Intensive Care by Echo Heron

There is so much I can say about this novel, but for the sake of time and to entice more readers I will only speak to a few main points I took from it.

One of the first things I would like to point out is that Echo was a mother while also going through nursing school. She raised her child to the best of her ability and did have some "real-life" events that threw her off her guard at points. The fact that she included these life events in her book as well really influenced my perspective of her as a nurse and her as an author. 

It truly is easy to become swept up in the grandeur of medicine and forget about the bad days, hard decisions, and inevitable consequences of others' decisions. Intensive Care is a great reminder of the challenges nurses face. It is also a gleaming example of all that is important about nursing. The compassion Echo shows her clients is incredible! I think every nurse strives to provide the best care for their patients and the stories Echo shares are only a few examples of the ways we can do so.

That being said, I encourage all healthcare providers and families of healthcare providers to read this in order to gain a deeper insight into one woman's perspective of the healthcare industry. It hopefully will gain us nursing students some compassion and nurses a little more respect than frequently experienced.

The Side-Effects of Studying: Part One

We have our first exam coming up on Friday in a course called Foundations. My professor does not have any presentations or study guides to study off of, so most of my studying has been off of notes I have taken in class. My professor told us to think of everything we have learned in IEL and in class and that would be all we needed to know for the exam. As if it were that simple to synthesize all the practical and structured knowledge we have acquired in the last five weeks of classes.

Her seemingly lack of guidance in studying for the impending exam made me think about the overall knowledge we have gained. I summed it up to two main questions I must ask myself when answering NCLEX-style questions (National Council Licensure Examination):

• What is ultimately going to be the best option for the care and safety of my patient?
• What does this mean in context to my patient?

I like how Linfield teaches using the patient-centered approach - it reinforces my ideal of the compassionate nurse, which is something I strive to be. I like that patient care is so important that part of our first assessments in the IEL curriculum incorporates "applying principles of therapeutic communication."

The presumption many nursing students have is that the course on communication will be "easy." I have already found it quite useful in addressing many fears nursing students have (i.e. talking too much and not being able to establish rapport) in beginning clinical work. It makes me proud to know that Linfield nursing students are considerate enough of patients that they think about verbal interactions and exchanges as much as physical procedures and interactions.

I'm not quite sure this makes sense... I've been studying for quite a while and, as a result, my brain is having difficulty formulating coherent thoughts not directly related to skin assessment or nursing interventions. Hopefully my thought comes across and that I receive some feedback from you as to whether you agree/disagree with it or simply some tales of healthcare experiences you have had.

Thank you and goodnight.

Volunteering, Running, Jobs... Opportunities Galore.

It occurred to me today that I am very, very blessed. I have been presented with many opportunities in my life that I have not always been grateful for and now I am. My meeting with Marc Kochanski yesterday and my interactions with people throughout yesterday made me realize I am definitely my mother's daughter. What I mean is, my mother is a people-person. To this day I do not know if she enjoys striking up conversations with strangers or people she only slightly knows, but either way, she is very good at it!

As I was recounting my day to my friends yesterday, they commented on my ability to make connections with people on a daily basis. One friend joked that I would never have to pay for drinks because the people I strike up conversations with tend to offer to buy one for me. The joke was based on the fact that I was offered free coffee a few times over the week, most recently by a Linfield alumna who I introduced myself to, assuming by her Linfield sweatshirt that she was a current student. She is attending graduate school and was visiting a friend in Portland, a fellow alumna. She congratulated me on my acceptance to the nursing program and offered to buy my drink. I hesitated, but she smiled and said, "I've got to support a fellow Wildcat. Plus, I enjoyed our conversation." Anyway, I digress.

My friends' compliment made me think of how my "friendliness" has helped me in the past and will help me in the future. I have been thinking more and more frequently of things I would like to do (including possible challenges for my list). I definitely need to get a job, but I also want to regularly volunteer - I like volunteering and I know Portland has many opportunities for that. I want to try a fun run or a 5k before the Sound to Narrows as well.

Fortunately, my connections with people have helped me accomplish each of those! A friend, whom I met through theatre, has offered me her job as a professor's assistant and another friend offered to be a personal reference for the hospital she works for. Talking with Marc yesterday reminded me that I can now volunteer for organizations in the medical field. Last, but not least, my friends and I have decided to do the Ugly Sweater Run in Beaverton, OR on November 16th.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there are so many opportunities available if one is open to the surrounding community!

How Not to Make a YouTube Video

This was my magnificent set up.

In filming a video, it occurred to me that YouTubers have to have a certain knowledge or awareness about how they want everything to look. As a novice, I had no idea about lighting, background, or sound or how I wanted my video to look. So of course, I winged it! This was my setup yesterday. I used the tips on vlogging given on Jacksgap.com to help set up my video. 

The purpose of my video was to share my summer favorites. I thought it would be a simple video to start off with. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It was more difficult than I anticipated to remember all the things I wanted to say about a certain product - and since I don't like reading off a script, I used a lot more space-filling words than I wanted (things like "umm," "yeah," "so," and "okay"). Fortunately I enjoy editing, but it was still a struggle to get comfortable in front of the camera. I pretended that I was talking to a friend and it helped a bit. 

Anyway, I'm glad I tried making a YouTube video. I know I'm not the best at it, but I had a lot of fun making and editing the video. I'd love to make more - I just don't know when that will happen. Maybe I should simply vlog - my life is normally like the bloopers at the end of the video, so at least that will keep viewers entertained. 

Kensie bag

"Naples" Okabashi sandals

Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs

Julep Mint Condition Foot Cream

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray

From Left: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya, MAC lipstick in Ravashing, Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in Candy Baby, and Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Kiss Me Coral

And now, what you've all been waiting for...

My summer favorites.

The Things I Do When I'm Not At VidCon

Something you may not know about me... I'm a YouTube addict. I think what's worse is that I subscribe to more British YouTubers than American YouTubers. I suppose there could be worse things, but still - it's killing me that most of my favorite YouTubers are in Anaheim right now and I'm not. In the most passive-aggressive way I could think of, I decided to retaliate against them and their fun-having. I made a YouTube video.

I've been thinking about working on a vlogging channel specifically for Foolish in the Crowd for a while, especially as it's one of my challenges to make a YouTube video. I have made a couple videos before, none that I've ever made public on YouTube, but now I think I will! I mean, I really enjoy making and editing videos - so why not?

Anyway, the video I shot and edited today will be uploaded to YouTube tomorrow. I'll post a link as soon as possible.

Preparation for the Sound to Narrows 2014!

Today is day one of my preparation for - drumroll please - the Sound to Narrows.

For those of you that don’t live in the Puget Sound area, the Sound to Narrows consists of a 12k or 5k run/walk, 5k youth run, 2k Junior Shuffle, and even a 20-yard Diaper Dash for the tots. 

I would’ve never thought to attempt a race of such magnitude considering both my knees are rubbish and I run like a sea lion, but I figured it’s nothing I would’ve ever considered doing, so why not do it? If it weren’t for my aunt who asked me to join her in next year’s S2N, I wouldn’t have realized there was a walking option. I need to work on my endurance and generally get back into shape, but it’s a fantastic opportunity and challenge - and I have a year to prepare for it! Wish me luck?