The Book of Random

Day in the life of a Certified Nurse Aide

(Only reason this song is here is because I've been listening to this soundtrack on loop for the past weekend. And the title sort of fits? Maybe? You're welcome. 😁)

Sooooo, I haven't been around here much.

For a long time.

And I wanted to rectify that somehow.

So...thought I do one of those day in the life things, now that my life can be somewhat exciting.

Last December, I got a job as a patient care technician, a fancy way of describing a certified nurse aide. It's not a glamorous job, but it's at a hospital, not a long term care facility (thank goodness), so I get a ton of hands on experience with patients.

You really meet all sorts of people at this job. Even though I work on an oncology floor, we still get a wide range of patients, from psych to pre-surgical. I've seen some crazy things...and some stuff I'd rather unsee. 😁

But this day I'm about to tell you about happened a couple Fridays ago. Why that one? Because my last shift, I sat with a pediatric covid patient, so I basically watched tv, played games and read all day. That's basically it...can't say more without violating the hippo law that governs privacy. And the shift before...I ran around like crazy trying to get things done, plus we had a code.

So we're doing this one. It's still exciting for the most part...I think. 😂

0515 - alarm goes off. I forget I'm working and wonder why on earth it's going off. Hit snooze for 8 minutes.

0524 - I decide to drag myself out of bed and check the schedule to see if staffing will let me stay on my floor. Ever since I was unexpectedly pulled to sit, I always check. It happens more than you think. It's  the worst part of my job, to be honest.

0526 - discovered I had been pulled to the ortho/neuro floor. Cried for a couple minutes, briefly considered calling out, then got dressed.

0545 - grab breakfast, protein shake and my large tumbler of coffee.

0600 - drive to work, while listening to Irish drinking songs. Gotta drive away the pain somehow.

0623 - arrive at work. In the next twenty minutes, I manage to switch my pull with another tech, since I firmly believed I wasn't supposed to be pulled.

0645 - charge does huddle, explaining the current state of the floor (usually we're understaffed and we have crazy patients). I get report from the night shift tech and regret switching my pull with the other tech.

0700 - director finally texts me back and says I can be pulled now. Oh the irony. I chat with one of the new hires, who is still on orientation.

0710 - finally start my first major task of the day, taking vitals. I have to check all my patients vitals every eight hours, some of them every four. Nothing really exciting happened during this hour or so, just greeted the students who I'd be working with for the day and figured out who my problem patients will be for the day.

The nursing students are one of the reasons I love working Fridays. They're fantastic. 😁

0835 - finally finish taking vitals and get started on my baths. I have a list of patients who need baths every. Single. Day. And the patients can't refuse; it has to be done. So much fun trying to convince patients that yes, even though they had a bath yesterday, they need one today.

0955 - knock a couple of baths out and take pts to the bathroom. All in all, a crazy morning since I have 15 patients, but not too bad yet.

Basically, my shift goes something like this.

"Bethany, this patient needs ice water."

Bethany, the patient in this room needs his sheets changed.

Bethany this patient needs to be cleaned up.

It. Never. Ends.

So much fun. It wasn't too terrible because I could rely on the nurses to assist me with max assist patients and they didn't ask me to do stuff they could literally have done while in the room.

Again, happens more than you think. That's why I firmly believe all nurses should be techs first.

1035 - start vitals early because I have a ton of pts needs their vitals checked. Get distracted several times by people needing assistance and/or fresh drinks.

I swear I feel like a waitress most of the time. 😭

Finish my baths before lunch, which is great.

1403 - finally went to lunch. One of the nursing students was there and we chatted about working at the hospital and the program she goes to. I'm trying to get into the same program, so I've enjoyed learning about the pain I'll hopefully be putting myself through next year. 😇

1436 - come back from lunch and check on my people. No one's acting crazy and I banter with one lady who has a hilarious sarcastic streak. I love patients who understand my sarcastic self. They make my day.

Start vitals once again, for the last time.

1536 - discover one of my patients just started crocheting and helped her out with a tricky spot. Finally, a use for my skills in the workplace! 😂

From here on out, just assume I was running around the halls taking drinks and trying to figure out what my patients ate or drank because somehow the hospital expects us techs, with 15 patients, to keep perfect track.

Spoilers: it ain't happening. With ten patients, sure. Fifteen? Nope.

1859 - ended the day with taking a discharged patient down and chatted with the sister about volunteering at the hospital. Excellent way to end the day...

1905 - until I hear about the awful way one of my former patients passed away. The family refused to do end of life measures for her...probably in denial...and when they turned her to put her on bedpan, she passed unexpectedly...not before saying to the tech turning her... "help me"

I was glad I didn't hear about it till the end of my shift.

Also this job has me thinking about Advanced directives and power of attorney already. I've seen patients pass with dignity and patients pass...unexpectedly or tragically.

But I'm also considering hospice nursing now because my word, those nurses are amazing.

1913 - clock out for the day and drag myself to my car where I once again blast Irish drinking songs the entire ride home. I may not be able to drink (nor do I want to) but I can still enjoy the music. 😂

1935 - my puppies are glad to see me because my family didn't feed them yet. Poor puppies.

Scar my mom with tales about dying patients and talk to my dad about the lack of experience and skill of nurse practitioners. (He was training one at work...and said he was shocked at how little she knew.)

2005 - my new book is delivered and I spend the evening reading it, crocheting and watching ER. Yes, I started watching medical dramas after I started my job.

Actually ER's pretty good, compared to some of the shows I've seen *cough* greys anatomy *cough*

And that's about it. I'm expecting to be pulled to sit again Tuesday because I'm PRN and they tend to pull me first. Some days I get fantastic assignments like last Friday and other days they put me on an ortho floor with a confused patient who can't get up because of hip replacements, screams for help every minute and tries to get out of bed.

Not that that's happened or anything. 😅

Anyway, how's life for you all?