Nurse Assistants Reflection

Nurse assistants are essential to the care of patients as they do so much of the work that the nurse either doesn’t want to do or does not have time for. They have the most contact with patients and are a vital information gathering source due to that. If compassion wasn’t a part of their makeup they’d be in the wrong line of work as they are constantly having to clean messes, feed people, and so much more. At the facility, there are at least two CNAs on each unit though I know that there are more. I wasn’t counting them because honestly, I didn’t know I was supposed to keep track. There were CNAs in the showers, dining areas, darting in and out of patient rooms, and in the little lounge areas checking on the residents. It was like a beehive of constant activity. I was so busy and nervous, trying to keep track of vital signs and whether I’d already checked a resident it was awe inspiring to me that the CNAs could do it without fumbling. I really wonder how the CNAs do it all, how they keep the names and faces straight and how they take vital signs

I’ve fed babies, small children, and occasionally I would feed my great grandmother when she couldn’t manage it herself, but feeding an able-bodied person in lab (even though we were supposed to pretend they weren’t) was weird. Being fed was stranger still, I wasn’t really allowed to move, I couldn’t see through those glasses, and I wore a bib. It was humbling and a little humiliating being fed. Making a joke out of it helped alleviate some of the awkwardness, for me at least if not my partner. Being fed gave me a glimpse of what it must be like for adults that have to be fed (something tells me that was the point) and I understand why they’d be frustrated and lacking appetite. It’s humiliating and humbling to need help doing such a basic task. I won’t be forgetting that lesson anytime