Finishing Up

This is the last week of my CNA class! I have a review tonight and then the final tomorrow. I will get a voucher in the mail if I passed my final to take the state certification test. I'd like to say that this class was hard and I'm worried about the final....but if I'm being honest, it really wasn't that hard and I am not worried at all. The only hard thing was being away from the kids so much, and also hurting my back while trying to transfer a patient on one of my clinicals.

Speaking of clinicals, they were held in a nursing home/rehab facility and it was a very interesting experience. I got to work in three different units and by far my favorite was the psych unit. There were some moments I was scared for my safety, and other moments where I was totally grossed out, and even more moments where I spent just talking with the residents. I learned all kinds of interesting things! It is very sad to me that these people once had a life but due to one circumstance or another, they are now sharing a room with somebody in a lock down unit of the psych ward. They have exactly one hall and one dining room to roam around in, and smoke breaks every two hours to look forward to. Some of them can very agitated, understandably so. I tell you, health care workers are angels and it takes a special kind to work in hard places like that. I very much respect them!

So now I am looking for jobs. I wasn't sure if I wanted to work or not, but it has been so good for me to get out and do something for myself--I think it's the right choice. My dream job of working in a mother/baby unit or trauma unit in the ER both require work experience so I have to start down in the trenches--nursing home or home health aide. Either way I think it will be a rewarding experience and the extra money isn't too shabby either ;)