When you tell someone you're a CNA, usually they'll reply with something along the lines of, "Oh, so you just clean up old people and wipe their asses."

And let me be the first to tell you that we're WAY more than that.

Yes, part of our job is to assist people who are unable to get up and use the bathroom like the rest of us, but that isn't our whole job.

Being a CNA can be the most rewarding job, but it's often a hard one, too. We care for people that we don't even know. We get yelled at by some patients and sometimes their family for doing our job. We hardly ever get told "thank you" for doing our job. We leave patient's rooms with body fluids all over our scrubs. We start our days by washing and getting patients dressed and ready for their day.

We listen to patients with open ears and do our best to make them feel comfortable in what's probably a very scary situation to them.

We spend our weekends and holidays with patients. We're there for patients for 8, 12, and even 16 hours a day, sometimes more than that. We're constantly running back and forth to answer call lights and making sure everyone is taken care of in hopes to finally sit down, but to only see another call light go off. We're there for the people who don't get visitors from their family members. We sit, listen, and talk to the patients who are stuck in a room for 24 hours a day and comfort them in any way that we can.

There are plenty of jobs that are much harder than being a CNA, but our job is more than just wiping someone's behind. It's not for everyone. In fact, you have to be very strong (physically AND mentally) and compassionate in order to take on a job like this.

But... if you really think all we do is wipe people up, go ahead and put in an application. Chances are someone has called in sick, so we could probably use you.