Service Learning To Work As A Certified Nursing Assistant

Working with the nurse who cared for my ailing grand-aunt, was a life changing experience. I would assist with bathing, grooming and toileting as well as reading to my aunt a couple of her favorite mystery novels. Evening though my grand-aunt 's condition was irreversible, I felt at peace because her nurse made sure she was comfortable and her needs were met. The compassion, empathy, work ethics and support the nurse provided for my family and grand-aunt during this difficult time resonated with me, the nurse inspired me in so many ways and even encouraged me to pursue a profession in nursing.

I had my moments of success and happiness when I was able to help someone along and see how appreciative they were. There were also times that were saddening and uncomfortable. When visiting rooms, I did encounter people who were losing grip on their mental and physical abilities. I felt a heaviness because even though they were taken care of, there wasn’t that could be done to make them better. It was inspiring seeing nurses and family members continuing to care for them and keep dignity.

A Service Learning project is one of the project requirements to complete the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through Ferris State University (FSU). My Service Learning experience was completed at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in November, 2014. This paper includes details of the facility along with the contact information for the coordinator of the project. A description of my role as a volunteer, critical reflection of my experience, and a synthesis of the Service Learning are also included.

I chose a learning plan topic that would increase my nursing practice competency as a senior nursing student, would be relevant to my placement setting, would build on my knowledge obtained from completing NSE417 – Nursing Practice IV class and NSE407 – Nursing: Professional Issues and Trends class, and was approved by my Primary Preceptor and Faculty Advisor (FA). With a global trend of an increasing senior population and having a placement in a nursing home, it was important to choose a learning plan that focused on the challenges and trends in senior safety. My Overarching goal for my learning plan was to expand my knowledge and critical thinking skills related to expertly assessing and managing elder frailty in a long-term care setting by Tuesday, March 1, 2016. By completing this learning plan, I have fulfilled and demonstrated the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)’s Continuing Competency Standard by performing a self-assessment of my knowledge, developing and implementing a learning plan, and evaluating the outcomes of the plan (CNO, 2002). Ultimately, the goal is to enhance geriatric care at my placement setting and advance my competency in delivering safe, ethical, competent client-centred care.

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

In the medical field there is a great variety of careers to specialize. The most known employees in a hospital setting or even in a doctor’s office, will be a nurse. According to aacn.nche.edu, Almost 66% of Registered Nurses work in hospitals, many also are more advanced in their practices and work in doctor’s offices. When entering a field like nursing, numerous classes of science are taken. Nurses perform numerous skills that include starting IVs, giving medications to patients, keeping patients alive, and also monitoring medical changes pertaining to the health of their patient.

Many people want to go into the field of nursing and are curious as to how much money can be made throughout their careers, but the great thing is that there is not only a lot of money to be made, but there is a wealth of jobs to be had. Nursing assistants currently make an average of about sixteen to eighteen dollars across the United States, although this is merely an average and highly varies based on location. If you are looking into getting into this field, a major aspect would be to analyze the average pay in your area and base your move on those figures.

Working as Certified Nurse Assistant at North Caroline Veteran Home, was my first experience working with the dynamics of aging, disability, death and dying and loss and grieving beside the textbook knowledge. I have seen people I assist daily passed as well as comforting their family. It was not an easy experience or thing to get use to! Especially when one of the client passed during my shift and I must clean his body and make him look “presentable”. I never thought I would do a job of a coroner, from a fear of cleaning emotionless body. However, the expience assisting people who know could passed ay an hour made me appreciate life much more. Anyhow, what I have learned is that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Grief does not always

In “The Power of One: Using Service Learning to Promote Community Engagement”, Crystal Shannon explores the influence of service learning on first year nursing students. Most registered nurses work within their community and develop close relationships with their patients. The service learning curriculum allows nursing students to develop skills and relationships within their community. Service learning creates a better awareness among students while promoting learning in the medical field. It’s a more realistic application of the course material.

For the Service Learning Assignment, I decided to volunteer at Northwind Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. The first expectation I have for my service experience is that it is going to take me out of my element. I know that I am going to be exposed to situations that I typically do not see on a daily basis. I believe that the agency/organization and staff would be pleasant to work with. The last couple of months, I visited a few nursing home/rehab centers and everyone always has been pleasant. After reading the responsibilities for this service experience, the task does not seem overwhelming or complicated. It would be like spending time with a family member and making them feel comfortable. The patient may be a little challenging depending

Your time is important, and your time is key. Which is why I believe Rowan College At Burlington County (RCBC) should not make service learning a requirement to graduate because students won't have enough time, to volunteer. First, students could lose their jobs for calling out of work too many times to go volunteer. Also, students could start failing their other classes because they're spending too much time volunteering for service learning. Last, students will like to spend time with their families after a long week of classes, and jobs. RCBC should not consider making service learning a requirement to graduate because students will not have time to focus on it.

(I honestly couldn’t think of a better starting point) I admire the care I have received from those around me since I was young, especially when it came from people other my parents. As a result, I wanted to relay the same feelings I felt to others by taking up Adult Nursing. Recently I had the opportunity to shadow a nurse in a dialysis ward at Whipps Cross.

The service learning opportunity I participated in was going on a class trip to the National Museum of Dentistry on Wednesday July 15, 2015 in Baltimore, MD. This museum portrayed the history and evolution of dentistry. It also included exhibitions from different fields of dentistry such as dental hygiene and forensic dentistry. This museum allowed me to see the history of dentistry, and appreciate the study of dentistry and the oral cavity.

Avery Heights is a community nursing home in a park like setting in the town of Hartford. I have been a volunteer worker for two years and almost every day I visit this magnificent place. My attendance began when I was a high school student looking to complete community service work mandatory for every student. Ever since my first visit, I have thoroughly enjoyed assisting the residents living in Avery Heights throughout my high school experience and beyond. Whether spending time with dementia and Alzheimer’s patient or enjoying the twist and turns of the puzzle solving and Friday Bingo games with the healthy residents, I developed a sense of compassion, love, and gratitude toward them. My attraction to the Heights was mainly because of volunteering. I helped residents with any technological issues that they faced, from fixing old VCR players so they could watch their favorites 90s TV shows to teaching them how to access the nursing home Wi-Fi and creating an email account which were a truly rewarding experiences.

As a student, I have become more aware of the needs of my community. I have always worked at being active in my community to help those in need. Most of my volunteer work revolved around collecting donations and lending a helping hand at shelters. My volunteer work did not usually involve an academic base. I was not concerned with the ins and outs of why homelessness was a problem or the difficulty women faced finding assistance to escape abusive relationships. I just knew the shelters were always in need of donations and that is where I found myself helping most. In this paper, I will describe a personal experience I have had with service learning. I will also select one service learning idea from the National Student Nurses’ Association planning guideline that interests me and describe how this type of experience will enhance my nursing student experience.