CNA finds fulfillment

Before she got her Certified Nurse’s Assistant license in 1996, the last thing Pam Robinson wanted to do was work in the medical field.

Robinson, who is now a CNA at Olathe Medical Center, worked in bars and warehouses, but decided that wasn’t for her.

She took a job with the state of Kansas as a home health aid for long-term, home-bound patients for two years.

The state offered to pay for those who were in the program to get their CNA licenses. Robinson took a three-month program through Kansas City Kansas Community College, received her license and joined the staff at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Robinson also worked in hospice care and before she became employed at Olathe Medical Center.

She said it was the first time she had a job she actually wanted to get up and go to every morning.

“I just found out that it’s more rewarding,” Robinson said.

Robinson said that the hardest thing about her work is the sheer number of patients she takes care of. She said that CNAs are in demand in Kansas City, and the nurses at Olathe Medical Center could not do their job without them.

Robinson takes care of 20 or more patients some days, and said that giving the patients the care they need can be tough.

“It’s just hard trying to get to each and every one of them and giving them the personal attention I’m used to giving people,” Robinson said.

Despite the hard work, her patients are also her favorite thing about the job.

“In 13 years I have met a lot of different people. Very different people,” Robinson said. She said she prefers the older patients because of their stories.

Robinson advises people interested in the medical field to become a CNA first because doing that work will tell them “whether they really want to be a nurse or not,” she said.

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