On February 7, 2011, I took the test that would start me on my road to nursing, my nursing school entrance exam. My brain was so fried from the information thrown at me in that three hour time frame that I couldn't even think. The results have been in for almost a week but I am too scared to check them.
The following day I took my CNA exam after 3 weeks of class. I got a 93% on it. I have finally done it. I am CERTIFIED!!! That may not mean a lot to some of you but to me it is the greatest feeling. You see, I finished High School in 1995. In the 15 1/2 years since my graduation I have been in construction, tele-marketing, tech support, fast food, and sales. Never have I been very marketable at any of them. Now I finally have something that makes me stand out a little. It is the bottom of the totem pole in the way of nursing but it is a start. My search for a career is over. I am in Nursing.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
School Daze!!
I want to start off by apologizing to my few followers about the long silence. I seem to have less and less time these days.
The holidays have come and gone. At the nursing home we have lost many of our dear ones. Some have moved on to more independent living while others have gone home to our Heavenly Father. Among these were two ladies that I had the pleasure of knowing. Both died peacefully after long struggles and they will be missed. I realized that when we cry for those we lose, we do not actually cry for them but for ourselves and for our having lost their sweet smiles in our daily life.
I have finally begun CNA school. For the next three weeks I will learn the ins and outs of being an actual Certified Nurse Aide. We have to cover so much information in such a short time that my mind is having difficulty staying focused. It makes me wonder if I am truly prepared to begin nursing school in July. What I do know is that with this first step, my career truly begins. It can be assumed that for the better part of the next year and a half, I will be a student, while at the same time trying to work enough hours to keep my family afloat. I am scared. I ask for your prayers in this journey.
The holidays have come and gone. At the nursing home we have lost many of our dear ones. Some have moved on to more independent living while others have gone home to our Heavenly Father. Among these were two ladies that I had the pleasure of knowing. Both died peacefully after long struggles and they will be missed. I realized that when we cry for those we lose, we do not actually cry for them but for ourselves and for our having lost their sweet smiles in our daily life.
I have finally begun CNA school. For the next three weeks I will learn the ins and outs of being an actual Certified Nurse Aide. We have to cover so much information in such a short time that my mind is having difficulty staying focused. It makes me wonder if I am truly prepared to begin nursing school in July. What I do know is that with this first step, my career truly begins. It can be assumed that for the better part of the next year and a half, I will be a student, while at the same time trying to work enough hours to keep my family afloat. I am scared. I ask for your prayers in this journey.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Making them feel comfortable
It has taken me several weeks to think about how to write this post. As it so often happens in this line of work, I have experienced recently the death of a resident to whom I had grown attached. She was a very sweet woman who always had a huge smile on her face. She lived on a hall that I had only worked a few times, but every time she saw me she would come up and give me a big hug and let me know how much she appreciated the work that I do. I remember one day she saw me in the dining room and actually followed me to a hall on the other side of the facility just to give me a hug. On the weekends when things were all caught up and slow, I would keep her company in her room as we watched TV or just talked. She would tell me about wen she was growing up sometimes but most of the time she couldn't remember much of anything so she would ask me about my family, work, and life in general. Our moments together not only helped the time pass quickly, but they reminded me of why I love my job. Its helping people that makes this career worth while.
On the day my friend left this life, I was in an in-service meeting for the nursing staff. As we left the meeting, I saw her being wheeled away on a gurney. I looked at her face and knew she was hurting. I told her I loved her and that I would see her soon. She smiled. It wasn't until the next morning that I found out that she had passed. As I began to tear up over the loss of my friend, my supervisor reminded me of something. She said to me, "We are not here so that we can make them better. Our goal is to make them comfortable. If you did that for her in her last days on Earth, then you did what was expected. We have others to help so we need to save our tears for a time when others are not counting on us to be strong."
As I type and reflect, I know that she was right. It is only now, a month after my friends passing that I am finally able to have some time to cry. I only hope that our friendship was as comfortable for her as it was rewarding for me. I shall never forget her.
On the day my friend left this life, I was in an in-service meeting for the nursing staff. As we left the meeting, I saw her being wheeled away on a gurney. I looked at her face and knew she was hurting. I told her I loved her and that I would see her soon. She smiled. It wasn't until the next morning that I found out that she had passed. As I began to tear up over the loss of my friend, my supervisor reminded me of something. She said to me, "We are not here so that we can make them better. Our goal is to make them comfortable. If you did that for her in her last days on Earth, then you did what was expected. We have others to help so we need to save our tears for a time when others are not counting on us to be strong."
As I type and reflect, I know that she was right. It is only now, a month after my friends passing that I am finally able to have some time to cry. I only hope that our friendship was as comfortable for her as it was rewarding for me. I shall never forget her.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Do you really care or is this just a paycheck?
