Meet First Responder Whitley Siebert

Whitley Siebert works as an agency travel CNA/CMA, or Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Medical Assistant, filling a variety of shifts depending on where she is needed.

“I work any shift you could possibly think of,” Siebert said. “Some days I’ll leave at 2:30 a.m. to get to where I’m going. Others I get home at 9 a.m. from a night shift.”

Her responsibilities involve caring for her elderly patients, whether that means helping them get ready for the day or settled into bed at night. She also makes sure medications are given when needed and watches for sudden or significant changes in their condition

Siebert said she did not expect to enter the healthcare field and has “NOO idea” how she ended up choosing the career.

“I saw CNA classes come up in Hugoton back in 2018 and I decided I was going to become a CNA,” she said.

Since beginning her career, Siebert has learned about everything from medications and wound care to bodily fluids and recognizing signs of infection. She credits the nurses she has worked with for teaching her much of what she knows today.

For Siebert, one of the most interesting parts of the job comes from listening to her patients’ stories, from their time in the military and their younger years, to where they worked and how they grew up.

Still, the work can be emotionally taxing.

“It’s hard,” she said.

One of the most difficult parts, she said, is caring for someone during their final days or watching a patient decline from one day to the next.

She also encounters complex situations, such as when elderly patients wonder why their loved ones have not visited, try to find their way home or ask why they are in a facility.

One of the biggest lessons she has gained is the value of caring for people.

“I have learned to give the best care that I can to your loved ones,” Siebert said.

She has also learned a lesson that extends beyond her field: “I learned not to take loved ones for granted and treat every moment like it’s the last,” she said.

The job can require Siebert to respond quickly when something goes wrong. Falls, skin tears and head injuries are among the emergencies she may encounter. She may also have to perform CPR or the Heimlich maneuver when an elder is choking.

Medication errors are another potential emergency in healthcare. While Siebert said she has never personally experienced a medication error in her career, she understands how dangerous they can be when the wrong medication is given to the wrong person or when a medication has an unintended effect on a patient.

“You could give someone a pill that slows down a heart rate for a patient that has a high heart rate, but if you give it to someone with a normal heart rate or with a lower heart rate then it could stop their heart,” she said. “Or if you give high blood pressure medication to somebody that doesn’t have high blood pressure, then their blood pressure could tank.”

Siebert believes there are also misconceptions about what her work entails, including the idea that caregivers simply spend their days performing basic personal care.

“That’s not what it’s about,” she said.

For Siebert, her job means connecting with patients when their families cannot always be present.

“I comfort them when you can’t be there,” she said. “I let them know they are loved. I make them feel safe, and sit and talk to them when they are lonely, and let them know they are not alone.”

When she is not working, Siebert spends her time at home with her children and family, or goes out with friends.

Siebert’s work has shaped her perspective on life, teaching her the importance of appreciating the people around her and making the most out of each day.

“I learned not to take loved ones for granted and treat every moment like it’s the last,” she said.