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.

Clinical Observations, Part 1

At the moment I am doing my mental health rotation in which I work with patients with behavioral disorders. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience and can picture myself working in mental health in the future.

Some thing I noticed recently is of nurses' expectations for the patients. Our S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, Timely) goals are a bit different from other nursing areas. For instance, one might be for the patient to only rely on PRN anxiolitics only six days out of seven and instead utilize coping strategies for one day to reduce agitation. For some behavioral patients, that is a tall order. For others, that is an attainable goal.

Our job as mental health nurses is not to diagnose patients. Our job is to treat and help manage the treatment of our patients, especially because in this area, many cannot do so themselves. For example, for someone with ulcerative colitis who also suffers from bipolar disorder, sticking to a safe nutritional diet can be challenging if not near impossible for those that cope through eating. Nurses must help manage the ulcerative colitis exacerbations as well as the bipolar disorder.

That being said, mental health nurses have to be far more observant in changes in patients' behaviors than nurses in other areas of healthcare. What seems like laziness and sitting around is actually persistent monitoring of patients and charting their behavior in a subjective, non-judgmental manner.

For an example of how difficult this type of writing can be, take a moment to look at a person nearby and describe them without using words such as "cool," "nice," and "cute." Post your observations in the comments below. It is can be a very arduous task if one is describing multiple patients with similar behaviors.

My point being, each patient is an individual and one is most reminded of that in behavioral health.

Nursing School - Semester Two

As I type this, I am lying on my bed contemplating whether I want to start writing this or whether I want to sleep instead. The thing is, if I went to sleep right now, it would be the earliest I have been to sleep since returning to school. This is not to say that we have been deluged with homework (though we have) but we have been given copious amounts of reading to accomplish and study from.

Not to mention, this weekend will be the second weekend in a row I have left campus for other plans. This means that I have had to complete three extra days worth of studying to prepare for a lack of studying part of tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday. The point being that I have been pretty busy lately. 

If I am not asleep, in the library, or in class one can assume I am most certainly dead. 

That being said, I am enjoying my mental health and pharmacology courses immensely. I also happen to be taking a course on medical anthropology which is fascinating and a course on Spanish healthcare terminology which is very useful. My chronic conditions course is alright so far and I have no complaints about labs. 

As much as I complain about not having a social life because of all the studying I have been doing, I am really having a good time. I love taking the streetcar to the library and reading before bed again. I am looking forward to more family time this weekend, this time to celebrate my cousins' confirmation and my birthday. Following along with my sea side metaphor, the waves of joy and gratitude have increased in frequency as of late and I welcome them with bated breath. 

Insomnia, Colds, and Resilience

Today, like many other days, was uneventful. I spent most of it holding my sick brother and reading while a movie played in the foreground and the rain fell outside. Saul's coughs were the only thing that shattered the stillness.

I am currently reading a book about insomnia. I have been struggling with sleep the last few months and thought that the book would be a nice educational interlude to my feast of fiction novels during the month of January. The book, Insomniac by Gayle Greene, discusses the many aspects surrounding sleep and insomnia and is a great resource to those interested in learning more about such topics.

One of the reoccurring statements the author makes about insomniacs is their resilience. As a person who struggles watching others' suffering (whether that is due to my profession or some innate characteristic bestowed on me at birth), I ache for the people described in the book to be struggling to find jobs and doctors that will help them manage their insomnia. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that though they struggle to make it through the day, they try to do so. 

I am not naive to think that if one is sick, one might certainly rest. Having attended school and work while battling illness, I know taking time off for healing is not always feasible and I understand that illness and health mean different things to different people, however, I commend those that are focused on returning to health and/or do not accept the condition as part of life.

Watching my brother sleep while a mild fever ran rampant through his body and his coughs strained to remove the buildup in his lungs was enough for me. I know colds come and go and each time our bodies become more resilient to the virus, but it was hard to watch it manifest in a lack of appetite and energy (two things my brother is not known for). It seemed as though my brother had suspended his healing process and it made me far more protective than I normally would have been. Hopefully he will be feeling better (physically and mentally) tomorrow.

