Notre Dame College student Kayli Canganelli is in her last year of school training to be a nurse. Canganelli is a nurse’s assistant at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

Canganelli chose to study nursing because she loves to work with people and care for them, she also wanted a job in the medical field. To train to be a nurse, she has to attend clinicals at the hospital, listen to lectures and have basic classes at school, study from her text books, go to labs to learn new procedures and techniques, and practice them on mannequins.

Currently at her nurse’s assistant job, Canganelli said, “Some days I work the floors, taking vitals, changing linens, making sure the kids ate, are clean, and have everything that they need. Most of the time I will sit with one specific patient for the day that needs more attention than others, due to either medical reasons or because they do not have parents there to help care for them.”

Kayli Canganelli (right) proudly attends the Notre Dame College Lamp Lighting Ceremony with classmate Anissa Kotch (left). Canganelli is a graduate of Mayfield High School and currently works part-time at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Photo by Toni Canganelli.

Kayli Canganelli is in the float pool, which means that she goes to whatever unit needs her the most depending on the day. Canganelli says that she likes working at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital because she really likes to work with the kids.

She said, “I feel like I can relate to them well and they brighten up my day.”

Eileen Gerome, Canganelli’s grandmother, has seen Canganelli work with children and says that she is very gentle and understanding to their needs. Gerome said, “Kayli is very compassionate, patient and caring.”

Peggy Reisman is Canganelli’s aunt and thinks Canganelli is smart, very flexible, and that she adapts well to new situations.

Reisman said, “She works with children very well. She is patient. She likes to play with children and get on their level. She is very child-like.”

When Canganelli graduates from NDC in the spring, she would still like to work at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. But, she would also like to keep her options open to other areas of nursing. Canganelli said that at some time she would like to work in a different unit of the hospital for the experience, but she also says that she would like to work where she is needed.

Canganelli doesn’t think patients give her a serious problem. She said, “I try to put myself in their shoes and understand where they are coming from so I still treat them like any other patient.”

Canganelli likes to work with cancer patients the most just because they interest her. She finds working in respiratory her least favorite because she always has to gown up, which means she has to put on a sterile gown, mask, and gloves, before she goes into the rooms. She finds this task very time consuming.

There’s always hard and easy parts about any job that anyone has. Canganelli says that her hardest part of the job is seeing the patients in pain. She says that the easiest part of the job is playing with the kids. There’s always rewards about every job. Canganelli said that hers is, “Getting to see the patients from beginning to end. Getting to see the kid’s progress.”