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.

Portland Marathon Volunteering!

The event of the day was the Portland Marathon - people gathered from all over to complete the 26.2 mile marathon covering an expanse of Portland and crossing the Steel Bridge twice. It was a memorable day for friends of mine who were attempting the marathon and it was memorable for me to be at a race of that caliber for the first time. Although I was only a volunteer, I was qualified enough to be placed at a medic site.

I was initially peeved about my placement - the volunteer coordinator had placed me downtown in a shift that would have allowed me to participate in the weekly book club session with my mother and sister, but changed the mile marker and times last minute. According to the updated placement, I was to be across the bridge in an area of Portland I was not familiar with at a time directly interceding with the book club session. The volunteer coordinator failed to alert my other team members about the placement change and had some scrambling to get to the right location. Anyway, I underestimated how long it would take to get to the new location and arrived late. The remainder of the time was spent mostly treating blisters and administering water and trail mix to the walkers.

Although I had been in a poor mindset at the beginning of the day, I watched the marathoners with increasing admiration. The realization that walking 26.2 miles straight during the hottest part of the day on sometimes rough terrain was no small feat inspired me. I cheered on, congratulated, and encouraged the marathoners as they passed, acknowledging their strength in having made it that far in the marathon and even attempting the marathon.

Despite the lacking communication skills of the administration running (no pun intended) the marathon, the actual participants were a major part of my first marathon experience and for that I am extremely grateful. My experience today made me more determined to accomplish my goal of achieving a 30-minute 5k next June.

Tlatelolco

This weekend was the Portland Latin American Film Festival at the Hollywood Theatre in NE Portland. The major feature was Tlatelolco, based on the political upheaval in Mexico around the preparations for the 1968 summer Olympics. The year was a year to remember, particularly because the games were hosted for the first time by a "third world" country. Amidst the societal tension, two students from different classes fall in love and join the student-led rebellion. Sitting in the packed auditorium, I had an overwhelming feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. Hearing the buzz of the audience, I realized Tlatelolco had built a 120-capacity community in an evening. Tlatelolco ability to move is just as powerful as it its ability to gather people and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see it.

After the viewing, there was a question and answer session with the director, Carlos Bolado. He has received numerous awards and nominations internationally including two Emmys. During the session, many of the audience members spoke in Spanish and Bolado responded in English. It was fascinating to hear about his thoughts of the film. Bolado spoke to the concerns for the younger generations losing interest and knowledge about Mexican and Mexican-American history. He advocated for more programs and events that would highlight historical events as well as culture. Bolado said he made the film as a seed to put out in the world that might grow into something bigger, something more useful. I appreciated his response because it is how I came to view the film - my friend invited me to go and I accepted because I had recently taken a class on Latin American revolutions in the 20th century and was interested in how the events surrounding the summer of 1968 were portrayed.

Director Carlos Bolado at the Q&A session.

From Left to Right:
Me, Carlos Bolado, and my friend.

I am still in the process of defining my identity as a Mexican-American. There are so many things that set me apart from many other Mexican-Americans my age, however, my interest in Mexican history and supporting the community helps me make connections. My friend and I had a great conversation following the events which reinforced my feelings of being a part of something larger. I have newfound enthusiasm for my position in the college's Hispanic/Latin@ club and I cannot wait to share it!

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.

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.