Dimple's Discoveries

At my job right now we are struggling with filling all the shifts, we've been a bit short-handed lately, and it's starting to show in our work unfortunately. You caregivers know that it's all you can do to complete your work if you have 8 patients in a rehabilitation setting, and when we are short-handed it's 11-12 patients, and patient care becomes patient maintenance as you can only ensure that patients are safe, fed, clean and in bed instead of being able to tend to their emotional needs or some extra cares that are so satisfying to us as caregivers. Even on nights that we have full staff, it can be frustrating to not have time to do everything I've wanted to. I'll come back to this thought, don't worry. I have a patient right now who is a quadriplegic, and has been for about twenty years. She has recently had a neck surgery that has rendered her unable to sit up more than 15 degrees for weeks. This woman sits in bed, staring at the ceiling for 24 hours...

I have been a CNA for years. I have cared for thousands of patients, and yet suddenly, this last couple weeks I have come across a challenge that I've never encountered before: A deaf patient. Talk about a reminder to be grateful for these wonderful bodies we have been given, because I've abruptly learned how much I rely on my hearing to get me through the day. This particular patient has come to us with the inability to speak more than an unclear word or two, she has barely enough motor skills to sign a little, and most the staff hasn't the slightest idea how to communicate with her. This brings up a HUGE problem in health care. We have frequently had patients who speak another language (generally Spanish) and we cannot interact with them, and it becomes a very frustrating thing for staff and patient alike. Thankfully because of an aunt that is deaf, I know a little, (a very little) sign language, and so I've been trying to communicate to her as much as possible in o...

I am working as a CNA for the last time (I know I've said that before, but I'm heading back to school to begin my new job as an admissions counselor on campus, so now it's official) and I had forgotten: forgotten how satisfying it is to help a patient, to provide for their needs, to leave them happier than when they called you; however, I had also forgotten how utterly frustrating it can be to be unable to provide the care you would personally love to give, how aggravating it can be to run for 9 hours and feel like you haven't even made a dent in the cares you should, how emotional it can be to stand by the bedside of someone in pain and realize you could have cared for better had you only had the time. Missing one of my friends named, but I'll post a picture once he and I take one together! :) But most importantly I found that I had forgotten what treasured friendships I have at my job. I have a coworker who I love dearly who is like family to me, and she is ...