One thing I know to be true: as time passes, the grass starts to dull.
Over the last month, the CNAs in my course faced new challenges. Many felt it wasn’t a good fit for them and decided to drop the course altogether.
Though they had their reasons, the students who stayed have been both persevering and thriving. Including me.
Getting to see fresh faces in this program has been a delight. There have been a lot of moments so far that have been special as I’ve made new friends. This experience became even more special when some of those moments included reuniting with old friends as well.
Although the CNA program has proven itself to be quite an active program, it doesn’t push me away. These brand new challenges and goals have given me a bigger reason to keep going.
As the course has progressed, I have learned several new skills, such as checking heart pressure, administering first aid, and performing CPR. CPR and first aid are CNA fundamentals as they are the most essential tasks for supporting patients.
To help us learn CPR and first aid, our teacher invited special guest Mr. Jean Vaulkenburg , a longtime Director of Nurses, to come in and teach us hands on. As if that wasn’t enough learning, we were also taught the units and measurements needed for blood pressure too.
Using this information, our student CNAs were now able to find the patient’s heart rate in a life threatening situation, where it could provide crucial information when performing CPR or first aid.
After being provided hands-on and active listening training by our instructor Mr.Cortez, we developed the ability to distinguish heart beats and the sound of a healthy pair of lungs.
Along with my peers, so far I have learned many of the basic needs to provide health care. This has given me the ability to aid people in everyday situations, and even save a life! These skills are absolutely priceless.
As emphasized in my previous entry, the CNA program is a perfect way for students to start in the medical field. Not only is the program free and beneficial, but it also gives students an opportunity to explore the many routes that can be taken in the medical field.
Giving students an opportunity to not only learn about nursing, but to provide a path for a career is what the CNA program is all about.
