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I did it! I passed my certification test for becoming a Nursing Assistant. That was perhaps the most stressful several hours of my life...

I got there at 8:30 this morning, and there were several other students from my class there, all though not everyone had signed up to take the test. There were a total of seven of us, with five us being from the same school. The other two were from different areas and training.

I ended up being the last one chosen to take the test, but it was difficult watching everyone else go up for their tests. The written portion was practically a given that anyone could pass it, but that wasn't what I had been dreading this entire time. The one thing that I worried about was the practical skills test. This is what got everyone who failed. Out of the first group, with three candidates, only one passed. That had to be the most nerve wracking event there. This was only passed when I realized in the second round that everyone was getting different sets of skills to accomplish. I'd been lulled into a false way of thinking when I saw that two in the first group had been given the same set of skills. That derailed my train of thought when I learned that the second group were doing skills not even mentioned in the first group!

Finally it came down to just me and a girl from my school. She went first, while I acted as the resident for her test. She had to do range of motion for the lower extremities, measuring weight, and dressing a resident. I acted for the first two, the third being done on a mannequin. But, then came mine.

My first one was feeding a resident. Everything was going fine till I realized I had made a mistake. I'd forgotten the give the actor/resident her clothes protector for when she was eating. Thankfully, I'd noticed this before I had completed the task, so I was able to tell the instructor my mistake and rectify it. But, as I'd realize later, I'd forgotten to (1.) wash my hands after performing the task and (2.) actually chart down her intake for the feeding. Upon the realization I'd done this, I felt as if those would be the deathblows that would fail me. But, I continued on with the test, a bit more alert to any possible mistakes.

My second test, was an easy one - Changing the resident's position. This one is easy on the account that all you have to really do is get the resident on her side and put pillows at key points to cushion the joints. An easy task that I finished with, thankfully, no glaring mistakes.

The third one was a bit harder, but I accomplished it without making any mistakes I couldn't fix. It was measuring the urine collected by a catheter. I got this job done with a mannequin, and I got it finished to the best of my ablitility, all though I'd started to lose my diligence for getting it done as hopelessness began to set in.

I waited in the waiting room to get my results. My mom had shown up at that point to pick me up, so she waited in the room with me and the girl who I was paired up with. Finally, after what seemed to be the longest time of that seven hours, the woman giving the tests came out and gave us our results. Amazingly, I had passed! Those mistakes hadn't killed me!

I'm just so happy right now. I have my first real step into the health field!

I finished