2013 Recap

I will make no blanket statements about the last year other than it was a year of learning. I learned more about myself this year than I can remember any year before that.

In January, I applied to nursing school and spent the month taking care of my post-surgical father. I started on the AFI films list and revamped the existing List. Fast forward to May - I finished my sophomore year of college and packed up my things for the last time in McMinnville. It was bittersweet, saying goodbye to the campus and people that made so many wonderful memories, while also looking forward to my future in Portland. I also celebrated the graduation of my beautiful sister!

In June, I traveled to Mexico with my family and spent a week relaxing and recouping from a rough school year. July flew by and left me dazed and confused, scrambling to get things together for the first week of school in August.

Adjusting to nursing school and Portland took most of my September and October, but I successfully completed my first 5k in November. The transition from  November to December was rough, what with all the academic events occurring and the process of packing for two months home.

The last week of December was fantastic. Christmas with the family was wonderful, as usual, and New Years Eve, despite a couple mishaps, was fantastic. As ever, I am grateful for the experiences that have led me to this point in my life. I look forward to the year ahead and, as always, I wonder what it has in store for me.

Lofting

It finally hit me. I have only two and a half more weeks of my first semester of nursing school. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!

I have four papers to complete and one project to present before I have to execute my final performance evaluation in high fidelity simulation and take the HESI (Health Education System Inc.) exam - all before Finals Week. 

That being said, I apologize for any late blogposts or poorly written/edited blogposts. I am doing some major self-care this weekend and I hope to have the energy to blog about it all, but I am also going to be very, very, very busy. Evidence A: my bed right now.

#nursingschoolproblems

Grey's Anatomy: An Overanalysis

Despite feeling weary of my workload, I am grateful for one thing - Netflix.

Now hear me out. I love watching movies, but I honestly do not have the capacity for sitting through an hour and a half or longer film that I would not be able to remember even if I did sit through it. Netflix offers a variety of television shows that I can put on as background noise or watch on a short break. I have no qualms about pausing the show because I know it will still be there when I am ready to continue it. It is better than DVR because I do not necessarily have to share what I am watching with others!

Anyway, recently I have been watching Grey's Anatomy. As if I could not get enough healthcare culture in my life, I like watching the show about surgical intern doctors living in Seattle. There is medicine, healthcare providers, and drama! Although I do not consider it a realistic representation of the healthcare industry, I have picked out several instances where my education has already helped me feel prepared for my future career.

Grey's Anatomy has also taught me a few things - and I am only in the midst of season 2! One episode struck me as particularly important to remember when interacting with other healthcare providers. The episode in which the nurses are on strike reminded me of the fact that all of our responsibility is to our patients. A few nurses are providing specific information about patients they would like an intern to check on and when the intern protests their requests, one nurse replies, "They're our patients too."


The succinctness of the nurse's reply in that particular episode was remarkable. The implication that the doctors were not the only ones responsible for their patients was very clear. Coincidentally, I read about the national standards of interpreters in healthcare for next week's communication class which outlined the practices of interpreters in the the medical process. Although interpreters' role is refined compared to nurses' roles, the common ground is the dedication to the patient.

Why is it then, that the relationships between different healthcare providers can be so tense? I do not mean simply the primary care provider and nursing staff, I mean the shaman, priest, and psychiatrist too. Should patients be metaphorically "claimed" by departments? Holistic care can offer so much more to patients - particularly through utilizing the multitude of resources available in the healthcare industry these days.

November Updates

First of all, there are several exciting opportunities that I have taken advantage of that I thought I would share:

1. I will be participating in the 5K Mustache Dash in Portland in a couple weeks. If you have any ideas for how to make the best mustache or the best costume, please comment below!
2. I will be officially volunteering for the American Red Cross as a blood drive ambassador.
3. I will be attending the show Ajax in Iraq which my dear friends are performing in.

