Essay #1
English 1101-HP1: Essay #1
1 September 2013
To Be or Not to Be; My CNA Story
CNA, or Certified Nursing Assistant, work is very challenging. It discovered how difficult CNA work really is I decided to take a CNA course at the local college during the summer of 2012. My parents and close friends told me I would make a great CNA and their opinion of the work was it would not be that difficult or arduous. My school counselor recommended that I sign up for the course because she thought I had great potential. I took her advice and registered at Rend Lake College and started classes in July. The class was a breeze and I was having a great deal of fun until last two weeks of class.
During the final two weeks of class, I was required to work as a CNA in a local nursing home to satisfy my required clinical hours. During these hours I would take care of multiple residents of the home while being assisted by the on-duty CNAs and being monitored by my instructor. The instructor would critique me on my skills while I completed my tasks. My tasks included feeding, bathing, dressing, and other daunting tasks that the residents could not do themselves. I did not understand at the time, but now I realize that working as a CNA is a demanding career. Working as a CNA requires much physical labor. CNA work is not a set down job by all means. I was expected to provide care to as many as eight residents during my clinical hours. Many of these residents were totally dependent on me to help them dress, use the restroom, and shift in bed. These tasks were extremely difficult and proved to be strenuous on my back and legs. I was constantly on my feet and moving, and many times I came home from clinicals to find that my feet were sore and swollen. I, with the help of another CNA student, would have to lift a resident from their wheelchair to their bed or commode. Many residents were combative so I had to deal with getting beaten, bit, and spit on. If I would not have been conscious of
1 September 2013
To Be or Not to Be; My CNA Story
CNA, or Certified Nursing Assistant, work is very challenging. It discovered how difficult CNA work really is I decided to take a CNA course at the local college during the summer of 2012. My parents and close friends told me I would make a great CNA and their opinion of the work was it would not be that difficult or arduous. My school counselor recommended that I sign up for the course because she thought I had great potential. I took her advice and registered at Rend Lake College and started classes in July. The class was a breeze and I was having a great deal of fun until last two weeks of class.
During the final two weeks of class, I was required to work as a CNA in a local nursing home to satisfy my required clinical hours. During these hours I would take care of multiple residents of the home while being assisted by the on-duty CNAs and being monitored by my instructor. The instructor would critique me on my skills while I completed my tasks. My tasks included feeding, bathing, dressing, and other daunting tasks that the residents could not do themselves. I did not understand at the time, but now I realize that working as a CNA is a demanding career. Working as a CNA requires much physical labor. CNA work is not a set down job by all means. I was expected to provide care to as many as eight residents during my clinical hours. Many of these residents were totally dependent on me to help them dress, use the restroom, and shift in bed. These tasks were extremely difficult and proved to be strenuous on my back and legs. I was constantly on my feet and moving, and many times I came home from clinicals to find that my feet were sore and swollen. I, with the help of another CNA student, would have to lift a resident from their wheelchair to their bed or commode. Many residents were combative so I had to deal with getting beaten, bit, and spit on. If I would not have been conscious of