5 Things Being an Aide Taught Me

I'm a nurse, but sometimes I... apply things that I learned as a nursing aide.

Being a nursing assistant is one of the toughest jobs around, in my opinion. Speaking from experience, it's dirty, tough on the body, and tough on the emotions. It is also one of the most rewarding jobs, just as being a nurse can be. I was a nursing assistant during my senior year of nursing school on an oncology/medical-surgical unit, and I took away so many lessons that I know I'll carry throughout my nursing career. Here is a list of ten things I learned in my time as an aide:

1. You are not above anyone. As an aide, it is your job to do the dirty work... That means cleaning up after patients. It is important to remember that the patient is probably not too happy about needing you to help them out in that way, and to respect their dignity when helping them get cleaned up. Additionally, this means that you have to respect your coworkers when working. Just because you're in nursing school does not make you better than the woman who has been an aide for 10 years. You are doing the same job and should respect each other!

2. Time management. This is honestly key. I learned quickly that an aide's job cannot be done unless he or she manages time well. With 18 or so patients to feed, bathe, check vitals signs on, monitor blood glucose on, etc. You have to keep on top of a schedule in order to get everything done for the next shift!

3. Don't take advantage of the student nurses. This goes the same for student nurses-- don't take advantage of the aides on your unit. You are there for different reasons, and if you are both an aide and a student nurse, you will understand that. An aide is there making money. As an aide, I respected that the students were there to learn, not do my job. In that respect, I still did my job normally... they're still your patients even if they are covered by a student nurse. This means that you still give baths unless their instructor tells you otherwise. I've been taken advantage of as a student nurse, and it's hard to learn when you are expected to completely cover the aide's job.

4. Grow a thick skin. Be kind to your patients, but don't let anyone else knock you around. I've had a doctor treat me like I'm nothing just because I was an aide. This is not appropriate, and not one position in the health care system could work without the other. I learned to just be respectful and not take things too personally.

5. How to be a good nurse. Now that I'm a licensed nurse, I know the kind of nurse I want to be because of my time as an aide. The best nurses, in my opinion, were the ones that treated their aides like another member of the team. This meant understanding that aides have a very tough job, and being thankful that they had an aide to work with. I worked with some nurses that would work alongside me if a particular patient was difficult to bathe/change, and I've worked with nurses who sat at the nurse's station all shift and expected me to do everything. Of course, the patients had the most satisfaction with the nurses who were on their feet and working as a team.

I gained a lot of experience as an aide, and I will be forever grateful for those experiences. I met a lot of wonderful people, both patients and coworkers alike. I learned how to be a little tougher, and not let people walk all over me. But most importantly, I learned what kind of a nurse I wanted to be: one that was kind, compassionate, and a team player.