Dimple's Discoveries

I am no longer a Certified Nursing Assistant. Even as I type this post it hasn't quite sunk in. No more will I answer a call light, use a Hoyer, or assist with a straight catheter. I have officially resigned from one of my jobs, and I can honestly say that job has changed my life. The work I've done, the patients I've cared for, the coworkers I've loved, it has altered my life in a way that nothing else could, and I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the blessing of working there. There were ups and downs, tears and laughter, good days and bad, but it will never be forgotten. So many people there have touched my heart and taught me lessons that will never fade from memory. I want to name a few of them and the lessons they taught me, more for my sake than for anyone reading. Jared : who patiently taught me maintenance skills and was always kind to me, no matter how bad his day was. Susan and Barbara : who cheered me up countless days with their bright smiles,...

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 ...

Every aide has had scary moments on the job where they were in danger. I had never imagined when I first started my CNA course that I would ever be put in any dangerous situations. I thought it would all be very predictable and boring work. I was wrong. The first time I ever even knew we could be in danger was a patient who was 6'2'' if memory serves me right, his wife had recently died, and he was determined to die. He had quit eating and drinking as well as taking his medication, and would just lay in bed all day and night. He was refusing to shower or go to the bathroom, and changing him was a nightmare. I came into work one day with a note in the book to see the med tech before I hit the floor. I soon learned that one of our older aides had gone in his room to help him into the shower, and he was livid. She wasn't backing down and he got up, knocked her backwards where she hit the wall, grabbed an oxygen tank above his head and went after her. By a miracle our tra...

Adrenaline.-defined on dictionary.com as " a sudden burst of energy from an increase in the hormone and neurotransmitter adrenaline, esp. increased heart rate and blood pressure, perspiration, blood sugar, and metabolism". There have been moments at work where I felt the rush of adrenaline, none of which are moments I want to remember. Those times have been times of high stress and intensity, where often someone's life hung in the balance, or even just their well-being.  So many stories come to mind, I will do a two part series of adrenaline, but here is a story tonight: My last week at work before I left for school, I was in a patient's room, we were picking up our dinner trays for the night and making note of how much they had eaten, as we normally do, and I was glad I was in there. I went in and made small talk as I went to pick up the tray. I had my hands on the tray when she started choking. I immediately reached up and hit the...

Death is a curious thing. Some fear it, some long for it, some temporarily defy it, but no one can escape it. In working for over two years now as a CNA, I have seen at least a hundred deaths, each affecting me in a different way. Watching patients pass away brings the beliefs and understanding of the afterlife of the aide to the surface very quickly. It is a test of faith. I've watched aides respond in all different ways to death, from crying, to refusing to enter the room, to a quiet acceptance of an inevitable part of life. This week taught me about myself as death approached our facility. This patient had been miserable, she was on hospice and expected to die soon, and had reasoned to herself that we (the nursing staff) were keeping her alive through our efforts, so soon all our services were being refused. Showers skipped, toileting ignored, meals sent back, and pleas that we help end her life were an hourly occurance. She was begging every staff member that en...

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...

Every different career choice has the employees working with each other on a varying level. Some jobs have employees helping each other with work, others barely interact or know each others names. In health care your coworkers, like it or not, are your new family. You have to depend on them completely to help you, because there is no way you could do it all on your own. I have been blessed to have some of the most amazing coworkers at both of my jobs. They really have become my adopted family: We've laughed and cried together, gone to parties together, motivated each other, cared for and lost beloved patients together, and protected and taken care of each other in dangerous or uncomfortable moments. My coworkers are able to bond with me in a way that no one else can, in that they can understand exactly how it feels to be a CNA. They understand how I ache when one of my patients falls and dies of a result, how my body hurts once I finish a shift of helping others, or how I fee...