It seems that no matter where I go to work, there are always people who are there simply to get a paycheck. Then there are those that are there because they like what they do and are good at it. Nursing, I have found, is no different. Except we have a third group. These people are those that don't really like what they do and anyone who does is an instant target for backstabbing and condescension.
In the last several weeks I have been a victim of the most vicious lies imaginable. I have been accused of mistreating the residents, not paying enough attention to the residents, paying too much attention to the residents, and sitting on my butt instead of doing my job. Oddly enough, it is the same group of women accusing me of all of these things. I wish that they would make up their minds! It is this same group that one day will complain to the charge nurse that I am not doing anything and then turn around and ask me to help them with a combative resident.
One example is when I was working on a Saturday, I was informed that I would be working on a hall that I had not worked in a while. While walking down the hall to answer a light, every aid on the hall, including those refusing to answer said light, went to complain to the charge nurse that I wasn't doing anything and that they would not work with me.
On a more recent occasion, I was asked to supervise the bathing of a gentleman who would not allow a woman to bathe him. He is independent so I knew that all I needed to do was to watch him and give him verbal cues to assist him. Despite my efforts to get him to use soap he turned off the water after only a few minutes without once touching a washcloth. He began to dress himself while I was pleading with him to take another shower. We were both getting quite frustrated with each other, so I excused myself and stepped into the hallway to calm down. He was fully clothed when I left except for shoes and socks so I knew that he was in no danger. Outside the shower room, I found all of the aids working that hall, sitting down and joking around. I asked them if they would finish the job while I cooled down and one of them got up and went into the shower room. About twenty minutes later I was paged to the Nursing office where the Director of Nursing was and I was asked what happened, right in front of the girl accusing me of leaving a resident unattended. Upon hearing what happened from me, the DON took my side and excused the "tattler" as she called her from the office. She told me that I did the right thing and that I was doing a good job. When I left the office, the girl that reported me gave me such a stare that if looks could kill, I would not be alive to post this blog.
As near as I can see, as long as the DON thinks I am doing a good job, those backstabbing little girls can stick it in their ear.
In the last several weeks I have been a victim of the most vicious lies imaginable. I have been accused of mistreating the residents, not paying enough attention to the residents, paying too much attention to the residents, and sitting on my butt instead of doing my job. Oddly enough, it is the same group of women accusing me of all of these things. I wish that they would make up their minds! It is this same group that one day will complain to the charge nurse that I am not doing anything and then turn around and ask me to help them with a combative resident.
One example is when I was working on a Saturday, I was informed that I would be working on a hall that I had not worked in a while. While walking down the hall to answer a light, every aid on the hall, including those refusing to answer said light, went to complain to the charge nurse that I wasn't doing anything and that they would not work with me.
On a more recent occasion, I was asked to supervise the bathing of a gentleman who would not allow a woman to bathe him. He is independent so I knew that all I needed to do was to watch him and give him verbal cues to assist him. Despite my efforts to get him to use soap he turned off the water after only a few minutes without once touching a washcloth. He began to dress himself while I was pleading with him to take another shower. We were both getting quite frustrated with each other, so I excused myself and stepped into the hallway to calm down. He was fully clothed when I left except for shoes and socks so I knew that he was in no danger. Outside the shower room, I found all of the aids working that hall, sitting down and joking around. I asked them if they would finish the job while I cooled down and one of them got up and went into the shower room. About twenty minutes later I was paged to the Nursing office where the Director of Nursing was and I was asked what happened, right in front of the girl accusing me of leaving a resident unattended. Upon hearing what happened from me, the DON took my side and excused the "tattler" as she called her from the office. She told me that I did the right thing and that I was doing a good job. When I left the office, the girl that reported me gave me such a stare that if looks could kill, I would not be alive to post this blog.
As near as I can see, as long as the DON thinks I am doing a good job, those backstabbing little girls can stick it in their ear.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thats Just Funny!
I have had a very busy workweek. I work a 4 days on 2 days off schedule normally, but recently I have had to put in extra hours due to a shortage of aides. Yesterday was Sunday. I went in for my scheduled 6am to 2pm shift and worked the following 2pm to 10pm shift as well. Then I came home, slept for about 6 hours and got up to go to work the 6 to 2 shift again. Needless to say, I am exhausted.
Mealtime at the nursing home is an interesting occasion to say the least. There are about 16 people that need to be fed or watched to make sure they eat. These people are seated around two large tables with aides on hand to assist. There is a woman who sits at these tables that is very outspoken. She comments on just about everything very loudly. If its cold she shouts, "Its colder than a witches titty in here!" If she wants more food she calls out, "Stab me a bite!" What has made me laugh the hardest at these times is what she shouted today. The was a gentleman sitting next to her today who is known for stealing food and drinks off of neighboring trays. We try to catch him every time but with so many residents and so few aides we aren't always successful. Today we almost missed him grab this ladies drink. When we stopped him she shouted, "He's a silly old fart!" The four feeding aides could not contain our laughter. You really need a sense of humor to do this job.