Those are the only events I have allowed myself, despite my efforts, with the next few busy weeks of the term. In the meantime, I will be performing several momentous lab evaluations and completing four critical papers and two crucial exams. Oh, and writing a novel. No big deal.

Why is Monday Nicknamed John?

Because Monday was long.

I am not sure where that cheesiness came from, although today was indeed long. I was determined to get as much done as possible, but the more I progressed, the more unnecessary distractions and obstacles arose. Long story short, today was not my finest day.

I lost my patience and a bit of my compassion. As much as I would like to simplify it to my frustration getting the best of me, I feel slightly ashamed that one "bad" day caused me to react so poorly. I could blame it on stress or lack of sleep, but in all honestly, I could have kept my calm.

I cannot help worrying about how my future career and how I still have so much yet to learn. Late-night shifts, long shifts, and troublesome patients are still in my future and I need to be able to regulate my emotions better in order to provide the best care for my patients.

With all that has occurred today, the most embarrassing part is the fact that I actually feel ashamed of my emotions. Should I really have to "battle" with my emotions as a nurse? If I do, I wonder if it will always be this way...

Treat Yo Self

Good, better, best,

Never stop to rest,

Until the good is better

and the better, best.

Out of all the things from the Stevens Family show on Disney Channel I remember, I remember Ren Stevens sing-songingly recite this. It is almost poetical how simplistic the rhyme is - especially with its depth. Now, this may be me over-analyzing things again, but I have found myself repeating this to myself every day and wonder if it is damaging my idea of a successful day.

I always wonder right before bed if there are a few more things I can do before ending my day. Whether that be writing a blogpost or reading one more section of a textbook, I always think of one or two more things that I can do to make my day seem more fulfilled. Silly, no? 

With the fast pace of nursing school, I constantly wonder if I am missing out on things. For instance, today I had an episode of New Girl playing on my computer as I took notes for a class. (SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON 2) It got to the episode in which Nick kisses Jess (finally!) and I had to take a moment to recover my thoughts. It was such an expected thing, based on the way the season was going, but it took me completely by surprise. 

Or take, for a simpler example, looking at my cousin's senior soccer photos. I could not believe how grown-up my cousin looked! I still cannot believe time flies the way it does. 

What if I am missing out on things? I do not want to miss out on my loved ones' lives! I do not want to do poorly in school either! I want to keep up with everything all at once! WHAT TO DO?!?!

It occurred to me when I went to get bubble tea and fries (do not judge me - truffle fries and guava bubble tea with tapioca hit the spot after an exam) - that all I need to do is use my rewards wisely. Instead of napping when I do not necessarily need the sleep or watching a movie on my own I could be cooking in the kitchen with friends or enjoying someone's company while waiting in line to devour a delicious dessert (cough*Salt'N'Straw*cough). However pressed for time I may be, spending time with friends and accomplishing other tasks all amount to productivity in my book.

Thankful Thursday

It seems as though I have spent far too much time complaining/discussing things I do not like and not appreciating/endorsing things I do like. So, without further ado, I introduce the first Thankful Thursday! ("A month before Thanksgiving? She's crazy." you say? BA HUMBUG.) I will simply write a list of little things that I am especially thankful for.

• sleeping in a whopping 25 minutes
• finding/playing the fishing game on the rowing machine at the gym
• taking a 20 minute nap
• having a nice, warm cup of coffee
• seeing the gorgeous weather and colors of nature outside
• getting my prescription refilled within less than 10 minutes
• being complimented for my shirt
• running late without causing any trouble
• eating a fresh carrot and tomato spinach salad with a slice of bread and an apple for dinner
• figuring out why my resident was anxious around me
• (subsequently) putting my resident to bed
• receiving support from the CNAs and LPN at clinical
• finding out an assignment is due later than I thought

Some of them are not very exciting, but each event made me happy today and I thought I would share some of my happiness. That is all.

