I think I’m low intelligence?

[Anonymous]

I’m a CNA in the hospital, and I’ve made mistakes but I’ve learned from them. I work around sick people, I do blood sugars but I feel like the nurses put added work on me. I try to take my time. I try to be safe, although it hasn’t worked a few times.

I’m afraid I’m low intelligence cause I’m stupid and get corrected often, I feel like I’m slow and everyone thinks it. My therapist said I’d have to be average intelligence to be a CNA and to have passed the exam. I do have ADHD, and get distracted easily. I do have anxiety as well.

Is my therapist right?

[Oliverlogan263]

Don't stress too much about what your therapist said. Just because you learn different or get distracted sometimes doesn't mean you're low intelligence. Lots of people have those kind of issues for all kinds of reasons.

Being a CNA is tough work, and you're dealing with people when they're really vulnerable and sick. Of course the nurses are gonna correct you sometimes - they gotta make sure everything's done right. But it just means you still got room to improve, not that you're stupid. As long as you're willing to keep learning from your mistakes, that's what matters.

I'm sure having ADHD and anxiety doesn't make things any easier. But you still finished your CNA training and you care about doing a good job, right? That takes brains. And the fact that you're worried just shows you want to keep improving.

Just keep practicing and don't be so hard on yourself. Talk to your therapist some more too if you're still feeling down. But I bet if those nurses really thought you were low intelligence, they wouldn't keep you around. You got this, don't doubt yourself!

[7Phoenix7]

Working in Healthcare is like that. It's high stress because of the responsibility that comes with making sure the patients are safe. Any small mistake can be fatal.

Try not to be hard on yourself. Nurses are also corrected by other nurses/doctors. Keep up with your therapy too. I think she's right