Mealtime at the nursing home is an interesting occasion to say the least. There are about 16 people that need to be fed or watched to make sure they eat. These people are seated around two large tables with aides on hand to assist. There is a woman who sits at these tables that is very outspoken. She comments on just about everything very loudly. If its cold she shouts, "Its colder than a witches titty in here!" If she wants more food she calls out, "Stab me a bite!" What has made me laugh the hardest at these times is what she shouted today. The was a gentleman sitting next to her today who is known for stealing food and drinks off of neighboring trays. We try to catch him every time but with so many residents and so few aides we aren't always successful. Today we almost missed him grab this ladies drink. When we stopped him she shouted, "He's a silly old fart!" The four feeding aides could not contain our laughter. You really need a sense of humor to do this job.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Ooops
Since this is my first real post after my introduction I should explain something...I don't have a clue what I am doing. I have never been one for journal writing, my storytelling skills are, shall we say, lacking, and my use of the English language occasionally leave some wondering from what foreign country I originated. Nevertheless, here we go.
Today was a generally ordinary day at work. That is until right about the time I was getting ready to leave. One of the residents whom I have grown to love is a rather heavyset but very sweet lady. Her knees trouble her a great deal and as such she requires the use of a standing lift when transferring to her wheelchair. In the use of this mechanical lift, there is a strap that goes around the patients back and under her arms. It is then hooked to pegs on the lift located on either side of the patient. The patient then holds on to to hand grabs for support. I have used this lift numerous times with this lady with great success. Today, however, she lost her grip on the hand grabs and began to slide out of the harness. I attempted to put her wheelchair under her to prevent her total collapse but was not successful. All I could do was to slow her downward progress with the edge of the chair and very gently set her down on the floor.
I was petrified. I was devastated. I called immediately for the charge nurse to assist but the lift was in front of the door, being held in place by the resident now lying prone on the floor. After a moment to collect my thoughts I was able to maneuver the lift so that we could open the door. Another male aide assisted me as we lifted the resident to her feet and set her down in her chair. To my astonishment, she was LAUGHING. I felt like the world was about to end and she was having a nice chuckle. The nurse asked her if she was okay and she answered, " I think he is more shook up than I am." I laugh about it now but it was definitely an experience I do not wish to repeat.
Today was a generally ordinary day at work. That is until right about the time I was getting ready to leave. One of the residents whom I have grown to love is a rather heavyset but very sweet lady. Her knees trouble her a great deal and as such she requires the use of a standing lift when transferring to her wheelchair. In the use of this mechanical lift, there is a strap that goes around the patients back and under her arms. It is then hooked to pegs on the lift located on either side of the patient. The patient then holds on to to hand grabs for support. I have used this lift numerous times with this lady with great success. Today, however, she lost her grip on the hand grabs and began to slide out of the harness. I attempted to put her wheelchair under her to prevent her total collapse but was not successful. All I could do was to slow her downward progress with the edge of the chair and very gently set her down on the floor.
I was petrified. I was devastated. I called immediately for the charge nurse to assist but the lift was in front of the door, being held in place by the resident now lying prone on the floor. After a moment to collect my thoughts I was able to maneuver the lift so that we could open the door. Another male aide assisted me as we lifted the resident to her feet and set her down in her chair. To my astonishment, she was LAUGHING. I felt like the world was about to end and she was having a nice chuckle. The nurse asked her if she was okay and she answered, " I think he is more shook up than I am." I laugh about it now but it was definitely an experience I do not wish to repeat.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
An Introduction...to Get Things Started
First of all let me clear something up. Although I have named my blog "Memoirs of a Male Nurse", I am not currently a nurse. I am, however, a nurses aide who is trying to become a nurse. It is my wish to share with you, the reader, a look into the nursing profession from a STRAIGHT man's point of view.
Nursing is, as you probably know, a predominately female line of work. My perspective, is not unlike that of a woman in construction. Trying to deal with different issues from an "outsiders" view. The stories that I share will, I hope, educate, inspire, and often times amuse you. Any names used in these stories will be changed in order to keep the residents, patients, and coworkers that I work with anonymous.
I hope that you will enjoy this crazy roller coaster ride I call Nursing.
Nursing is, as you probably know, a predominately female line of work. My perspective, is not unlike that of a woman in construction. Trying to deal with different issues from an "outsiders" view. The stories that I share will, I hope, educate, inspire, and often times amuse you. Any names used in these stories will be changed in order to keep the residents, patients, and coworkers that I work with anonymous.
I hope that you will enjoy this crazy roller coaster ride I call Nursing.
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