I was trying to find an old document and ran across this one I wrote last semester about leadership. Since my last post was about my Mother I think my Father also is deserving of one as well. I also love this song by Taylor Swift (I know I am cliche and such a typical girl, but what can I say I do!) that expresses how she feels about her Father too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq4W68_h6rw
In passing by the BYU service office I saw a sign that read “Leadership- Love in action.” This poignant sign clearly defined what a leadership role should encompass overall. In my life I have been affected by this kind of leadership in numerous ways but one leader has had a particularly profound affect on me, my father.
My dad has always been an example of strong leadership as he has directed our family but it has not been until the past few years that I have been able to see his leadership in action for others outside of our family. He has had the opportunity to serve as a Bishop and now the Stake president. It has been in these callings that I have seen his leadership skills being defined as one that leads through teaching, delegation, and service. My Dad has a way with words and is a very powerful speaker; it is at the pulpit that he is able to most efficiently teach people. However he also teaches by example in his conduct. My Dad is a businessman who has had to travel for work and attended many meetings where temptations could have arisen to make him compromise his standards. My Dad has a strong conviction of honor to his commitments and would never falter from what he knows to be true. He has been an example to me by his dedication and has taught me to devote my best self to all that I do. This is where I have learned and developed my own style of leadership; I try to lead by quiet example in what I do.
My Dad is also able to be an effective leader by allowing others to lead as well. He knows that he could probably do the task in a more timely manner, but he allows others the opportunity to do so. He is effective at delegation because he follows up on the assignments he gives to make sure that they have been accomplished. My dad may sometimes get caught up in the statistics of what is occurring in the stake but he also remembers that he his serving people. He takes time to care for the one and has the best means for people serving at heart. He has had to learn patience and that fixing a problem requires working in conjunction with people, which can be a slow process.
I admire my Dad for his leadership and how he has been able to grow as a leader through his experiences. He knows as a leader what needs to be done and how to make it happen. Whenever he makes a decision he weighs it out carefully and does his research to make sure it is the best decision for all. He is devoted to his called positions of leadership but also he also exhibits discipline to his personal commitments and roles. My dad is an example of love in action through his leadership in my life.
My dad and me at Thomas Jefferson's home. Another great leader.
This post is dedicated to my Mother! Thanks for your all your courage and life! <3
Only picture I have of me as a baby that I thought I would include just for kicks! Yes I am the very caucasian looking one! Who also looks a bit like a boy too!
Today I had the honor of witnessing, assisting and celebrating in a newborn's birthday. Yes I was able to help at the bedside and count through contractions with a new mom today. I was in awe at how calm and serene she was about the whole thing and how she courageously pushed through each contraction. It was an incredibly thing to be able to see this little baby start to crown as he descended further with each contraction. I could hardly believe it when his little head started to come out! I was overcome by such joy and overwhelming love for this little guy! It was so amazing that his head was fully out but part of him was still in here and that he was even coming out at all was just incredible! Then his whole self was welcomed into the world as he let out a big healthy cry! I was able to see the umbilical cord and the placenta, it was so cool! He is the cutest little baby ever and a tiny guy too! I was able to put the newborn drops in his eyes and give him his first shot of vitamin K! The parents were so proud and happy, blessed day! I truly did witness a miracle today and will never forget the feeling of knowing yes, God exists!
For my class we also had to write about our birth story. It is not quite as happy unfortunately for my mother as the one I witnessed today, but I found it interesting and thought I would share it!