The Difficulty of Speaking with Children

I am very uncomfortable around children that are not related to me. I am always afraid I will overstep some social/personal boundary that will make parents and kids alike disapprove of me. I am all too aware of the phrase "stranger danger" and my consistent over-analytical perspective, however, I cannot help feeling tongue-tied whenever I am around a child.

Today we were able to speak with two seasoned pediatric nurses about their experiences in communicating with children. I was in awe of their demeanor and of their attitude toward their patients. I commented on my lack of ease around children and asked them whether it was possible to overcome my boundary fear. They responded warmly that in peds (short for pediatrics), boundaries cease to exist as one gets to know one's patient and patient's family. The nurses spoke about desensitizing the patient to their role through simple measures such as prolonged presence, fleeting touch, and speech pattern.

Part of treating a peds patient is acknowledging their needs based on their age group as well as their individual needs. For instance, if a school-aged peds patient is undergoing surgery one might try to explain the procedure based on the patient's interest in learning and give them some sort of responsibility used toward the burgeoning sense of competence. One might also encourage the patient to then explain the procedure to his or her family.

I do not want to make it seem as though I can now be the child whisperer (that is creepy and should probably not even be uttered facetiously), but by keeping those concepts and tips in the back of my mind, I hope I can now make positive contact with a child unrelated to me. (I have tried re-writing the previous sentence to make it sound less creepy, but let's be honest, a post talking about talking to children is already walking a fine line.)

Disturbed Sleep Pattern Related to Anxiety, Secondary to Nursing School

The title of this post is in the format of a Nursing Diagnosis. A nursing diagnosis is sort of like a medical diagnosis in that it identifies a particular aspect of a patient to treat, however, it is has more to do with the individual, family, or community experience/response to the medical diagnosis or life processes than the medical diagnosis itself. It is basically distinguishing things that nurses can do to affect a patient's treatment experience. I am going to take you through my nursing diagnosis step-by-step, partially because it is an educational experience for me and partially because it is a de-stressing activity.

Nursing school has so many side effects on nursing students. There are obvious ones like increased critical thinking and communication skills, decreased gag-reflex, and impaired writing skills. One major one for me is increased anxiety levels. Up until now, I have dealt with the anxiety-inducing events with ease, following the thought process that the event is going to happen anyway so I might as well prepare as best as I can for it while I can instead of stressing about it. Now, with a completed medication administration performance evaluation under my belt (as of this afternoon) and a major exam coming up tomorrow, my mindset is a bit less accepting. This afternoon, immediately before my performance evaluation, I felt the first symptoms of my anxiety. They diminished slightly after running at the gym, but resumed at a greater intensity after I returned to campus and studied with peers. My anxiety, as it is due to more than one factor of nursing school, is secondary to nursing school.

Although my heightened anxiety is of reasonable concern, it is not my major concern at the moment - my lack of sleep is. A "disturbed sleep pattern" is a nurse's way of saying I am not getting enough sleep for some reason. Despite having the right environment to sleep (a quiet, warm, dark room), an adequate amount of time to sleep, and providing myself with an almost excessive level of comfort (body pillow, three blankets, and a stuffed cat to cuddle - DO NOT JUDGE ME) I am consistently unable to fall asleep. Whenever I try to sleep, my brain will not "power down" and I continue thinking about the same things that are causing me stress, further amplifying my anxiety.

As I write, I realize that the explanation of my anxiety is not complete; I have not spoken to what anxiety is and how I experience anxiety (such as the physical response). I will not go into detail in this post about it as I do want to try to get some rest in preparation for my exam tomorrow, but I will emphasize that everyone experiences and expresses anxiety differently and that some forms of anxiety relief are not as effective for some as others.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my brief explanation of nursing diagnoses! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

It's Been a Rough Week.

This week has challenged me more mentally and physically than any other week of nursing school. Returning from my relaxing week back home, I literally hit the ground running - I was going to miss the streetcar and have to wait another twenty-something minutes for the next one. I had several meetings scheduled and events to arrange as well as homework and working out. Yet with all that I am doing, I could not outrun the cold that is going around campus. I am currently fighting, tooth-and-nail to get over it, but for some reason, I cannot shake it! I need not tell you how FRUSTRATING IT IS.

