The inspiration of becoming a Nursing Assistant came from my little girl dreams of one day becoming a doctor. I have always had a desire to work in the medical field. I wanted a job that would potentially benefit my future career while I am finishing school. I have come to center my life around serving other people, and I absolutely love caring for those who cannot perform their activities of daily living by themselves. 

Working in the medical field can be very challenging. Like I said before, every skill that you perform has to be nearly perfect to prevent harming or injuring residents. When giving care to residents, you have to state their names to identify that they are getting the right care. This led to some challenges during clinicals because I didn’t know most of the residents names. Throughout the course, we had many exams which meant I had to study a lot if I wanted to pass. Procrastination has always been an issue for me, but I was able to overcome that challenge while getting my CNA.

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When I was participating in my clinicals, I was able to meet many amazing Veterans that loved to share their life stories. Some residents can talk forever about their families, work, war, etc., but I knew that my willingness to genuinely sit and listen to their stories made their whole day. Many residents don’t want to be living in facilities, some are ornery, and some are just grateful to be alive. I have found that the little things like making someone’s bed or combing and brushing hair, can completely change the way they go about the rest of their day.

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Through this course, I have come to really appreciate all that I have in my life, because a lot of people are just trying to survive one day at a time with the help of healthcare professionals always by their side. I could tell when I was making a resident happy, but little did they know that the smiles I received from them helped me grow and made my day as well. During my project, I was also searching for some career guidance. As a CNA, you are allowed to work in Labor and Delivery. When we were learning about that career, I realized that I want to continue my schooling at Southern Utah University in hopes to become an OBGYN.

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