Horrific incident leads one Las Cruces man on a lifelong journey to care for others
Bethany Brunelle-Raja
LAS CRUCES - In 2017, a Las Cruces resident was left with 28 fractures in her face after being beaten during a home invasion. The high level of care the woman received from a certified nurse's assistant directly following the incident inspired her son to pursue a career in the healthcare field.
About three years ago, Hunter Lindsey, 28, became a certified nursing aide at Genesis Healthcare. In April, he graduated from their CNA Advancement program with hopes to eventually become a nurse.
His first job was in the Alzheimer's unit at Casa De Oro Center, and he is now a supervisor at the Villages at Northrise.
"My favorite part of my job is that, every day at work, I get to make a difference. I know that I get to help people with being more comfortable, especially considering what's going on right now in the world," he said.
On-the-job training
Through Genesis Health Care's specialist program, Lindsey said he has the opportunity to achieve his goal. It's a three-tier program that adds additional skills at each level.
"It's been a wonderful experience," he said. "The really cool thing, too, is the program itself is free because it's extra education and extra experience — but they also pay you for your time while in the class, so they make sure everyone is compensated for that time while they gain experience for the betterment of the residents and ourself."
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In his class, Lindsey said there were about 10 people who learned about compassionate communication and helping with the death process. The next step for the students will be training to become certified medication aid.
"They do the same kinds of care CNA's do, which would be your day-to-day living. It would equate to things like preparing for the day, assisting someone who can't move their arms, assisting them to eat, helping to console a dying patient, in addition (to) handing out medications," he said.
The CMA qualification gives employees the opportunity to do more than a certified nurses aid. Overall, Lindsey said that every healthcare facility.
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Throughout New Mexico, Genesis Healthcare employs 1,113 certified nursing aids with 156 located in Las Cruces at Casa De Oro Center, Casa Del Sol Center and The Village at Northrise.
At the end of the day
At the end of the day, Lindsey said working in the healthcare industry has its rewards.
"You feel really good at the end of the day. No matter how hard the day was, no matter how tired you are, it makes you feel good to help other people," he said.
For those who have that level of compassion to give to others, Lindsey said he would encourage them to give it a try.
"I tell everybody who is looking into this kind of a job to just give it a chance," Lindsey said. "A lot of people are very hesitant to work with the elderly, or the dying, or disabled people in general because they feel that they might not fill the bill with what they were expecting, or the job itself might not be what they were expecting. But you never know until you try."
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After becoming a nurse, Lindsey plans on staying at the Village at Northrise because he said it feels like home.
"It makes me feel very much like I'm worth it, pretty much. I don't know how else I'd be able to put it, because it's the first place that's ever made me feel that way," he said.
Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at bfreudenthal@lcsun-news.com, 575-541-5449 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter.
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