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CAYLA, STUDENT NURSE TECH

Attending Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Graduating April, 2010

Before I came to Barnes-Jewish, I was a CNA and an EMT for 10 years. I’ve been a student nurse tech on the Trauma floor at Barnes-Jewish for a year and a half now. The SNT position enhances the medical training that I already have, and allows me to apply what I’m learning in nursing school in real-world situations.

I can do this.
It took me a while to get the courage to apply. I was intimidated by the size of the hospital, and wondered if I was good enough to qualify. I wanted to come to Barnes-Jewish Hospital to see if I could do it. Now that I’m here…wow! It’s a big challenge for me, but I love it. It’s awesome.

Trauma is a great learning floor.
Barnes-Jewish is an amazing learning facility…I grew up in a small town. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is an inner-city hospital, and I’ve never seen any of this before. It’s really opened my eyes. Something new happens every day, and I’m constantly learning.

I’ve never seen teamwork like this.
Whereas other floors are specialized, we get a little bit of everything here in Trauma, and it would be overwhelming if it weren’t for the staff. Everyone has a special quality that they perform exceptionally well, be it IV, lifting patients, talking to calm someone down. To be able to go to that person– utilize the whole team, even if it’s not your patient– is really awesome. I’ve worked at other places for many years, and never had a team like this.

Plans for the future.
After graduation, if there’s an opportunity for me to practice in the emergency department, I would like that. Trauma patients come straight from the emergency department or intensive care unit, and I want to learn what goes on before they come to us…I’ve had a lot of great opportunities, met a lot of interesting people, and have seen some pretty amazing stuff. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.

2012 UPDATE: Cayla is now a nurse in the Emergency Department, just as she hoped she would be!


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