Breanna Welch

UWRT 1101
Dr. Arnold
September 16, 2015
Literacy Narrative

When I think of what I am literate in, of course I think about reading

and writing. However, I did not think about being literate in something that I
have a passion for, CNA work. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my
life around my sophomore year in high school. Every time that I tell someone
about knowing so early they are shocked. However, it was not set in stone
that I wanted to become a nurse. It took the rest of my high school years and
a lot of hard work to know for sure.
I moved to North Carolina my sophomore year in high school. It was
hard enough to get used to the new environment, much less figure out what I
wanted to do for the rest of my life. My counselor, Mrs. Sherrick, was there
for me from the beginning. She helped me get the classes that I needed to
graduate on time. I remember sitting in her office on my first day at
Southeast Guilford High School. She handed me a list of classes to pick from.
She told me to take my time, but we both knew that would not be a problem.
The class that I picked turned out to be the best decision I made.
Health Science I, was the class that I picked. I had an idea of what it
was about, but I still wasnt completely sure what I was getting myself into.

However, I did hear great things about the teacher. So, I went ahead and
kept it on my schedule. Today, I am so happy that I did. I found out that I was
really good at doing health related work. Of course some of the things were
difficult, such as, learning all of the medical terminology and having to learn
the anatomy of the human body, but nothing was impossible. After this class
I decided I wanted to continue taking the health related courses and take
Health Science II, because I realized that I could love nursing and I wanted to
learn more about it.
Going into Health Science II, again, I had somewhat of an idea of what
it was going to be like. This was the last step before the big leagues in health
classes at my high school. I knew that I had to do the absolute best that I
could. Everyone adored my teacher Mrs. Watson. She was definitely a
sponsor in my becoming literate in CNA work. When I was feeling like I could
not do it, she told me that she saw something in me and that I could become
an amazing nurse. She was the first one to push me to be my best and go
through with this dream that I had to become a nurse.
The last class to take, is the Nursing Fundamentals class my senior
year of high school. This class is very competitive. You must have certain
grades, activities, and an interview to even be considered for the class.
Luckily, I was keeping my grades up and decided to start getting more
involved at school. The worst part, though, was the interview. I remember
when I arrived at the school. I arrived thirty minutes early, because I really
wanted to be there on time. To a senior in high school, this is determining

your future. I was pacing in the hall way and hoping no one would walk by
and wonder why I was talking to myself, asking questions that Mrs. Watson
may ask me. I finally heard her tell me to come in, as another student left. I
could not tell whether the look on their face was terror or them being tired.
Either way it was not helping my nerves. I followed Mrs. Watson into the
classroom and took a seat in front of her desk. Trying to calm my nerves, she
asked me how I was doing and talked about how early it was. Small talk is
great, but I was really hoping that she would get on with the real questions
already.
Finally, out came the first question. Why do you want to be in the
Nursing Fundamentals class? Of course I said what everyone probably said,
to become a nurse. Then she asked another question that was a bit harder
for me to answer. Why do you want to be a nurse? At the time it took me a
minute to think. Why do I want to be a nurse? Why do I want to be around
blood and guts? Why do I want to spend so many years in college and go so
in debt? Why do I want to get yelled at by patients while I try to make them
better? Why go through all the trouble? There is one answer to all of these
questions, because I want to help people. In the end I want to have changed
someones life and to be the person who makes the difference.
The fact the all Mrs. Watson did was smile and say Have a nice day.
did not help my nerves. All I could do is just wait now. It took a week for the
list go up of who got into the class. It was a nerve wrecking week. Then,
finally I saw the white sheet of paper hanging on the wall with twenty small

names on it. I slid my finger down beside the names until I reached one that
looked familiar. I got accepted into the nursing fundamentals class. I could
not hold in my excitement. I immediately texted my dad, mom, brothers,
best friend, and grandma. I never felt so accomplished.
It was finally the first day of Nursing Fundamentals class and yet again
I was nervous. Mrs. Watson had retired and a new teacher was coming to
teach us. Nobody knew anything about the new teacher, except that her
name is Mrs. Bailey. The class barely even knew each other. I remember
thinking that there is no way I can work with people that I dont know, I can
barely make friends. Eventually, I would not only learn how to work with
strangers, but also how to work with people I do not like. Which will later help
me in the nursing profession. This woman with a bright red face walked in
the room and greeted everyone with a kind hello. We could all tell that she
was nervous, but we were too. However, we got along from the get go.
We started skills right away and I loved them. They were not easy at
first, but once I learned all of the steps I knew I would do great. Every day we
would learn a few skills and some medical abbreviations. Both the skills
aspect and the mental aspect are important to becoming a CNA. You cannot
just know how to physically do something, you have to use your mind. That
part did, however, come pretty easy to me. We would practice skills on the
manikins and on each other. Working so closely with everyone you quickly
learned who you got along with, who didnt like you and who you just could
not work with. Having to work in pairs the entire time, sometimes you would

get paired with someone who you could consider an enemy, I would consider
that my conflict. You had to work with them, because in the nursing field, you
are not always going to like your coworkers. Your job counts on you doing
good, quality work, so you just have to suck it up.
After you get past the conflict and realize you are all here for the same
common goal, you find a way to push aside your differences and work
together. This really counted when it came to the second semester. We
worked in the nursing home for the entire second semester leading up to
getting our CNA. To get your CNA you have to have so many class hours and
so many clinical hours. We would go and actually do what CNAs do. Working
with residents and doing what needed to be done. As long as it was not out
of our level of education, we could, and would do it.
I really enjoyed my time in the nursing home, because of the
experience. It was amazing to see the joy on the residents faces when we
would come to take care of them. They loved having us and we loved to be
there. However, it was not always sunshine and rainbows. The jobs could get
bad and very irritating, but if you dont learn how to handle the bad things
and bad days of being a CNA then I dont believe that you are capable of
being fully literate. Learning that even on my bad days I would still love my
profession, helped me to set in stone what I wanted to do with my life and to
continue my journey to become a CNA. This meant putting in a lot more work
to prepare for the CNA exam at the end of the semester.

We left the nursing home a couple weeks before the exam. We would
practice skill after skill, until we got it right. If you messed up you started all
over. It looked like a tornado tore through the room. There were clothes,
gloves, stethoscopes, wash clothes, blankets, wheelchairs, etc. everywhere.
Through all the chaos our teacher still found a way to cheer us on and give
us all of her love and support.

When it came to the day that we took our CNA exam, everyone was
nervous. That day we put all the differences aside and came together as a
class. We cheered each other on as we walked back to the testing room and
when someone came back, we asked how it went and how they felt. When
we were sitting there, anxiously waiting for the results of the test, we were
holding hands and almost crying with people we swore we didnt like the day
before. Thankfully, everyone received their CNA that day. It was one of the
happiest days of my life. I felt like I could actually do something with my life.
To be literate in something like CNA work was amazing to me. I would not
change a struggle or an accomplishment on my road to becoming literate.
Mrs. Bailey had to be the main factor in me becoming literate in CNA
work. She started off the year not knowing what she was doing, and so did I.
She became a friend and some one that I could go to if I was feeling bad or
was doubting myself. There would always be a smiling face there to help us.
Even through the tough times she was having she never put it on the class.

We were like a dysfunctional family. Half of the class did not like the other
half, but Mrs. Bailey hated that we did not get along. She always tried her
hardest to push us together and settle the differences. In the end, she made
us all better women, CNAs, and eventually nurses. As our class motto said,
These smiling faces and helping hands, could one day be your lifesaver. I
will believe this and keep this with me. This is why I became literate in CNA
work and why I am continuing on to change the world as a nurse.