My Healthcare Journey, a Personal Story

I come from a health care industry family; I have had my thanksgiving dinner at 6 p.m. or in a hospital or nursing home because my mom had to work. It never bothered us. It was part of our family and is part of who my family has become. It is no surprise that my mom’s children have entered the same field. My twin sister followed my mother’s footsteps and became a nurse and my older sister and I have become social workers and now special education teachers. Being a care giver of those in need can be extremely rewarding, but also quite frankly a little unpleasant, tough and scary. It is a challenge to care for someone that doesn’t know you or become stubborn and angry when you try to help them. It is not easy, but if you want a career that is recession proof, flexible, spiritually uplifting and rewarding then the health care industry is a career for you.

As mentioned earlier, I have been in the health care industry for many years. This stems from a mother who spent her entire career as a nurse. She worked as a nurse in a doctor’s office, hospital and then a facility that worked with individuals with cognitive disabilities and were medically fragile. I am always at awe with my mother because she worked during a time of great change, not only for the nursing industry but for individuals with cognitive disabilities. She was in the forefront when the laws passed in the 1970s. She was on the front lines helping to transition a place that was an institution to a more caring facility. She worked in transitioning individuals languishing in big buildings out into group homes. She helped give a higher quality of life to those that left the institution and those who could not leave due to fragile health issues. The rights of those most helpless were recognized and these forgotten, silent individuals became people not a nuisance. Needless to say it became part of our lives. Right from the beginning, I remember my sisters and I being on the grounds volunteering and helping to fund raise. It was great to be part of something so big and to help these individuals get and receive the rights and the life they deserve.

It is no surprise we all went in the same direction as my mother. My twin sister went to nursing school and has worked in many places with her current job working as a nurse/forensic psychologist for the state of Florida. My older sister went in a different direction and finished school in recreation therapy and worked with children who are autistic. She works in many group homes providing them with fulfillment and socialization. I took a long and winding path that ranged the gamut from young and old, but it is a journey I do not regret for one minute.

I tried nursing school and was a CNA (certified nursing assistant) first. This job provided me with many skills that I still use today. The first skill it brought me was patience and humility. It can be a grueling job caring for the helpless. Physical touch, affection and the messiness of caring for an individual completely dependent on you can become humbling. This can become particularly difficult with patients that are unresponsive or difficult to work with. It took a long time to feel comfortable enough to talk to someone that does not talk back, or to dress an individual that has contractures over his arms and legs. I am grateful for the time. It proved to me that I can complete just about any task. Tip for those just starting, you can do anything with a pair of gloves on and if you have a sensitive nose and smells can make you sick, put a little Ben Gay directly under your nose and that is all you will smell. It will get you through the first couple of weeks.

My time as a CNA made me reflect into the area of care giving I liked the most, which was talking and working with the person. Although I was able to get pass much of the unpleasant aspects of nursing, I know that cleaning wounds and suctioning patients is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. This changed my career path from nursing to social work and I loved the change. First, I worked with individuals with cognitive disabilities and worked in various group homes. This job taught me perseverance and creativity. This job required all the patience I learned in my previous jobs, but perseverance and creativity in implementing successful programs to individuals with significant behavioral challenges. The other benefit from working in this job was the hours. The health care industry is needed 24 hours a day and not only did I need to work, but I wanted to work. I wanted to work, but I also wanted to be a mom most of my day. The solution was working nights and weekends opposite my husband’s schedule. I worked 4pm-12am Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and had Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. This was perfect with little babies. I was able to spend time with my sons when they were small and was able to work. I built a group home with individuals who met success in much of their lives and was able to be the mom I wanted to be.

However, working with individuals with major behavioral issues can become challenging and after many years and my sons starting school, I switched to working with young adults to the elderly. I started working third shift as a CNA in private homes, but was quickly given a job working with a family that wished to have their father stay home and not go to a nursing home. Here I was able to blend my skills learned from being a CNA and those skills I learned from working with the cognitively and behaviorally disabled. I created a program in two separate homes and over 20 staff. Once the program was in place, I was able to work only one day a week for 24 hours. The family wanted what was best for their dad and his growth from the recreational activities and the individualized nursing care was a true testament to the hard work of all the caregivers around me. I learned job satisfaction and balance from this job. I also learned the importance of history and reminiscing. It was the best seven years of my working career and it was heartbreaking when he died. It was like losing a member of my own family.

This led me to my final and most current career journey which is teaching. Although I am not in the healthcare industry directly anymore, I am in a position that works closely with the health care industry. All of my experience with the industry has helped me bridge the gap between the educational world and the health care world. It is a delicate balance when having to educate students that have severe cognitive or emotional disabilities. Students can only see success when the health care industry and the school system work together. This ensures the most successful path for students that require mental health or medical services. There is no doubt that all the time I spent in the health care industry makes me a better teacher, specifically to these students that require assistance from the health care industry.

When we are in the middle of care giving, we can lose sight of what’s important, especially when we are tired, under pressure and stressed. It is the most rewarding and toughest job you will ever have and even if you spend just a small part of your career in the health care field, you will remember that time forever. I have learned patience, perseverance, creativity, diligence and love in this field. I would recommend it wholeheartedly.


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