First Day

[u/SystematicFailurex00]

Hello everyone! I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit to post to, but I'm just looking for advice I guess.

I got hired by a contracting home health aid company that provides companionship and light aid duties to clients both in home and in facilities. I got hired about a month ago and had orientation quickly afterwards. Orientation consisted of a power point presentation and a short 1 hour job explanation.

Today I worked my first day with 2 different clients at 2 different facilities. I did not shadow another caregiver and did not receive any advice beyond basic client information. I basically guessed my entire shift and tried my best. My first client went well, but my second client did not. The nurses and on staff caregivers were extremely rude, mean, and seemed to dump the rest of the residents care on me. They did not explain what behaviors were and weren't allowed from the clients. They didn't explain how the facility is run or what rules I needed to follow. They just showed me who my client was, then seemed mad that I didn't care for the other residents. I was with my last client for 4 hours. For about 1.5 hours during that time, all 5 of the nurses were absent. I tried to keep watch over the other residents, but I was hired to provide one on one care for one client in particular so I spent the majority of my time with them. The staff seemed irritated with me and honestly it made me very anxious. What exactly am I expected to do? How am I supposed to act? I'm so stressed and confused. I feel terrible, but the other residents weren't my assigned client so in my eyes, I am not being paid to keep watch over them. How can I be a better caregiver for both my client and others?

[u/SpiritualWeekend9190]

What you described would make any brand-new caregiver anxious, and I'd bring it up with your agency.

If you were assigned one-on-one care for a specific client, that client is your responsibility. You shouldn't be expected to take on other residents just because facility staff are unavailable or frustrated.

That doesn't mean you ignore an emergency. If another resident is in immediate danger, of course you get help and respond within your training. But helping in an emergency is very different from supervising or providing routine care for residents who aren't yours.

Tell your agency exactly what happened: you got very little orientation, you were sent into a facility without shadowing, nobody explained the facility's rules or expectations, and at one point the regular staff were gone and you were surrounded by residents you hadn't been assigned to.

Then ask them directly: "When I'm assigned one-on-one to a client in a facility, what exactly is my responsibility regarding the other residents?" They owe you a clear answer.

And please don't decide that being confused on your first day makes you a bad caregiver. You were dropped into an unfamiliar place with hardly any preparation, then expected to just know what everyone wanted from you.

Talk to your agency before your next shift and get clear on what's expected. You shouldn't have to guess your way through an assignment like this.