Those considering a career as a certified nursing assistant might be drawn to a career in medicine and need a place to start. Others heed the call to serve and a position as a nurse’s aide fulfills that calling. Days spent in the service of others who truly depend on you CNA be both rewarding and frustrating, yet most who enter the profession wouldn’t trade those experiences and difficult lessons learned for anything.
One of the key lessons that one learns as a CNA is that relationships matter. From the bonds formed with patients, to the lifelong friendships with other staff members, to the respect earned from the doctors and medical staff, each of these relationships contributes to job satisfaction and an elevated feeling of self-worth.
There are few other professions where so much is needed by so many. It is a profession where even the smallest kindness is rewarded in ways that are too numerous to count. Playing a pivotal role in the quality of life for those in need is life-enriching and empowers one to do more than ever thought possible. Relationship-building skills are essential in any profession, and especially so as a nurse’s aide. The strong bonds that develop are the glue that holds everything together when it seems that everything is going wrong.
Another lesson that CNAs learn is how to calmly and effectively adapt to any situation that arises. This survival skill serves CNAs well on the job and in life in general. To be able to assess the situation quickly while thinking on one’s feet and managing a dozen patient residents at the same time is the kind of multi-tasking that translates well to personal life situations. Knowing that so many people are depending on the nurse’s aide to figure it out and make it work develops confidence in one’s ability to handle any of life’s crises at home that seem to occur on a weekly basis.
The ability to persevere no matter what happens is one of those life skills that can’t be taught, it must be earned through overcoming obstacles that seem insurmountable at the time. CNAs face these challenges almost on a daily basis. Whether one is faced with an unplanned disruption to patient schedules, lack of support due to absenteeism, or fixing careless mistakes made by other CNAs, delivering consistent care in the face of these obstacles gives one the ability to endure most anything that life throws at them.
It is the toughest parts of being a CNA that are, in the end, the most personally rewarding. If one takes a moment and reflects on these lessons learned, it becomes crystal clear that these are the very life lessons that enrich our lives and enable us to improve the quality of life for ourselves and our own families. And the beauty of it all is that these lessons are learned while dedicating our professional careers to the service of others which is reward in and of itself.
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