LPN’s confidence furthers career
By James Coburn, staff writer
Kiara Calip, LPN, Golden Age Nursing Facility, has been a caretaker for her family. She took care of her grandmother and uncle in their declining years. So, a nursing career only made sense. Her mother is a registered nurse and encouraged Calip to go to nursing school. At age 16, Calip became a CNA at a Midwest City nursing home where her mother worked.
The rewards of connecting with residents boosted her confidence. And, in 2024 she earned her LPN certificate at Metro Technology Center, located in Oklahoma City. She had already fine-tuned her caretaking skills as a CNA. And today, she shares her wisdom by mentoring CNAs on best practices. CNAs are the backbones of nursing wherever they go, Calip said.
An affinity with the elderly motivated her focus on older adults. Calip celebrates her first year at Golden Age in October. She had visited several long-term care centers and chose Golden Age in Guthrie. It feels like home, she explained. Calip found teamwork to be phenomenal in taking care of every aspect of residents’ needs.
“We are so very impressed with Kiara, the way she takes ownership of the home and her residents. She’s very attentive to their needs,” said Diego Chavarria, administrator.
“The residents just love her. She has a really good bedside manner, and we get a lot of compliments about her from families and residents alike,” he added.
Her easy going, down-to-earth persona establishes trust among the residents, with empathetic listening and observational skills to learn how they feel daily. She will communicate with the doctors to problem solve.
“And then be able to see my residents smile again,” Calip said, describing her motivation.
She listens to amazing stories about home life, careers, families, children, their childhoods, and careers. Residents also ask about Calip’s twin 12-year-old daughter and son, and her youngest daughter, age four. She may tell them about her youngest daughter’s enrollment in an intergenerational preschool program at Golden Age. And her curious residents might learn that Calip was a high school cheerleader in Clinton, played sports and likes to remain active.
“I have a few residents who share recipes with me and our cultures.” Calip said. “They ask me questions and I give them an honest answer. How they were raised is totally different from my generation.”
A resident’s room is their privacy. Calip will always respectfully knock on their door prior to entering to do assessments. She introduces herself to new residents with her name and asks if they need anything. They usually remember her days off. If Calip takes a vacation, upon her return she will commonly hear the friendly compliment, “Where were you?”
Her residents are active in the sense that they get up to move around as much as they can. Calip encourages them but does not force them.
Calip’s next step is to become a registered nurse. She has already enrolled in two online classes at OSU/OKC. Being an RN will open business management opportunities in nursing for her.
“I think I would be good at delegating in management because I started as a CNA and then LPN,” Calip said.
Nursing had deepened kindness in Calip’s life in the sense of how she treats people because nobody knows every bit of hurt or sadness a person has experienced in life, she said. Nurses should be non-judgmental, she added. Golden Age residents are all different and unique and they all have a different story, she said.
“Being at Golden Age, residents will be loved and cared for. They will be loved, and we are very attentive to our residents,” Calip said.
Every situation as to why a person’s transition to a nursing home is different. Family members would likely keep a loved one at home if they had the proper caretakers. But there may come a time when a loved one’s health and safety requires long-term care.
“By me having the confidence I have, I try to build a relationship with the family. Also, the residents themselves — I want them to know that they’re okay in my hands, and to know I have talked to the doctor, I’m following up,” Calip emphasized. “I keep communication open with the family. I don’t want them to feel that bringing them to a nursing home is a bad decision. So, I feel if they could keep their family members at home and get the proper care, then they would. I want them to know they can trust the care they’re getting at a nursing home.”
