STEP Reflection

For my STEP Signature Project, I took two classes in July 2020 to become certified as a State Tested Nursing Assistant and in Basic Life Support.  Between online instruction and in-person labs and clinicals, I learned basic nursing skills and how to care for people living in long-term care facilities.  In the Basic Life Support class, I learned skills pertaining to CPR on adults, children, and infants, how to ventilate, stop someone from choking, and assist someone having an opioid overdose.

I was interested in completing these courses because in the future, I would like to become a Physician’s Assistant, and these courses would prepare me for a career in healthcare.  Before beginning the STNA course, I had very little knowledge on issues facing the elderly and chronically ill or disabled populations.  However, after the completion of this course, I was able to learn much more about not only physical health issues facing the elderly, but also mental and social issues I had not previously thought of.  In particular, I gained a greater understanding of how frustrating and isolating it can be to move into a long-term care facility away from family and friends, and to lose the ability to complete many activities of daily life.  On top of this, it was surprising to me that I didn’t know many of these issues even existed, highlighting the fact that problems facing the elderly are largely pushed aside by society.

The way that I learned more about issues facing the elderly and chronically ill populations was mainly through classroom and clinical instruction, as well as through personal tangents from my instructors.  At Alia Healthcare, I was instructed by a team of nurses who had many years of experience working in hospital settings, long-term care facilities, and as travel nurses.   In particular, when learning about signs and symptoms of each new disease that was introduced, my instructors would often tell us a story about a particular patient they cared for dealing with that disease.  In doing so, they gave me a deeper understanding of how the same disease is capable of affecting every patient differently, especially when taking into account factors such as other diseases the patient may be facing, their mental state, and their social relationships.

Despite the spread of coronavirus limiting in-person instruction and my ability to complete clinicals in a nursing home, I was grateful to still be able to complete clinicals in person with other STNA students on each other and on dummies.  Through completing tasks to assist with hygiene, feeding and mobility, I gained a lot of insight as to how aging and illnesses facing the elderly truly does affect everyday life.  For example, a couple of tasks I learned how to do included range of motion exercises to prevent atrophy, brushing a patient’s teeth, and how to use a bedpan. Many elderly and disabled individuals, I learned, are sent to long-term care facilities because they need assistance on a daily basis.  By learning the extent to which daily life is interrupted, I had a greater appreciation for the importance of having not only well staffed, but also patient and motivated nursing assistants in long term care facilities.

Because my view on how society treats and cares for the elderly was changed, I personally became more grateful for my personal health and my family’s health.  Additionally, I now have an increased personal emphasis on patience and kindness towards others.  Many diseases facing individuals in long-term care facilities, I learned, may not present as physical symptoms.  Rather, many manifest as changes in behaviors and mental states.  While it can be easy to write complaints off as a result of aging or an individual’s personality, I’ve learned that its important to truly listen and take concerns seriously from patients because not all problems are observable to the naked eye.

Also, while the skills I learned in Basic Life Support apply to people of all ages and health statuses, they are especially applicable to residents in long-term care facilities.  When learning about diseases or health complications facing the elderly, there were recurrent issues of difficulties swallowing and several diseases that could possibly lead to cardiac or respiratory arrest.  By having a better understanding of health issues facing the elderly, having Basic Life Support Training even further prepared me for a possible role as a nursing assistant.

What I learned in both the STNA and Basic Life Support classes I will carry with me for years to come.  I took these classes in the hopes of applying to STNA and Patient Care Assistant positions in the Columbus area in order to accumulate direct patient care hours before applying to PA school.  Recently, because I gained these certifications, I landed an interview with a home health care agency, which will hopefully lead to regular employment with them. Without these classes, I would not have skills or confidence to care for an individual at home who needs assistance with activities of daily living.  Moreover, these classes have given me greater confidence in my desire and ability to become a healthcare worker.  Before the STNA and BLS classes, I had no experience caring for patients.  But the STNA course gave me confidence for caring for individuals in long-term care facilities, and the BLS course gave me confidence in helping individuals in life-threatening situations, such as sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest.   In doing so, it has confirmed that a career in healthcare, and helping to improve patients’ qualities of life is something I want to do for the rest of my life.