Dimple's Discoveries

Hey guys! Sorry I'm late again :) I just found a new feature for the blog though that will help me post on time in the future. So today's post is a bit more solemn, as it talks about one of the more negative aspects of my job. As CNAs, we deliver a lot of messages, run errands, take phone calls, etc. When communication between coworkers or between an employee and a patient, there is a chance of error and/or miscommunication. Last night was one of those nights--we had a full house, all beds filled at the facility, which has been rare lately, so administration was very happy. Unfortunately, we were short an aide, which means each aide, instead of having 7 patients, each of us had 10. Just hearing the number doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but if you add in the factors that any new patients coming in are extensive, and it adds at least one shower to your night, (one shower for every 2-3 patients you have is the average) then it makes life miserable. We also have one...

I have seen miracles happen at work, some so special and sacred to me that I rarely share them but think of them often. This week I saw a miracle occur in the life of one of my patients. The patient who's story I shared a few weeks back when I was bedbathing her has had a miracle in her life that I have to tell you about. She is battling two kinds of cancer currently, and was on her way home from chemo when she got in a car accident that had her bedridden and barely able to speak two words together. She touched a special place in my heart, because she is staying in the same room that was previously occupied by another cancer patient who recently passed away who I loved dearly, so it is hard for me to watch this patient deteriorate in a similar way. One night as I was taking care of her and was emptying her catheter I saw that the tubing was red. Not only was it red with blood, but there were blood clots about a foot long, about five of them in it. I panicked. I went quickly f...

To start out-it wasn't intentional! The head of maintenance at one of my facilities has been SO nice to put up with my constant questions about fixing things, and has been teaching me some basic electric, plumbing, and other concepts that elude me currently but that I want to learn to maintain my own apartment and eventually house. As if it isn't bad enough having me tag around after him at work asking question after question, today I almost killed him, and I wasn't even on shift! He was on the roof checking for missing shingles, and I pulled up with one of my coworkers, a few of us had just gone to breakfast together for fun, and without even thinking, I saw him up there and honked. Probably wasn't my best idea ever, as he jumped about a foot down the roof. Luckily he caught his footing, but my heart didn't stop racing for quite a while! I won't do that again. Anyways, today's post is in honor of a day approaching soon that I'm excited about: my...

Some care givers tend to have the mindset that a patient that has a very broken body is a burden: not to me. I have a patient who was on her way home from chemo when she got in a car accident that has her bedridden and barely able to speak two words together. When she first got to us she couldn't speak at all, and we were guessing from her facial expressions and slight nods as to whether we were hurting her and what she needed. Last night I was giving her a bedbath--it took an hour to finish. I had the best time. Being able to spend one-on-one time with a patient, knowing her well enough now to be able to anticipate what she would like, and be able to go the extra mile in lotioning her legs to help the flaking, swabbing out her mouth to prevent cuts etc. was just the thing to remind me why I do this job. I talked to her the whole time, trying to make her smile has become my goal while at work. The song "Just to see you smile" is coming into my head right now, because...

Sorry I'm late posting guys, it's been a long hard week, to be honest. This week's post is a list of ways that identify you as a true CNA, composed by myself and a few coworkers. Enjoy! :) You know you're a CNA if: You tell your kids where their food is on the plate by comparing it to the face of a clock you dream about the call lights going off you want gloves on anytime you clean up a mess people ask you any medical question and expect you to know the answer you stop to use every anti-bacterial station in a public place out of habit you can diagnose someone by their BM you can eat a candy bar with one hand while talking about BMs and other bodily functions without feeling nauseous you can laugh about someone pooping in the shower, pottying into their water carafe, etc. you can get 6-8 people in bed in an hour you call roommates, friends, neighbors, and even people older than you hun or sweetheart out of habit you are convinced d...