Becoming A CNA: A Career As A Nursing Assistant

Witnessing the patience, strength, and compassionate attributions that nurses convey within their care was remarkable. Having the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of another human being was a very overwhelming and humbling experience for me. Therefore, these encounters set the foundation towards my pursuit of a nursing career.

I was introduced to the field of nursing by assisting my mother and her interdisciplinary team on a hospice case. It showed me how autonomous the job as a holistic hospice nurse is. The amount of dignity and care they provided for both the patients and their family during the final phase of their loved ones' life was unfathomable, being able to help maintain the respect for human life not only physically but spiritually as well was an enriching experience. It gave me an entirely new outlook on life and death. I fell in love with the amount of compassion and empathy I was able to pour into our patients. It has made me very proud of my title as a CNA.

In a perfect world, all of the units of a team work together. In the real world, many people know that this is not a perfect world. Therefore, if an individual becomes a CNA they will have the chance to make a real difference in the life of a person suffering from an illness, disease, or disability. People that become CNAs before becoming a nurse learn good communication skills with patients, families, and other healthcare staff. For instance, someone with CNA experience on their first day of clinical rotations, will already know what to expect because of prior CNA experience. Becoming a CNA is an excellent way to help determine if nursing is a good career choice for an individual, and nursing students who have some exposure to health care by being a CNA may seem to feel more comfortable when it comes to their nursing classes. . According to Campus Explorer (2015) being a CNA is proven to be beneficial when it comes to nursing clinical rotation (para 3).

Growing up I was never sure on what I wanted to do like a lot of kids are. I grew up in a family of nurses. So when I was a senior in highschool I decided to take the CNA course through my high schools Okaw program. But what really drove me to becoming a CNA was my Grandpa's passing. He died of lung cancer in 2016 and I really did not know how to help my mom and cousin who are both nurse. They became his full time caregivers and worked at the same time. All I wanted to do was help out with him but I really did not have the skills for it which made me very sad I felt useless. So after he passed away I decided that I wanted to get educated on how to take care of people and so I am able to help out in the future, that is the big reason I became a CNA.

I am a CNA, I am the person who helps your loved ones, children and maybe even yourself with everyday aspects. I am the person who helps your grandmother get ready in the morning or helps your uncle eat his lunch. I am slapped, bit and yelled at more times than not. I change diapers and clean up vomit daily. I wake up early and stay up late to help you when you whenever you need me. With all of this hard and tiring work comes the rewarding parts. I get to play card games like Go Fish and learn new ones from the residents like Bridge. I sit and talk with residents and hear their stories from when they are young. I get to soothe your premature baby and sit with her as she heals and grows until she goes home. I play board games and color with children who are suffering from chronic illness and cancer. I hold your mothers hand as I tell her it’s okay to go and that she is so loved. I am a CNA, and though I may not be for long I put my entire heart and soul into it and love every second. I have long desired for the chance to work in a medical setting and working in an assisted living home has made me realize that the job comes with so much more than the job description entails.

Nursing is more than traveling room to room, patient to patient, to provide medical care. Nursing is about treating the patient with the utmost respect and compassion. It’s more than providing medical care, but supporting the patient and family. Being a nurse only requires a bachelor degree and a “RN” badge, however, a great nurse possesses that knowledge, along with determination, a positive attitude, compassion, and patience. I believe that I display these characteristics and have a true passion for helping others. Throughout high school, I always had an interest in the medical field and biology. In my junior year, I decided to enroll in the CNA course to pursue my passion for nursing early on. Through this class, I experienced moments of self discovery

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant was the biggest challenge I’ve ever taken on. My decision to become a nursing assistant started when I was in ninth grade. My class went on a field trip to the high school and we took a tour to the Health Occupational Students of America classroom. As I walked into the room, I knew right there that it was the class for me. My instructors, Mrs. Livings, and Mrs. Jorgensen were fantastic, and never failed me as a health care

I work as CNA in a nursing home usually one or two days a week. We are three CNA that work under supervising a nurse. There are 22 people in the hall that we work in there. We have to work as team and corporate with each other to get jobs done on time. The important points that help the team reach the goal are, proper time management, following the nurse care plans and guide lines, considering the facility policies, cooperation and helping each other. There are too many challenges that we face in every minutes of our job. The challenges include: limited time, too many people and too many responsibilities, instability the patients mood, the severity of patient disease, failing one of the team member to do the responsibilities on time,

A day in the life as a CNA (Certified Nurse Aide) can have its ups and its downs. As a CNA you can work in a couple different areas of the nursing field, you have options of where you want to be and you are not finite to any certain place. Most CNA’s start out working in a nursing home then exude to other places such as hospitals. As a nurse aide you have many options of being in a certain field of nursing. That is what I love about nursing; it is versatile and you can work wherever you want in the country. You can travel and see places you haven’t seen while doing what you love to do as a career.

Being a Certified Nursing Assistant each skill is valuable as the next some of the qualites that an CNA should have is excellent verbal and communications skills, Astute observation skills, ability to follow rules and protocols , Time management and organiatiol skills,Empany and compassion.

CNAs are the foundation for nursing. Without CNAs it would be very detrimental for the health care field. • Being a CNA can be very rewarding. Getting to watch someone recover and see them walk out of the hospital without any injuries give you a feeling of pride because you had a part in their recovery. • Being a CNA also gives you a jump start in becoming a nurse.

The Certified Nursing Assistant program started this year with a new instructor, Karla Garrison RN BSN. Karla was previously one of the state board of nursing examiners and tested our students last year. After being impressed with our students and our program as well as the opportunity to make a difference Karla joined our team. Under her leadership we have transferred to a new curriculum and new text books that are more focused on meeting the Arizona state board exam requirements.

Becoming a Nurse’s Assistant doesn’t require a whole lot of extensive education but a lot of hard work is needed to be put into this career. Being a Nurse’s Assistant requires you to have a high school diploma and specific training in certain fields (BLS.gov). So you will have to have graduated from high school obviously, but you will also need to have training in the nursing fields. You can start training while you’re still in school. Which would mean you could have a job as soon as you graduate or even before. You can take basic classes in high school and taking health occupation classes, and taking health and nurse’s aide training (MSHealth.org). You can talk to your school counselor to see about signing up for these classes, or you can

As many young people, I have chose to take after my grandmother and my mother. I have learned through them that people who make a occupation in the medical field are stronger in some cases.

I have worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for about two years. My naturally caring and compassionate nature has helped me to excel in this field. I find myself inherently invested in each of my resident’s lives, and I take deep pride in being an advocate for residents that no longer have a voice of their own. Being a CNA has taught me how to work as a part of a team, in partnership with my residents, fellow aides, nurses, family members, and physicians. Interdisciplinary teamwork is an important aspect of the PA role, and I believe my work as a CNA has strengthened my teamwork abilities immensely.