Anna-Maria Kölbl
My internship at a nursing home.
Job description: Healthcare and nursing staff
Company: Caritas Nursing Home
Place Hitzendorf
I did my internship from April to May 2017.
What I did:
After the morning shift change, it was time to take care of the personal hygiene of the nursing home’s residents. I helped them with mobility, brought them breakfast and distributed their medication. I also helped feed a few of the residents with greater needs. And I had the chance to assist a qualified healthcare and nursing professional with treating chronic wounds.
The afternoon involved various activities. I played various card games and completed crossword puzzles with the residents to keep them mentally agile and accompanied them on walks through the garden.
Why I enjoyed my internship:
With this internship, I particularly liked the fact that there was a lot of time for the residents and therefore I could develop a very good relationship with them. The long-term daily contact enabled me to get to know their habits, preferences and needs and so I was able to take these into account. The elderly people I met during these weeks really grew close to my heart.
What I learned:
During this internship, I was able to implement numerous mobilisation techniques based on kinaesthetic principles in practical situations. I also developed an understanding of the great significance of the various prophylaxis measures and I gained my first insight into managing wounds and dressings.
With some of the healthcare activities, I was able to recognise differences compared to the acute care field. It also became clear to me that a great deal of intuition and empathy are required when carrying out biographical work. During the course of the internship, I also learned to deal with age-related illnesses.
My greatest experience:
In any case, it was a fantastic experience to undertake this internship in a nursing home. I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed working with the residents. In addition to various interesting healthcare activities such as using a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy probe and inserting a catheter, the afternoon activities and in-depth discussions with the elderly residents were great fun for me.
How I secured the internship:
The internship places for long-term care were allocated by the head of degree programme.
What I want to do in the future:
I would like to apply the extensive experience I have gained at various healthcare and hospital establishments during my training to help my future patients in the best way possible. It is very important to me to provide them with efficient help. I received a great deal of thanks and praise from the people I cared for. This brings me a great deal of joy and motivates me in my work and interactions with people.