OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall/Winter 2019

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2019 The Oregon Caregiver 21 What does someone need to have in their skillset to be good at this job? Melissa: They need to be caring and they need to really enjoy the work of a CNA. If you don’t like helping people and making them feel like they are at home, then this career may not work. I think it is very important to be compassionate. You have to have peace and love in you so that you can give it to others. Residents need that. They need to feel loved. Janine: Patience. Melissa is always positive and always smiling and that is infectious, especially for veterans who may be having a bad day. It’s hard for any veteran to get mad at Melissa. She PROFILE truly finds that connection with each and every person, including the families. Being able to find that connection with the residents and families is so important. Jeffrey: CNAs have to be really hard working. It is hard work and it’s busy all day every day. You’ve also got to have a good heart. If someone has those two things, I can teach anyone how to be a CNA. Melissa is probably the hardest working young CNA I’ve come across in all my years in this profession. I don’t know who’s got a better heart than she does. She is extremely loving and extremely patient, and she really cares about what she’s doing, and it shows. She puts all her energy into her work and her co- workers can’t help but try to keep up. That’s how she leads. – Jeffrey McKay, Nurse Manager, Oregon Veterans’ Home Lebanon