Tonight is my last night of "work." I hesitate to call it work because aside from the awful sleep schedule, I'm in a position where what I'm doing doesn't seem much like work anymore. I function more as a companion than as a nursing assistant (as well as light housekeeper and personal shadow). While I wish I could share all the stories and details of the people I have cared for over the past year, I cannot. (Thanks, HIPAA.) I can take a step back from the personal details and share a little wisdom from the last few months.

Via

Over a year ago as a new college graduate and fresh out of my CNA class,  I was assigned to a terminally ill patient who I ended up working with for just over two months before she passed away. It was a rough first experience.

After that experience, I decided to get a job at a local nursing facility. Talk about an eye opening experience. I've shadowed doctors and volunteered in the ER. I've spent a lot of my childhood visiting nursing homes and I continue to help my mom and aunt take care of my grandpa who has MS. I'm no stranger to the healthcare field and I'm completely comfortable in these settings but working in a nursing home was my first time seeing the down and dirty daily operations of healthcare facilities. And it isn't always pretty. You can read more here.

Finally after about six months in the nursing home setting, I found my current job working in home healthcare again. I like the one-on-one interactions and personal time I can give to the couple I help out. I love that I've gotten to know two extremely interesting and civically active people in my city. 

I wish I could share the stories they've told me about their adventures in 65+ years of marriage. I wish I could tell you of all their accomplishments and their commitment to making our city and country a better place. I wish I could share everything they've shared with me - sometimes I wish blogging worked like osmosis. There's no way to put into words how this couple has impacted my life in such a short time. Even if I were allowed to share these details, I still couldn't accurately describe them.

I can tell you that time and time again, these people have opened their hearts and their minds to me. They've shared their struggles and triumphs from living full, rich lives including serving during World War II and witnessing historical events such as the Civil Right Movement and the beginning and end of the Cold War. I've read books they've written together and looked through albums of memories - it's truly amazing.

I hope one day I can look back on a life full of love, excitement, and adventure, just as my favorite couple can and do. It makes me realize how little all the trivial drama matters in life and how important it is to surround myself with quality people - I think I've succeeded so far. This couple has reminded me that pursuing a medical degree creates a tremendous opportunity to help others and to do work outside myself. (The wife does a lot of work with underserved populations in rural and urban areas - something I'm very interested in and something we have talked at length about). 

I've complained a lot over the past year about working and not sleeping and wishing I was back at school, etc. Let's face it - it's easy to complain. It's comfortable and it's usually pretty well accepted by others because they have just as many things to rant about too.  

I urge you to take a step back and see the silver lining in whatever situation you are in whether it's work, family life, school, or personal struggles. Tonight when I say good-bye to my life as a nursing assistant and to this couple, I'll do so as a more well-rounded individual. I've had the privilege of caring for people when they are their most vulnerable and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I hate good-byes. So let's end this on a positive note. I've been given a lot of unsolicited advice and bits of wisdom from the people I've cared for. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. The key to a long marriage is to fight. Fight for your marriage and fight for your spouse.

2. Another marriage lesson: Do everything with love in your heart. Take the ego out of your marriage. ( I heard this at a wedding recently too)

3. Keep reading and be a lifelong learner.

4. You're only as old as you feel. Keep going and doing until you can't go and do anymore.

5. There's a time to be serious but you must have a sense of humor about life. Don't forget to laugh and laugh often.

6."You'll make a fine doctor...but use contraception until you're out of medical school." (This is my personal favorite).

7. A strong handshake is your best first impression.

8. Everything is better with bacon.  

If I think of anymore, I'll be sure to post them on Twitter. In the meantime, go talk to your grandparents and old ones in your life. I bet they have some exciting stories to tell! 

My favorite Grandpa!

Yay for a second post!  I have so many ideas for what I want to write about - now I just have to get it all out.  I will admit right off the bat, I am not a good storyteller but I’m gonna work on it!

So I mentioned in my first post that I am taking a gap year between college and medical school.  During my gap year, I knew I was going to need a decent paying job to pay for all my med school applications so I started to do some research at the end of my senior year. 

Large iced coffee for the long night ahead.

I decided to take a class to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in hopes that I could get a job in a hospital.  Unfortunately, hospitals typically only hire applicants that have at least 6 months of experience so I spent some time working in a nursing home and now I work in private home healthcare instead. It’s only one year - how bad can it be?

This year has definitely been filled with ups and downs.  One of the less desirable parts of this year has been my work schedule.  In order to maximize my hours and still have time for a life, I work third shift overnights which means I don’t get much sleep...at least not like a normal person.

As I type this, I have just returned home after a 7p-7a shift (I do this four days a week) and I don’t plan on getting any sleep until this afternoon after I run some errands and get a workout in. 

The irony in this lifestyle is that I am NOT a night owl.  I wasn’t in high school. I wasn’t in college (much to the chagrin of my roomies...) and I am quite content with going to bed at 10 pm when my schedule allows.  Never have I ever pulled an all-nighter for school - not even for finals week. Sleep has always been my top priority...so what the heck am I doing?

The great part about this schedule is that I can still have a life during the day.  I can usually get by with about 4-6 hours of sleep during the morning right after a shift (sometimes I throw in a nap if I have nothing else going on) and then I can go about my day.  As someone who requires cold and darkness, I am utterly amazed at how easy it is to sleep right as the sun is coming up.

Another nice thing is that for about 60% of my shift, the elderly person I care for is sleeping. Aside from doing some light housework and checking on him periodically, I have this time to myself.  I usually end up watching Netflix, reading my favorite blogs and magazines, and counting down the days until I get to quit this crazy schedule and relax a little before school starts.

While this situation definitely isn’t ideal, it is something I freely chose and it has afforded me the opportunity to meet some truly amazing families.  I would love to do a future post on all the things I have learned just from interacting so personally with patients and their families one of these days. As for now, I consider the sleepless nights to be good practice for the hectic schedule of a med student and resident. Maybe I will become a night owl after all!