Introductions

Hello. My name is Audrey Morgan, and I wipe ass for a living.

(I've always kind of pictured that as the type of thing you could squeeze into the box of a 'My name is' sticker.)

Okay, here's me being serious for a minute. I'm a 21-year-old nurse's aide at a small, community hospital. I've been a nurse's aide for ten months now and love my job. You should know, though- I've always been a sarcastic person with a strange sense of humor. My current job position has only amplified that quality.

I was thinking the other day, while I scooped up a stool sample and bagged it:

There are plenty of blogs written by doctors and nurses. (I myself read Nursing Student Chronicles, a blog I may be echoing when I enter Jefferson University as a nursing student this upcoming fall.) Many people read these accounts and marvel at the stories such wondrous people experience. Oh, this doctor comforted a patient dying of cancer. Oh, this nurse was touched by a life lesson from an elderly woman who desired death above all else. 

And, in all temporary seriousness, these blogs are inspiring to read.

There's just one thing left out: the nurse's aide.

Hi. I'm the nurse's aide. You know, the one who helped you onto the bedside commode when you were too weak to stand. The one who fetched you a fresh glass of ice water and searched the hospital high and low for chocolate ice cream and graham crackers. The one who wiped your butt when you messed and reassured you that accidents happen.

Oh, you thought I was the nurse? It's a common mistake.

My goal in writing this blog is not to anger anyone, nor to completely belittle nurses. The average nurse is knowledgeable and helpful, and many are willing to teach and explain their actions. Then again, there are also many who are stupid, lazy, and incompetent, and ninety percent of the patient's care is left up to who?  Yup- yours truly.

I want to reestablish the nursing assistant, aka the patient care tech, aka the nurse's aide back into common knowledge. We're often forgotten to be mentioned, seeing as we're at the bottom of the medical food chain, but one thing is for certain- we make an impact on patients that many times outlasts that of the nurse's.

Look for updates four to five times per week. I hope you enjoy the following true accounts.