Meet the CNA: Debbie Anagnost

Debbie Anagnost, 42, of Easton, Pa., works as certified nursing assistant at Warren Hospital in New Jersey. She is also a unit secretary and training center coordinator for the hospital's CRP program.

A: I went to nursing school at Northampton Community College near where I live in 2002. The certified nursing assistant program was three months on-campus as well as so many hours of clinical studies (hands-on) at a nursing home. We observed and learned a lot about patient care--providing basic services such as bathing, grooming and feeding patients, and helping them with their daily living tasks. We also learned to assist nurses with medical equipment and checking patients' vital signs. To be certified, I had to pass a written exam and skills test. It covered a variety of skills that you had to learn, including the different medical abbreviations and different medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or coronary artery disease CAD). The program was really in-depth and you really learned a lot in the three-month nursing school course.

A. Nursing has just always been my profession. I had worked as a home health aid in a psychiatric facility in New Jersey, which is across the river from my hometown in Easton. When I became pregnant, I took time off because I didn't want to be pregnant and working in a psychiatric facility. I took five years off. When I was ready to go back, I had to get certified. I didn't want to go back to being a home health aid basically because it's not a steady income. You provide in-home health care, but your cases end. CNA jobs are more steady and you can work anywhere--in-home care or in a nursing home or a hospital. There are lots of opportunities for CNAs.

A. I work from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It's the same every week. My boss helped me out because I have two children--my daughter is 12 and my son is 9--and this way I am home by the time they get home from school. As a CNA, I wear three hats at the hospital. I work on the floor as a certified nursing assistant. I also work as a unit secretary and as training center coordinator for the hospital's CPR program. When I am working as a CNA, I work with patients, helping to feed, bathe, and dress them.

Being a certified nursing assistant also helps with my work as a secretary because I am familiar with medical terminology. Having a medical background as far as charting has helped me tremendously. Then I bounce back and forth to the education department and oversee instructors who come from within and outside the hospital to teach CPR and first aid. I also teach CPR. Becoming a CNA has opened up a lot more doors for me than just being a nurses aid. Having that background has led to other jobs in the hospital.

A. Just the ability to help people and just to be able to give that special attention to someone who is not feeling well. You know that you could be making all the difference in the world by just listening to someone or holding his or her hand. It could be the simplest of things--offering someone a drink of water. It's that personal care that you give to someone that makes all the difference in their lives at that moment and it makes you feel good inside that you're helping someone else. I work on an acute floor so I have lots of patient contact although the patients don't stay on the floor for too long.

A. Always remember that every patient is someone's mother or father or brother or sister--don't just think of the patient as a body or a client. Patients are someone's family members and treat them like you would want your family member to be treated. To be a CNA, you have to have patience and compassion.

Some people are constantly on the call bell. Geriatric patients are constantly repeating the same things because they have dementia. But if you love what you're doing and you want to help people, it's not just a job--it's a passion. There should be plenty of jobs for certified nursing assistants as the population ages and people are living longer.