With all that is going on, I am more frustrated with the sources of my friends' worries. One of the biggest concerns has been clinical sites that lack concern for residents to the extent that the residents are not receiving adequate care. Another concern has been our research course, which does not seem to satisfactorily prepare nursing students for the papers assigned. The last major concern has been keeping track of all the assignments due for each class. Although it does not seem like a significant concern, the Linfield nursing curriculum is linked with four classes a semester that must be taken concurrently and sometimes course assignments seem to run into each other because they are similar in topic.

 It is unfortunate that some clinical sites do not provide adequate care for its residents, however, as nursing students we should take that upon ourselves to make a good example. This is what we are taught to do - to develop our critical thinking skills and make the healthcare community better as best as we can! It seems daunting for a first semester nursing student, but we are also adults with two years of education behind us.

As far as our research course goes, I applaud students' efforts to go above and beyond realistic expectations of educational standards of nurses. Not many nursing students will go into research, but they still feel the need to learn the material. The students are struggling to write a literature review. Not only have we had very little experience with APA formatting, we do not understand the structure of a literature review. It is one thing to have very little instruction but plenty of resources and it is another thing to have very little instructions and very little resources. Fortunately, students have bonded together and commiserated over the lack of collective knowledge.

The last concern my friends' had was over the seemingly haphazard scheduling of assignments. One piece of advice given to us at orientation was to write all the assignments and projects out in our planners so we would always have a complete reference. The unfortunate part of this, is that professors often rearrange schedules and accommodate to the learning styles of each class. This can form a jumble of problems for those nursing students who like to have clearly defined schedules.

I apologize for my rant, I just want people to realize that nursing students are humans too. My friends and I are all compassionate people that want to be the best nurses, and people, we can be. Nursing school is challenging me in ways I had not even imagined - and it is only the first semester! If all weeks are like this, I may need more support, but I refuse to give in and fall into the monotonous stereotype of a nurse. I am not going to college, putting in this much work, and drinking this much caffeine to end up like that.

Close Your Eyes

As I was walking to the grocery store this morning, I realized how much I love Fall. The beauty that surrounds us in nature this time of year is abounding! I could not help but stare at all the buildings and trees and smile. NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL!

Later on in the day I was administering medications via intramuscular injections (I was giving shots) to the manikins in lab and noticed across the lab that people were self-administering capillary blood glucose (CBG) tests. What was interesting about these people was not the fact that they were voluntarily "sticking" themselves, but that they were not even looking at what they were doing. I understand that for some, needles and probes are scary and feel the need to avert their eyes while experiencing a procedure using them. I, however, feel quite the opposite - I get scared when I cannot watch! My imagination goes wild with all the things that are going on just out of eyesight; it is why I have such a hard time watching horror movies. My paranoia is not unjustified - the vulnerability I experience is discernible.

Much of healthcare relies on actions done out of the presence of patients. Take for example, medication administration. We are taught as nurses to do three checks: one before removing medications, one immediately before dispensing medication to take to the patient, and one at the patient's bedside. Each check assesses the six rights of medication administration: (1) right patient, (2) right medication, (3) right dosage, (4) right route, (5) right time, and (6) right documentation. The checks are in place to prevent medication errors which can possibly lead to harmful effects on the patient. As nurses, we prepare the medications out of sight of our patients and they rely on us to administer them correctly.

After considering the perceived vulnerability during lab, I reflected on my walk earlier today and realized that I could have experienced Fall in the briskness of the air or the sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet. Not being able to observe life makes me uncomfortable, so I wonder why I feel differently toward healthcare. Both closing my eyes and relying on healthcare providers exhibit a sense of trust in the environment or world order. Could it be that human interaction means more to me than interaction with life in general? What does that mean with regards to my life, my character, me as a person? Is this the precursor to an existential crisis or am I just tired?

