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| Badge I sport for preceptorships. |
It's been over a year now that I've been working as a Nurses Aide at the hospital. And I must say that my impressions thusfar have been favorable, both of the hospital as well as the different units I work (ortho, medsurg, icu). I've learned something very important these last few weeks in school, that working as an aide has been an invaluable foundation for my nursing career. I advise all nursing students to take on a part time job as a tech or aide. I don't know if I'd be making it through some of the stuff without complaining if I didn't have some experience. Make no mistake, aide work isn't easy. It's sweaty and gritty and filthy and exhausting. I often spend 10-12 hours a day on my feet. But I feel like it's fundamentally important to nursing care. I feel like, if I can do this part, I can do anything. And honestly, if you aren't prepared to do the "worst parts" of the job, how can you be expected to do a good job at the easier parts?
The thing I love most about my work is the people I get to talk to. Of my few gifts, I feel that ministering to their emotional hurt is the most important and relevant for my daily life. Sometimes healthcare workers forget to look at a patient holistically. While I am caring for the body, I also place great value on caring for the mind and spirit. It is easy to write people off because of their behavior. It's easy to forget that people are human beings, not just diseases. Every time I go in a room, I take time to hear the person's story (because everyone likes to talk about their health). I feel it is making me not only stronger, but kinder.
But beyond direct patient experience, this job has been good for learning more how the hospital works. I am sent from place to place on various errands, and am finding out where things are located and how to get things done. The nurses often pull me into a room to watch procedures, so I'm gaining extra "class time" of a sort. And, lastly, I am making connections that will prove valuable for my future preceptorships and job interviews. The only real downside is that I work graves and am often tired all the next day but I can't complain, I'm doing what I've always wanted to do.
