Episode 1-2 summary:
In episode 1-2 we learn that one of the residents was sent to the emergency room just as Olivia was getting ready to tell another story. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to have her story telling session. In the mix of the commotion staff and some residents felt Olivia should tell a story. We left episode 2 as Olivia was getting comfortable and ready to tell us her story.
For more details, if you haven’t already, read episode 1-2. If you’re caught up please join me as Olivia begins to tell us another story…
Episode 2:
On this particular day, (I began with the story) it was busy, time was going by fast, and that made me happy. I was tired and couldn’t wait to go home. I was moving in every direction, trying to stay caught up and get things done. It didn’t matter how fast I worked or how much I got done; more duties continued to be added to the list. There was plenty of staff, so we weren’t short-staffed. It was just that busy.
I was grateful when my charge nurse informed me that another nursing assistant from another unit would be coming down to help. The name of the person was someone that I knew well. She was a good worker, and I knew she would carry her weight. Many that do end up coming down from other floors are very intimidated by the amount of work that we have in comparison to what they do on their floors. Some even go as far as hiding or moving at a slower pace so that they won’t have to do so much work. I knew this nursing assistant wasn’t like that.
The workflow increased as the number of patients coming in nearly doubled in less than an hour. I didn’t bother to see if the nursing assistant had arrived; instead, I continued to move. I knew that eventually I would bump into her somewhere along the way. Call bells were ringing. Everyone needed something.
I went over to answer a patient’s call bell. I walked in, and she informed me that she needed help with the commode. She was unsteady when I got her up, so I used extra caution and took my time to make sure we safely made it to the bedside commode. Once she was on, I waited for her to take care of her business. Having general conversations with patients helps with the awkwardness of being in the room as a stranger while they urinate.
While I was having general conversations with my patient, my radio went off. The secretary announced that there was a baby run. My patient was still on the commode finishing up. When she was ready, I assisted with getting her up and back to bed safely. I took my radio out of my pocket to tell the secretary that I was in a patient room and currently unavailable for the baby run. I finished up by getting the patient situated and making sure she was comfortable.
When the task at hand was completed, I walked over to the secretary and asked, “Did anyone do the baby run?”
“No.”
“Okay, I’m free now, I’ll do it,” I said as I walked away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
SUBSCRIBE TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE NEXT EPISODE.
Copyright 2026, M.C. Addington. All rights reserved.
M.C. Addington 