Working in a medical field is considered as a calling which requires utmost dedication and high standards moral to carry out their everyday duties. This is because they deal with other human beings who are not in their right health and who need their care for survival. Just like nannies, medical practitioners and most specifically the licensed vocational nurses (LVN) needs to be patient with their residents and understand their situations to serve them well. To get first-hand information of the livelihood in this line of profession, I interviewed an LVN known as Angela Estrada, and the interview discussion was captured as detailed in this essay.
Angela Estrada is a program director of staff development for Royale Mission Viejo, working in a facility called Royale Health Care Center in Mission Viejo, California. This facility has a capacity of 80 beds, and several employees tasked with attending to the residents. As the program director, Angela is responsible for so many operation related tasks which aim at keeping the facility running at its best. For instance, she is responsible for hiring and training of the workers at the facility to ensure that the residents get the best care they deserve. She ensures that every aspect of running the facility in the right manner. For instance, she has to inspect the chart record for each of 80 beds every day to get updates on the progress of the residents, hold regular meeting with the employees and responsible authorities and also financial management of the institution such as budgeting and mobilization for grants.
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The average age of the residents housed in her facility ranges from 18-75 year, of which a significant number of them are diagnosed with schizophrenia and substance abuse. There is no specific gender for the residents admitted as she says "We take all genders indiscriminately as we have appropriate and qualified staff to cater for everybody." As a holder of a program director for staff development, she faces various challenges in her daily involvements. For instance, her team may at one time consist of difficult workers with attitude and who do not observe the guidelines of the facility. The workers may give wrong directions to the residents, ignore them, while others are purely driven by the love of money and not the passion of working a care facility like this one. She says "Some people are educated in other professions but opt to work with us due to lack of a matching job vacancy. These people only work to pass the time while they look for other options which means that they are not dedicated to the service of our residents." Besides, time to time they experience a shortage of psychiatric technicians and nurses who perform regular follow-up for the residents which are also a challenge to her. She adds that the biggest challenge she faces is the fund cut which leaves their budget hanging.
To be able to manage her position successfully, Angela is a talented woman who is able to multitask and have a good rapport with the staff and actively listen and always has a hands-on approach in working on the unit with staff and residents, so she is able to be proactive with them. She processes leadership skills such as; exceptional organizational skills, exemplifying qualities as a leader, compassionate, integrity, empathy, patience, and has to be in touch with your own beliefs and values in order to see the resident's perspective. She says that her greatest attribute is seeking the recovery process of the residents which makes her proud of her work, as they regain their health and later integrated back into the society.
Personal values are essential factors especially in her position, as that is her passion. She says "I wake up every morning with so much joy in my heart and can't wait to go to work. I'm in awe that I get paid for something I genuinely love doing. Since I was seven years old, this was my dream to help others in need, and now my dream has unfolded before me." She also stated, "in everything I do and say reflects on who I am, and others are able to see and recognize my passion for the field of mental health." However, such a position is always prone to burnouts. To prevent burnouts, she says that it is important to take mental health breaks to regain control of her well-being. She believes that we are like batteries and we need to be recharged for your mind, body, and spirit. In addition, she quoted "if you can't help yourself, you can't help others." She also highlighted that a well-balanced diet and exercise plays a big part in preventing burn out. Often, staff members are money driven and put their well-being behind by working longer hours. "It is imperative to take time out to bond with your family, children and loved ones." She says.
In defining her success as a leader, she says, its realizing that she has made an impact on many lives. Others people who know her for who she is and what she stands for also sees a great personality her success as a career woman. To be successful in this career, she says that one has to poses the following values and/or skills; Strong work ethics, having integrity and perseverance, ability to have teamwork skills, interpersonal skills, and quick problems and conflicts resolution skills and being able to analyze on all perspective.
Based on the information provided by Estrada in the interview, I am confident that she is very passionate about her position and job in her career line. She is a self-motivated person who wants to ensure that every person who walks in that facility is well cared for. The interview with Estrada has not changed my opinion about that career path either. In fact, it has inspired me to continue developing better skills that would benefit me in that field.
