I'm 19 and a CNA.

I worked as a CNA for 1 year and 6 months now. I just passed my nursing exam 4 days ago and am admitted into the nursing school. I will be starting on Aug 18th.

The nursing home I work at is incredibly horrble. 3/4 of the residents are EXTREMELY rude. They swear at me, bite/pinch/kick/punch me. They tell us we aren't good enough and we never do anything. It is absolutely horrible.

I can no longer take it. Whe. I go on my break nothing gets done. No patients are toileted or put to bed. Nothing is completed, but when someone else is on a break I try my hardest because I just can't do that to another person. I have been so mistreated by residents I had to write formal complaints to my administrator and boss multiple times.

They don't do much at all.

I picked up this weekend in June to work for a coworker. This same coworker brought me to tears (I reported her) a couple days ago for being so nasty towards me at work. So this was my weekend off, but I had to work. We were short staffed. Let me remind you this is a nursing home, this is no assisted living. These people have broken hips, disease, amputated limbs, cannot walk, are bed written, and have severe behaviors.

We had one nurse and 2 CNAs on this weekend. I also did a 12 hour on Friday and 2 8 hours this weekend.

2 CNAs for 35 residents... For one that is horrible for the residents, but also us. The nurse is always busy. We have to get all of these patients toileted and put in bed as well as answer call lights, pass water, pass linens, do snacks, 1 hr and 15 of charting, and all else.

It takes 2 CNAs to transfer using a Hoyer or easystand, so while we are doing that there is no other CNA that is normally there to answer call lights and chart and such.

They could not find anyone to come in.

I switched to student status early to take a break from all of this. It is just too much for me to handle right now. I start student status (8 hours every 2 months, but I'll pick up whenever my boyfriend is working so we both have days off to be together) on July 23.

And I cannot wait. It was such a difficult decision, but I have to put myself and my health first. My other coworker is also leaving on July 21st. That's how bad this place is, 2 full time workers quitting and going casual at the same time. We are already short staffed and do not know how they are going to hire 2 full timers, since they asked us of we would stay full time longer since they cannot find any others to hire full time right now.

I feel so guilty changing from full time to student status about 20 days early. I could made a not more money, but I just cannot do it anymore... I have all rent and college saved up, about $25k right now.

Did I make the right choice or was it stupid?