I put my foot in the water, so to speak, into the medical field for the first time last week. I've been training as a nurse assistant for the past four weeks, and finally graduated last Friday. Part of our training involved working at a local nursing home, and the hospital. I loved it. Here's some of what I saw and experienced.
Met some awesome nursing assistants who truly love their job, and being able to serve others, and it shows in their work. Met a resident who was an extremely strong Christian, and is praying everyday for her grandson to find Christ. Got to hang out with two of the coolest old ladies you'll ever meet. Became a professional diaper changer. Had an old lady throw her grilled cheese across the table (it was 'burnt'). Made friends with a schizophrenic lady. Helped a stroke victim strengthen his legs. 'Teased' a granny fro. Watched as an elderly man in a wheelchair, scooted his wife, who is also in a wheelchair, to wherever they needed to go. Painted a lady's fingernails. Almost got pooped on. Washed a lady's feet. Worked on the oncology floor at the hospital, and helped admit a man with colon cancer. Helped aid with the comfort of a lady who was on her death bed. Communicated with a teary eyed, frustrated stroke victim with expressive aphasia (she can't talk), found out what she wanted, and made her laugh and shake my hand. Gave baths. Had a very old lady ask me how pretty she was on a scale of 1 to 10 ("Well, a 12, of course."). Fed people. Saw a picture of a friend of mine in one of the resident's rooms. And had a conversation with a lady with dementia about how great bananas are.
This has seriously been one of the richer experiences of my life. Even though it was sometimes gross (I have some awesome poop stories), I loved every minute that we were there. I'm extremely thankful for this opportunity. It taught me a lot, and I'm looking forward to more opportunities like this in the future, as well as moving along in the medical field.
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