STNA's are pertinent to the success of hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care. They are needed to help carry out every day tasks and aide in helping those who, at the moment, cannot help themselves. They are the ones who take care of your family members day in and day out. Your family becomes their family too. We love your family to no end and, even on the bad days we wouldn't trade our jobs for the world. I started at this level for a reason, just like many others as well. I am going into the medical field, but I wanted to start at the closest position with patients and residents. I am glad I did, just as I'm sure many of my fellow STNAs do as well. We aren't just learning how to prevent bed sores, or how to lift correctly, or how to transfer a paraplegic or bedside manner. No, we are learning love, compassion, care, kindness, patience, and so much more. Our jobs are important, and there are many things that every STNA has dealt with. Here are a few:
1. Your residents make your day.
It doesn't matter what kind of day you're having, there are those residents that just make your job worth coming to everyday. They make you smile or warm your heart. Whether it is just that they are nice people or they talk, act, or look like your grandma/grandpa. They never fail to make even the crappiest day a little less crappy. Even though you are their caretaker, you begin to create a friendship with them, even loving them as family.
2. But there's that one resident.
Even though you have those residents that make you happy to come to work, there's always that one resident. You know the one. The one that does anything and everything to take up every ounce of your time. The one that will purposefully mess themselves just so you'll come back into their room. The one who will threaten to go to your DON because you did not have time to come back into her room on the 20th call light. Not to mention, they'll ask how in the heck you ever became an aide or tell you you're worthless and going nowhere in life. While we are to care for and make sure every resident is comfortable, there is that one that goes completely overboard. Then they'll even tell you to your face that they lie about being in pain or having a cough, just so that you'll come back into their room. Your patience will be tested and if you're anything like me, you will have to excuse yourself for a minute to collect yourself. After finishing this resident, it's definitely time to go visit the one described above in #1.
3. You know when State/Corporate is coming...
Not only does the entire facility start freaking out about having everything clean, organized, and paperwork filled out; but you realize everything that is done wrong on the halls. Things that State would definitely have an issue with. Also, for the first time all year (and probably the only time that year) you'll see every person from Administration helping out on the halls or in the dining room. The Administrator, DON, etc. volunteer to help whenever state comes through the door, but when the need for help is very real, they are too busy. Not only does this result in residents not getting the care they deserve, but the staff realizes that the uppers in the building definitely could help out more and things would go much more smoothly. Sigh...
4. There are good nurses and there are bad nurses.
Nurses take a lot of crap from a lot of people and sometimes it is the STNA's fault, but most handle themselves pretty amazingly. If you're lucky, you'll have amazing nurses who don't blink an eye when you ask for help or tell them a resident asked for their pain meds...again. Thankfully, these are definitely the types of nurses I have the advantage of working with. However, there can be those nurses who can't be bothered with your concerns about a resident or whatnot. There are nurses who will treat you like you are beneath them, just because you're an aide. The really funny thing is, you just might be their boss one day, so keep working hard and kill them with kindness. To those nurses who are just awesome, thank you! You make our job easier and we love to make yours easier too. A simple good job, please, and thank you goes a long, long way.
5. You are a freaking ninja! And don't you forget it!
Not many people can handle 25 residents/patients and keep their sanity. You are a ninja. You can change a wet Depends in record time without removing shoes or pants, multitask like nobody's business, and toilet 3 people in the span of 10 minutes. Everyone knows that we are understaffed, so someone has to pick up the slack that can get away from us too easily. You might be hot, sweaty, lightheaded, hungry, dehydrated, having to pee, but you do what you need to do to get the job done. There is nothing you can't do.
6. Your stomach is anything but weak...
We've seen anything from pressure ulcers, to prolapsed rectums, to just a really messy BM. I can honestly watch any "gross" video on YouTube and think it is the coolest thing ever. Sometimes you'll even come home and your family will sit at the table and you'll tell this really cool story about someone's surgical incision or the bandages you helped change and you forget that others are a bit more queasy than yourself. You can watch about anything, see about anything and it doesn't phase you. We change the poopiest of diapers and go to lunch 5 minutes later. Your stomach is made of steel.
7. Your coworkers can make or break how your day goes.
There are those you absolutely love working with because they know the perfect medium of self-starting and teamwork. They aren't lazy or need you to tell them what to do. They see something and they do. Unfortunately, there are also those who don't do these things and it makes your day so much harder.
8. It takes a special person...
It takes a special person to do what we do, and we are those people. Only someone with a big heart and a ton of patience can deal with the pettiest of residents and still show them kindness and compassion. Only a special person can change an incontinent resident and still do their best to allow the resident to keep as much of their dignity as possible. It takes a special person. Not everyone can do our job, and people find that out. It is not easy and sometimes it is not fun. We're understaffed, underpaid, and underappreciated. It takes a special person.
You are that special person.
