Career CNAs is the foundation in which this profession is built from. A solid foundation will keep things standing through the most horrible of storms. So why are the older CNAs never talked about? Companies seem to forget about them because they have been around so long they become like a permanent fixture. They are true blue to the mission of our profession and nothing sways them from it. However, most newer CNAs seem to feel these seasoned CNAs are past their prime, old, hateful and unhappy. This is not the case.
Career CNAs carry the weight of our profession and the companies they work for reputation on their shoulders day after day, year after year. Career CNAs are the reason our profession has grown and became more relevant in the healthcare world, the care that career CNAs have given over the years speaks for the importance of our profession in multiple care settings. They have wisdom from years of experience, knowledge from all the changes they have seen over the years and most importantly they are the reason the changes came to pass. They fought and struggled for years with almost no proper equipment and supplies that helped them perform their jobs faster, easier and more comfortably for the ones they cared for. Because of the struggles career CNAs have went through for years, you as a newer CNA have a selection of mechanical lifts to assist with transferring patients, chairs that help with positioning, showering and transporting patients, scales that make it 100 percent easier to get weekly and monthly weights.
Trust me when I say the struggle was real for the older generation of CNAs. Never assume because you just completed the CNA course and became a Certified Nursing Assistant you know all you need to know because that would be a false assumption. Your learning has just begun, so this is the reason you should turn to the guidance of those older career CNAs, because they have had many, many years of hands-on experience that they rely on to be the best at their jobs. A CNA never stops learning, this profession is constantly changing and evolving. The foundation of career CNAs will forever keep this profession from crumbling in the midst of turmoil, just know they are always there to teach and guide and they are of the utmost importance to the profession and the companies they work for.
