Echo Dickens, CNA

Certified Nurses Aide

Nursing Student

assisted living, nursing home, home health, mental health, special needs, Alzheimers, dementia, quadrapalegics

Maxim Healthcare

www.maximhealthcare.com

I have performed in many different long term care facilities as well as homecare and a group home for mentally challenged youth. All of the job duties were similar in the sense that I assisted with performing ADLs with the majority of my patients. In one of the long term care facilities, I was in the Alzheimer's/Dementia unit. A difference there was it is helpful for these patients, for many reasons, to stay physically active and simply engaged, as much as possible. So, the aides lead a short exercise routine every afternoon as well as planned simple crafts and games.

I actually do not have a nursing background at this point. I will be graduating as an RN in March 2021. However, I have been a CNA for a little over 13 years.

I actually had no ambition to go to nursing school. I was comfortable being a CNA. I very much loved my job and felt satisfied doing what I was doing. However, I have a husband that apparently believes I hung the moon, which I suppose is every girl's dream right? Anyway, he spent about three years convincing me that I could do more with my career. He believed I was meant to be a nurse. Finally, I caved and decided to attend some introductions to nursing schools and I decided on Rasmussen University in Rockford, Illinois.

Determination and an unbelievable support system.

My kids. I have three. They are watching my every move and they know my life's path hasn't been easy and was performed completely backwards compared to a traditional plan. However, I want them to know that it wasn't necessarily wrong and I wouldn't change anything about it because although there have been difficult lessons learned, they were all valuable. So I need to show them that it is still possible to be successful even if your life doesn't go as planned. I also strive to be the best provider I can be and I want to pave the path for them so their futures can also be more stable.

I try to bring as much comfort to them as possible. A lot of times, we see our patients at one of the lowest points of their life and many times they have a very negative attitude and need positivity, comfort and a sense of being safe and taken care of.

Recently, Covid information, whether it is on the virus itself or the vaccine. Many people still are very unsure of both concepts. As nurses, it is our job to educate the population. So I like to stay up to date on those to try and correct any misconceptions. Outside of that, I am very much for more natural ways of treatment rather than medication. That is not to say that I am against medications by any means, though. I will agree that yes, sometimes medicines are more effective than herbal remedies or other therapeutic treatments. However, at the same time, medication isn't required for every single health issue and can also sometimes cause worse side effects than what it is meant to treat in the first place.

River Ridge

GED

Rasmussen University - Rockford

ADN

Expected 2021

CNA (Certified in Nursing Assistant)