Exceptional Patient Care can Lead to Your Dream Vocation
A world of tantalizing possibility opens when life twists suddenly, putting you on an entirely different path than you had anticipated. At ACR Homes, the exceptional patient care and experience with people with disabilities can jar a staff into a new dream and new career destination. Emily is one of those staff, who began as a kinesiology major at the U of M in Minneapolis, and who changed career paths to go to nursing school all because of the inspiration she received while working as a direct care staff at ACR Homes.
Exceptional Patient Care Experience
The time Emily spent gaining experience with the different types of disabilities that staff work with at ACR Homes as well as with specific skills like how to pass meds, and how to use the medical equipment that transfers wheelchair residents, was pivotal in motivating her towards a new career choice. “It was really interesting to me and was knowledge that I can transfer over to my future career [as a nurse].” Emily gained valuable experience on how healthcare teams work together, especially seeing how the house nurses at ACR were so essential to providing exceptional patient care to the residents and how they interact with doctors, pharmacies, staff and residents to provide the best plan of patient care that will most benefit each individual.
Learning to Advocate
One of the best things about ACR Homes is the incredible advocacy that all employees provide. Many residents are non-verbal and are quite limited in their ability to express their needs and desires. Employees who provide personal cares are on the front lines, attending appointments and getting to know the residents intimately through day to day interaction, thus being able to express those needs to professionals on behalf of each resident. Emily had two opposite experiences when dealing with outside health providers while attending resident medical appointments. One resident received quality care from a healthcare professional who utilized Emily’s in-depth knowledge of the resident’s health needs and behaviors to find a care plan that fit. In the other appointment the healthcare professional had a tone of disrespect and inequality towards the resident.
Emily’s time at ACR Homes also included assisting the residents at her home with several trips to the emergency room, where she found that the hospital staff, though well trained, were not equipped to help with some of the specific medical needs that ACR employees are proficient in. Emily saw firsthand how well prepared ACR employees are and that traditional academic settings aren’t enough to prepare for the real world of working with patients. Her time with ACR gave her invaluable insight for what she will encounter at nursing school and beyond.
Gain Experience and Perspective
Because of ACR Homes, Emily has a unique perspective that will help her provide exceptional patient care in her future career as a nurse. She has learned not to judge people based on limitations, but instead look for their inherent strengths. ACR Homes can do the same for you.