Their Mistake, My Takeaway

“Patience is key”, or at least that’s what my Dad always said to me. I was never a patient child, ever. I was the kid who would ask “are we there yet” a million times in the car ride. I was the kid who couldn’t wait longer than five minutes for my food to come out at a restaurant. I was the kid who simply just did not have any patience. Although, as I’ve grown older, each day I realize myself becoming more and more patient, especially when that patience is tested.

Last year, I started clinicals to earn my Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. I knew being a CNA was going to be a lot of work and require a lot of patience, but little did I know HOW MUCH patience it took. My first day at the nursing home really took me by storm. The first thing I had to do was feed a man who was nonverbal and paralyzed. I went to his room and wheeled him to the dining room down the hall. I instantly sympathized with him as I knew how hard everyday tasks would be for him. My Grampie was also paralyzed and I always knew how much he wanted to do things for himself and be independent, but it just wasn’t that easy. I knew that he had to have a lot of patience with my family and I as we tried our best to accommodate his needs. So, in this moment while feeding this man, I knew that not only that he had to be patient with me, but I also had to be extra patient with him. As I began feeding him I looked around the dining room and noticed other patients being fed by more seasoned CNA’s. As I saw the expressions on their faces it made me feel bad for the patients. Some of them (CNA’s) looked very impatient and had poor body language. I could only imagine what the patients were feeling. They were just trying to have someone help them with something they struggled with, and all they wanted was to be treated with kindness and patience. So as I sat with this man in that moment, everything just all came to my realization. As I brought the spoon to his mouth with each bite, I watched as he slowly consumed the oatmeal. I patiently waited for him and made sure to show him that it was okay he took a little longer to eat. To show him that I really did not mind helping him. After he had finished, he looked at me and I caught a smile across his face. I was confused at first but quickly realized this was his way of saying ‘thank you’. He probably had been treated just like the other patients I had seen in the dining room; a lack of patience. Although he couldn’t communicate with me what he was feeling, I knew just how much this meant to him. In that moment I finally understood the importance of patience and the impact it can have on the mood of everyone else around you.

Anytime I catch myself being impatient I always think back to my time at the nursing home. Patience goes a long way, and tells you a lot about a person. It shows you the respect and kindness that they carry within. So, next time you catch yourself being impatient, think about how you want to showcase who you really are.

“Last station nursing home” by timefornurses is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.