Angels in disguise

Ashley Martin has been at Skyline Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Floyd, VA, since October 2016. At Skyline, Ashley says she has found her home.

When Ashley started her career, she served as a personal care assistant. Skyline generously paid for her to go back to school to get her certification as a nursing assistant. Ashley did very well in school, and when she graduated, she was honored to recite a poem during the graduation ceremony. The poem was about angels in disguise, and had special significance to the graduating nurses. Later, when a resident at Skyline told Ashley, “You are my angel,” it really resonated with Ashley and confirmed that she is doing exactly what she intended when she chose her career path.

It’s clear to Ashley’s eight year old son how much his mom loves working with her patients. “You like to make them smile,” said Ashley’s little boy. Ashley particularly loves to serve patients who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. She said that work is never dull or boring, and she gets great satisfaction from helping her residents. Ashley told us about one resident who gets scared at night. She asks Ashley to hold her hands until she falls asleep, and Ashley is happy to provide that extra assurance and comfort that the resident needs.

Ashley enjoys working with her bosses, Debra and Yvette. She told us that she learns something new each day, and her supervisors have helped her learn that there will be good and bad days with her residents.

Regarding some of the biggest challenges of the job, Ashley mentioned that time goes by very quickly, and there is so much work to be done. She is on the go all of the time, and she wants to make sure that each resident feels special. She said that she does little things, like greeting her patients in a special way, to make them feel loved. “How are you? You look beautiful today.” Her goal is to keep everyone happy.

Ashley said that all of Consulate’s Core Values are necessary when you are a CNA. However, she cited Passion as the most important because, “You must love your job to do it well.” Ashley is currently in school to become a registered nurse, while also balancing her responsibilities as a mother.