Heurme- What? Mixing Anthropologic and Nursing Research

Today in my scholarship of nursing class we discussed at length the different types of qualitative research and some of their methods. It was exhaustive - and I am still get confused on what the difference between interpretive, heuristic, and heurmenuitics is! What was most annoying was my professor continually interjecting that we do not necessarily need to know further detail into the area we were studying or confused about unless we go into research.

Anyway, it reminded me of anthropological studies and how anthropologists conduct ethnographic research. It makes so much more sense to me from an anthropological perspective than from a nursing perspective! Nursing research makes me wonder whether I would have been better off as an anthropologist. I enjoy the idea of research, but the thought of obtaining a statistician simply because I cannot understand the reasoning behind the math irritates me. I would rather just do it myself instead of having someone tell me what to do.

The fact that (1) I could not grasp all of the concepts based on what my professor was lecturing and (2) my professor refused to answer questions that lead to a more in-depth explanation of the concepts that I did grasp initially discouraged me from wanting to pursue more information about nursing research. Then it occurred to me that my understanding of anthropological research might actually help me understand nursing research more than I thought. I have scheduled a meeting with my professor so I can express my confusion and interest in learning more about research. I am sure my professor will be confused by my persistence of the topics we were discussing in class today and will dissuade me from questioning the concepts we "do not necessarily need to know," but I hope he will dismiss my inquisitiveness as characteristic of a proper college student.

Who knows? Maybe in the future I will conduct research and implement both anthropological and nursing processes in my studies.

Oh My.

It is definitely getting busier and busier here in nursing school - we are past the introductory stage and into the learn-what-you-want-to stage. As stressed as I may feel, I know it is only because I am pushing myself to get things done ahead of time so I have time to catch up if I have questions or if I want to look up other related things. For instance, the other day in class we watched part of a YouTube video on congestive heart failure (CHF). Our professor showed it to us because of its relation to ineffective tissue perfusion (oxygen not getting to the body parts that need it), but I was really interested in it because I know someone who suffers from CHF so I "wasted" 10 minutes watching the rest of the video after class.

Even today at clinical I felt like I was bustling about the entire time - because I was! I had the opportunity to speak with the physical therapist, occupational therapist, and each of the nurses and CNAs. I also was able to help with perineal care, wound care, physical therapy, toileting, showering, feeding, and drug administration. I even had time to conduct a full health assessment (including vital signs; listening to bowel, lung, and heart sounds; and skin assessment) and work on paperwork on my resident for IEL!

I kept myself as busy as I could (1) because everything is still pretty new to me and (2) I wanted to have as many experiences as I could within the few weeks we have left. Needless to say, I am exhausted and it FEELS SO GOOD!

FIRST DAY OF CLINICALS!!

Basically all of my morning led up to clinical. Or at least that's how I felt. I was not nervous or anxious until I went searching for my ID badge. For some reason I had slipped it into the front pocket of my backpack and skipped over that pocket until about a minute before I was supposed to leave. My frantic search built up my anxiety for the evening ahead and arriving early definitely made it worse. Fortunately there was a chapel nearby so I took a moment to duck in and say a quick prayer.

Anyway, there was no need to worry. The nurses, CNAs, and staff were more than accommodating and many of the residents we encountered were encouraging and glad to have us there. Clinical proved itself to be an integral part in our education - for instance, I knew the steps to transfer a patient, but in actually doing it I realized sensitivity and forethought must accompany the steps. Thoughts such as adjusting pillows before seating a resident or scooting the resident back in the seat to make the resident more comfortable are simple things that one may not think about when learning from a textbook or practicing on a fully functional partner.

For fear of HIPAA and falling asleep at the keyboard (it has been a very long evening), I will cut myself off here. I hope to share more of my thoughts about and adventures in clinical in the future!

The "Almost Family" Effect

I worked throughout high school primarily as an audio technician and in college as a food service worker and Resident Advisor. I had thought that when I started my job as a professor's assistant I would have a very professional mindset and deal with everything accordingly. Not so! Considering the fact I was given the job so graciously by a friend I met through theatre, I should not have expected such formalities. Instead, I have met and made friends with faculty that care about me as a student as well as a person. For instance, my "boss" sent me an encouraging email after finding out I had my assessment tonight. The professor simply suggested taking a walk or running before the lab to help me relax and wished me well, but in doing so I knew I would become as fond of my boss as I have my other bosses.

I also became fast friends with one of the people I will be relying on and working closely with. She immediately offered her assistance with anything I might need help with and noted that I was a theatre enthusiast. We spent a good half an hour talking about theatre and the struggles of being a nursing student while having so many theatre opportunities in the area. She came up with the idea of getting a group of students together to see a local theatre's season opener and proposed the idea to my friend who is, coincidentally, also on student government. I was so surprised at her resourcefulness and her ability to make me immediately feel comfortable.

Fast forward several hours... I emerged from the elevators thinking that I would have some time to review one last time, but no. My clinical advisor is waiting at the open door with two of my fellow classmates and offers to get me started if I was ready. Not wanting to hold up the procession, I went into the lab and began the assessment. Afterward, my advisor mentioned one of my strengths as my ability to make things "flow" what with my almost constant conversation and demeanor. I know it was only a practice round for the real thing, but I hope I can be like my friend earlier and make the client feel as comfortable as she made me feel.

Obviously it is hard to be fully at ease in the healthcare setting (unless, perhaps, you are a healthcare provider), but I think people appreciate being treated by people that make one feel like they are almost related. I like to think of it as the "almost family" effect. Treating people with familiarity and kindness relaxes them and convinces them that you are as trusting as a family member might be. Not that you want to pretend or trick your client, but allowing them a sort of excuse to divulge information or respond in ways that they might not normally.

As you may be able to tell, I am very much looking forward to our time at the clinical sites. I hope that whatever happens, it will be a learning experience that I can benefit from somehow and share.

An Open Discussion About Beliefs and Nursing, Part One

Today I attended the first meeting for a club called Nursing Students for Reproductive Health and Justice. It is a long title, but it is meant to be all-encompassing. We had a discussion about where we want the club to go and what we want to do. The six of us shared our reason for joining and wanting to participate in the club - mine being to learn and provide the best care for my future patients. Unlike some club members, I had no personal experiences relating to the club but tried to express my (possibly naïve) wish to help the community by connecting people with resources that could help them.

At one point we talked about abortion. Now, as many people are aware, abortion is condoned by the Catholic Church. One person reflected on the experience of having a professor proclaim a personal stance on abortion. It made the person not want to discuss abortion with the professor because their personal stances on abortion differed. I found it terribly unfortunate - not necessarily the fact that the professor stated a personal stance on abortion (I suppose everyone has a right to do that in certain environments), but the fact that dialogue was seemingly stunted because of the assumption that the professor would not be able to converse openly about a popular and controversial topic.

Cannot one discuss a topic with another without devolving into an argument or debate? Unfortunately nowadays it seems as if it is an impossible endeavor. Maybe that is why many refuse to talk about politics or politely defer in contentious discourse. Referring to my previous blog post about a particularly heartfelt conversation with my friend, maybe war is taboo because communication is stunted in so many levels of society by the impression (or dare I say assumption?) that personal beliefs are limiting to a holistic view, particularly religious beliefs.

I once argued in a high school paper about the death penalty (interestingly enough, part of a religion class curriculum) that my personal beliefs are validated by my own thoughts and feelings, not by an organization. I based my written argument on data, logic, and reason and my points were justifiable. I vaguely remember writing that if I had simply founded my thoughts and feelings only by the teachings of the Catholic Church and not by my own analysis and contemplation, I would consider myself a cult member.

The point of this post/rant is to encourage everyone to become comfortable with open dialogue. Communication is truly fundamental in every kind of relationship, whether it be societal, political, religious, or otherwise.