CAREERS IN NURSING
MAKING RESIDENTS HAPPY: BRADFORD VILLAGE CELEBRATES CNA WEEK
by James Coburn – Writer/Photographer
Sadie Lambert has a lot to say about the role of the certified nursing aide. June 12 was National CNA Week, and Lambert has embraces her career full throttle for six years. She trained to become a CNA at Canadian Valley Technical Center in Yukon.
“It was an awesome program. I loved it. They spend a lot of time with you,” said Lambert, CNA, at Bradford Village, located in Edmond. “They made sure you really knew all of the stuff that you needed to know. And there was no one in my class that failed at all.”
Lambert followed the tradition of nursing in her family made by her mom and her aunt. She is already planning on going back to school to become a licensed practical nurse. Then she will earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Bradford Village was her choice to work, Lambert said. She had already worked for parent company Brookdale in Texas and Weatherford before joining Bradford Village.
“When I moved up here there was a Brookdale that was close to me so I came up here,” she explained. “I like it here. “Her field of geriatric care is her niche as it keeps her engaged.
“Oh I love it. I am able to put a smile on these residents’ faces when they need it the most,” she said. “We are like their family. We help them through everything that they have. Whenever they don’t have people coming to see them often — it’s us. We’re all that they have.”
Lambert said a CNA has to be dedicated to people with compassion. A CNA needs to care about how the resident feels without focusing on their own feelings regarding an issue, she added.
“You just have to have a good attitude. You can’t ever have bad attitude towards anyone,” she said. “If you have one, they will.”
The residents come from different walks of life, but are in a different time in their lives. So the CNA gets to know them very well in their new homes.
“With the situation that they are in, there’s a lot of them that make the best of it,” Lambert said. “They make it really easy whenever they are happy. When they’re happy, we’re happy of course. I enjoy being able to make their life easier for them.”
The CNA staff is a group of hard workers. She said there is not a single CNA who is not dedicated to their jobs. Everyone on the nursing staff is wonderful and works well together as a team, she said.
Being a CNA is challenging, but there are moments that sustain her spirit, she said.
One of her experiences involved a resident who would always make sure that Lambert was feeling good.
“She was one of those who would go around and make sure everyone was having a good day,” Lambert said. “She was not someone who came to you because she wanted something. She just wanted to make sure you had a wonderful day.”
Lambert learns a lot from the residents. She sees residents leave and come back because they have had a stroke. They are not the same, but they’re fighting to get back to normal, she said.
“Even if they know they are not going home. They are still trying their best and that’s awesome.” she said. “They’re not giving up.”
Their family members play a major part in their care. So communicating with them is valuable in patient care. Questions are answered readily. One of the family members brings a cake every week to thank the staff for taking care of her mother.
“When there is a question about their family they help us out. It works both ways,” Lambert said.
Always at Walmart, a family member is sure to spot Lambert in the store and eagerly rush up to her to thank her.
Being a CNA is life changing, Lambert explained. Not always does someone have a career when they can return home feeling good about themselves because they know they were able to make somebody’s day better, she said.
“Even if they are having a bad day, you still made them a little bit better during that day,” she said. “It’s not something that you will ever go home and be upset about. You will always feel good that you did your best in order to take care of these people.”
During her time off, Lambert is usually playing baseball with her son. She also enjoys sitting at home being quiet.
“Quiet time is good. I like to read,” she said.
