Hospital position allows CNA to see progress

Linda Darrah, CNA, likes to see progress in her patients.

As a certified nurse assistant at North Kansas City Hospital, Darrah said she sees the difference she makes in patients on a daily basis.

“The favorite part of my day is watching someone go home with a big smile knowing that we’ve done the best that we can to get them back on their feet,” Darrah said.

Darrah has been a CNA since 1975. She said she has worked in a variety of settings and prefers hospitals.

“What I like about the hospital is that you can take care of patients and they get healthy and then they get to go back home,” Darrah said. “It’s just nice to be able to take care of someone where they can get back home and be in their own setting.”

North Kansas City nurse manager Teresa Havens, RN, said Darrah stands out as a CNA.

“Linda gives 110 percent every day that she’s here,” Havens said. “She’s a very special person with great respect for the patients and she’s very caring.”

Darrah joined the North Kansas City Hospital staff four years ago.

“Before I came here I worked in a dialysis clinic,” she said. “Before that I worked in nursing homes as a CMT.”

Darrah works in a telemetry unit at North Kansas City Hospital. She said teamwork enables the floor to operate smoothly.

“All of our nursing staff works together,” Darrah said. “We don’t have real challenging days because we have such good staff here.”

Darrah said she enjoys her role as a CNA. Her position provides ample time with patients.

“We are in patients’ rooms more so than the doctors and the nurses so we are their eyes and ears,” Darrah said. “There are (patients) that you get really close to that you hate to see go home but you know that it’s time to go.”

Darrah worked with handicapped children during high school. She said that experience confirmed her desire to enter a service field.

“I just love caring for people,” Darrah said. “I can’t think of anything else that I’d rather do.”

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment