Today Was Not a Busy Day

Let me clarify: the day itself was not busy, I made it busy by being productive. Shall I compare the list of things I wanted to do today with the list of things I had to do with the list of things I actually did today?

Want	Had To Do	Did
Dress up for Wildcat Wednesday (it's a Linfield thing)	Classes (2 of them)	ALL OF THE THINGS!!!
Go to the gym	Drop off prescription
Grocery shop	Pick up stamps
Homework not due tomorrow	Send a form to my mother
Leisure read
Organize computer files
Apply for more jobs
Look up directions to CAPS (I'll explain later)
Watch an episode of Firefly
Pick up ID sticker (again, it's a Linfield thing)

That about sums it up. I literally did all the things in that chart and more. I was a bit sleep-deprived, but I compensated by drinking coffee around the mid-afternoon. Anyway, point being that the day itself wasn't that bad to begin with - the usual classes and mini-errand-running - but what kept me busy was the fact I crammed the day with the rest of the things listed. I accomplished all that I wanted to and more! I am rather astonished at what I did with my day.

It is days like these that I have to remind myself I am an adult, I'm not playing one. That being said, I really need to pace myself... I am exhausted!

Introductions in Nursing

One of my favorite classes of this semester is definitely Clinical/IEL. It is similar to a lab session in other science classes where knowledge is put to practice. In fact, IEL stands for Integrated Experiential Learning. It is also considered Clinical, because after learning the "nursing basics" we are sent out to clinical sites to practice what we know in a safer, less controlled setting.

This week in IEL we have started practicing patient admission assessments which includes taking vital signs and auscultating lung, heart, and bowel sounds. The reason I enjoy IEL is that as we are role-playing and practicing, we can question and constructively instruct each other while maintaining the educational atmosphere characteristic of a normal class lab. Occasionally, the role-playing goes awry and students are detracted from the purpose of the exercise. I will be honest - tonight I was in a giggly mood. My poor partners were making the most of it, but I still feel horrible about my behavior. When it was my turn to assess my "patient," I could not remember several steps on my own and had to check and be prompted. Needless to say, the experience was discouraging.

The process reminded me of rehearsals for a show I assistant stage managed for, Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson. New to the process of collegiate theatre, I was unprepared for the abruptness of line-calling during rehearsals. The stage manager interrupted frequently with the right lines and right phrases immediately if not before the actor finished calling for the line. As one of the people who constantly counts her mistakes, I reminded myself of the reason I was not an actor. During the remainder of the IEL process, however, I became more determined to remember the steps not simply as I was taught them, but as their overall significance in the admission process.

As my clinical advisor told me, every patient interaction will be unique in some way. Thus, the order of the assessment process will deviate slightly, but the process will always be the same. There is no script for this act, but the act always has the same events: introductions, recording vital signs, auscultating body sounds, and so on.

Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast

I don't know if I forgot to mention, but I'm Latina. This morning I had the opportunity to attend the Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast in Salem, Oregon with some of my fellow Latina schoolmates. I was completely underdressed for the occasion, but I didn't let that ruin my experience. The breakfast itself was delightful - scrambled eggs with sausage, roasted red potatoes, pico de gallo, salsa roja, corn and flour tortillas, and fruit were some of the items offered. The featured speakers included a business associate, lawyer, the executive director of Latino Network, and a doctor.

The first to speak was Frank Garcia who works in the office of the governor. He proudly reminded us of legislation that recently passed, including tuition and drivers' license equity in the state of Oregon. He encouraged us to continue being active politically.

The second featured speaker was Alberto Moreno, who is a part of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs. He discussed the positive impact of migrant workers on Oregon's economy and the average life expectancy of a migrant worker as compared to non-migrant workers. Moreno spoke of the prenatal care act that was recently passed that made prenatal care available to all pregnant women regardless of documentation.

The third featured speaker was Jose Gonzalez, president of the Latino Business Alliance of the Willamette Valley. His speech on supporting local Latin@ businesses was inspiring and thought-provoking.

Following Jose Gonzalez was Carmen Rubio, executive director of Latino Network. The master of ceremonies including in her introduction several more organizations she was involved with. She spoke of her commitment to those organizations and introduced a colleague, Nancy Ramirez Arriaga. Both women worked on the short film "The Oregon Latin@ List" along with many others present at the breakfast. We then proceeded to watch the film; I was surprised at how succinctly everyone spoke about childhood and families and the connections I was making with my own experiences.

After the film, I mentally prepared myself for the presumably long, emotional speech given by the keynote speaker. The keynote speaker was Dr. Yara Delgado and her speech was quite the opposite of what I was expecting. She spoke briefly about her childhood, but mostly about her education and vaguely about the struggles she faced during it. Amidst her 17-minute long speech (she timed herself), she uttered a statement that struck me as being so truthful it almost hurt - "I was a mutt." She was referring to her experience in being seen as Americanized by her Puerto Rican peers and vice versa.
I oftentimes feel the same way, although I might add to her statement, saying instead, "I am a mutt, stuck between both breeds, wanting, but never willing to be either."

Dr. Delgado concluded her speech saying, "...find yourself becoming a leader." I like the idea of not intentionally becoming, but discovering a leadership role. It signifies that one does not simply become leaders because one wants to - one becomes a leader when the situation arises.

Anyway, I could go on about my experiences and my thoughts and opinions about the morning, but I will end here and leave more to be discussed than not.

Updates: Nursing school, Portland, Challenges, and etc.

I am writing this from my cozy room in the Linfield Good Samaritan School of Nursing campus in Portland, Oregon. In brief, this last month has been a whirlwind of classes, exploration, food, and friends - and I'm loving it! Classes are going well, I have enjoyed exploring Portland and the surrounding area, food is expensive and SO GOOD, and friends are my favorite. My favorite class at the moment is actually lab/clinical because of the hands-on nature and the clinical advisors are very informative and fun. I have ventured out every week to explore Portland, including the Saturday market and part of the Pearl District. As there is no cafeteria on this campus, I have had fun grocery shopping and cooking for myself - though with NW 23rd nearby, my friends and I decided that Friday night dinners would have to be a thing.

Moving on: I failed to complete the August photo-a-day challenge, however, I will be attempting the challenge again in October with a better understanding of what to expect. I am so very close to completing the AFI Films challenge, but with little access to a movie library I am a little set back. I have renewed motivation to complete the challenges now that I have gotten settled with nursing school, although I have to say I am renewed in my motivation to become a nurse as well. I feel as if I have studied harder the last few weeks than I can remember.

I suppose my point is, I am a full-time nursing student but I will continue contributing to this blog as much as possible. :)