GS1145
Bendall
Short Answer 5.1

Good Day vs Bad Day
Breckinridge School of Nursing
Barbara Walker

Abstract
Anyone working as a nursing assistant has chosen a very challenging path. Poor compensation, workplace politics, short staffing, conflict between coworkers, irate and difficult residents, miscommunication, heavy lifting and the loss of those for whom we care all make for a tough work environment. I definitely have locked myself in the linen closet to get myself together moments. So, why do I keep coming back? Why do I stay? First of all, I embrace the challenge. I thrive on it. In my life, it is a rare and beautiful thing to be able to bring order to chaos rather than the other way around. I work at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital and I have to say, the patients inspire me every day. We have a variety of patients; with cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, dementia, brain and spinal cord injuries and just knee or hip replacements that still laugh and love and find joy in nothing short of amazing. It’s such an incredible gift to be a part of their lives…to walk them through the tough days and celebrate with them during their triumphs. They have shown me the uselessness of the word impossible. They all touch my heart, and I hope I touch their heart too.

Good Day vs Bad Day
I have to say that I’m proud of the work that I do. Nursing assistants come in all shapes and sizes. We are both male and female. Our Physical appearances are different, but we all have bodies that withstand the punishing nature of the work. We do a lot of stuff that isn’t really in the job description. We arrange the Hallmark cards next to the bed, dial the phone for residents who can’t do it themselves and clean out the whiskers that are clogging the blades of the electric razor. In short, nursing assistants help people who can’t completely help themselves. A nursing assistant can be the functioning arms of a quadriplegic, the eyesight of a person who is blind, and the voice of someone who cannot talk. Nursing assistants have a tough, dirty job. In this paper I will be discussing the good and the bad about being a nursing assistant.
A Good Day
As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a nurse. But, life as we know it, got in the way and my plans did not go as expected. I got pregnant at the age of twenty and had a child to think about so, my dreams of becoming a nurse got put on the back burner. I became a SRNA to get me prepared for becoming a nurse. I thought it would give me the experience that I needed and I have to say, it has. To make a long story short, I’m finally fulfilling my dream. Which, leads me to tell you why I do what I do.
For the most part, every day that I work as a SRNA, is a good day. It is so rewarding to Be able to help people that can’t help themselves, whether it’s because of a minor or major health problem. It makes me feel good about myself. One particular day that really stands out from all the rest though, is a day that I was assigned to a patient that was a foreigner, and we had to use that communication phone so that we could understand each other, unless the interpreter was there. Well evidently, she had other SRNA’s that weren’t so nice to her and she was just a mess, and her experience with our facility for the first couple of days just wasn’t going very well for her. So, I went out of my way, as I do with all of my patient’s, and made sure that she had a better experience. She got everything that she needed; a hot shower, her room cleaned and tided up, clean sheets, her meals on time and hot, her teeth brushed, and I even curled and fixed her hair. She was so thankful and she let me know it too. It was during the evening I came in to check on her and she busted into tears. Then I started crying because I thought that I had done something to upset her and at that time my nurse came in and was like, what is going on? But, it turns out she was crying tears of joy. She was just so thankful for me taking such good care of her that day that she was overwhelmed with joy. And, she told me that I was an angel sent from heaven. It is just an amazing feeling to help people, it just makes me want to burst. It is days like this one that makes me keep doing what I do and what keeps me pushing forward for my nursing degree.
A Bad Day
On Saturday’s, I typically work as unit clerk/SRNA, usually the admissions that come in are my top priority and then when my day slows down I will help the other SRNA’s and Nurse’s out on the floor. Well, it was a typical crazy Saturday morning, except we had a tremendous amount of admissions coming in, there was a total of eighteen admits and the lights were going crazy on the units. It seemed like there was just a gloom of bad attitudes and emotions hanging in the air. The admissions started coming in early, I was helping the nurses fix their WOW’s because they could not get logged on and one of the nurse’s mouse had quit working, my phone was ringing off the hook, and not to mention my pager was going off every five minutes it seemed like.
On this particular day, a co-worker that I usually tend to get along with was having a bad Day, and I guess, decided to take it out on me. She started yelling at me telling me that I needed to keep my butt at my phone to answer it because she was tired of answering it. So, my reply was then don’t answer it! Because I can’t just sit by the phone all day, I have other things to do besides answering the telephone. Well, I guess she didn’t like my reply and starting screaming at me and telling me, “Barbara, that’s why I don’t like working with you because you are nothing but a BITCH!” I could not believe the words that came out of her mouth. I was so hurt by what she had said because I get along with everyone, I go out of my way all the time for people, to help them, and this is what I get. At this time I just walked away, I was so angry. I went and got my boss, the hospital administrator, (in which, wasn’t my usual boss because my boss had taking off due to going on vacation) Sharon, and told her what had happened and to make matters worse she said well just stay away from her and let things cool down, and that made me even more furious because I did not do anything to deserve the treatment that I had gotten. I felt like I was just being punished for doing my job at this time. So, I told Sharon that I didn’t feel that it was fair, that she needed to say something to my co-worker, and not to mention she just cussed me out in front of patients and relatives at the nurse’s station. Sharon finally went and talked to her and later that evening my co-worker came to me and apologized for the way she talked to me and told me that I did not deserve what she said and that she knew that I was a good worker, and that I always help her out. She said she was just having a bad day and did not mean to take it out on me. So, we hugged and cried together.
In conclusion, although being a SRNA has good days and bad, a few days a week, I drive to my job at Cardinal Hill. As I head to work, I anticipate the varied needs of my patients. I drive with a feeling of hope that I will be able to make a difference in a patient’s life for that day, bringing them comfort, perhaps some laughter and, most of all, thorough and careful nursing care. Each SRNA has a group for which they are responsible in addition to working with other SRNA’s when they need assistance. Because we know each other well enough we are able to arrange work according to each of our strengths and weaknesses. And, we share our knowledge and skills for resident care with each other. And there may be days that we have our ups and downs with one another, but we always work through it. My work as a SRNA is tough, no doubt about it. It is non-stop from the time my shift begins. My job requires a great deal of physical and mental strength and excellent interpersonal skills. It’s a good feeling to go home at the end of my shift and know I have made a difference in someone’s life, provided good care, perhaps shared a laugh or two or simply spent some time with residents holding their hands to assure them I am there for them!