Tears were streaming down here face, she felt terror, and abandoned as she lie on the hospital bed alone in the stark white, framed hallway.She felt completely alone though she knew of the persistent rhythm of her heart beating in time with another. Both of their hearts were racing to keep up with an allegro agitato tempo as if mandated by a composed piano concerto describing the moment. She felt anxious as her crying stifled her ability to breathe deeply into her already compressed lungs. She was gasping for air fighting through the pain and the fear. A nurse merely passing by stops to ask her why she was crying, “after all you’ve done this three times already!” She managed to rebuttal this statement with a loud sob, “that is why I am crying!”She felt the fear of the moment and anticipated what was to come.The surgery had been scheduled but for some reason had been delayed to later that afternoon, with a change in staff but no change in care. She had felt strong contractions that day and had felt the beginning pains of labor along with the anxiety of her upcoming surgery. It had been neglected to give her anything to calm her nerves and the desired epidural came just prior to surgery.
She lay there in the hallway forcing each distressed breathe into her cramped lungs causing her to hyperventilate, and only worsening her anxious state.There was no comforting hand or a calming word of encouragement. Where was the angel she sought, in the white nurse’s cap surrounded by the halo of the beaming overhead fluorescent lights? Still weeping through her panicked, emotional state she was brought into the operating room with finally a glimmer of hope from a familiar face. He tried to calm her nerves but was put to the task of helping her breathe by suctioning out her air passage ways. Together they struggled through the fear, anxiety, frustration, and nausea. The surgeons in a desire to teach someone in the room the meaning of having a “strong stomach” did so by adequately describing all of her visible organs from her horizontal incision just above her symphysis pubis. He held her hand through it all and fought the desire to leave the room to grab hold of a porcelain god instead.
At last a brief glancing look at the reason for the pain, a baby girl, and then her eyes rested on the now single tracing heart monitor. As she looked up at the monitor through her teary eyes she wondered morbidly, “If I die somebody will notice me then.”She did not have much time to consider the idea as her eyes slowly closed in response to the medication streaming through her veins preparing her for what would come next. Never again would she have to obtain the courage necessary to go through this procedure as the surgeons performed the final cut of her tubal ligation.
On May 24th, 1988, my Mother heroically went through a cesarean section and gave breath to my life (the same day as her mother's birth). It was a traumatic birth experience for my Mother and she received horrible care. She felt the nurses were very impersonal and unfocused on her care. She was in extreme need of a nurse’s positive feedback and understanding but rather she received court remarks. She also felt that she was uninformed concerning what to expect postoperatively from her tubal ligation and was unfortunately rushed out of the hospital before she was ready, due to new insurance policies.
I was surprised to learn that this was my birth story and also found it as a slightly ironic teaching guide of what not to do. I was in disbelief that my birth was such a terrible experience and in a very dramatic way. Thankfully this was not an indicative event as to what my life would be or to that of my relationship with my Mother.My Mother’s nursing care that she received is the exact opposite of what I am striving to be as a future nurse.My mother does not remember any of the nurses that day from my birth but does from another sibling’s birth because of their kindness. I fear as well that any joy from giving birth was also overshadowed by this painful experience of hers. My birth even now seems to portray the impersonal nature and care of the nurses present. I feel slightly detached from the event of my birth, something I do not wish for my patients. I want them to feel comforted and supported in this sometimes fearful, but what should be a joyful event for them. I hope to be that presence of optimism and encouragement as I enter in as an honored guest of a child’s birth this week, and to help them remember their birth’s as one of pure elation.
Twenty and two has started and has already brought with it plenty of surprises with it! I started my day off with a beautiful array of a fresh blanket of snow all over Provo. I had to pause and think as I rubbed my tired eyes wondering if some how a birthday wish had landed me in another time in place like in the movie "Big" or "13 going on 30". Yes indeed it was still May 24th 2010 and my prayers had been answered in an unexpected way. For I have never had it rain on my birthday and had prayed that it would not rain as forecasted. I can still say that it has yet to rain on my birthday and can say that I know what it is like to have a winter and spring birthday all in the same day!
The Day eventually warmed up and the correct season came forth. After working with some of my favorite people at Jamba Juice, it was off to celebrate at Mimi's cafe! My favorite restaurant when I am in the mood for some comfort food that is reminiscent of my mother's cooking. I am not only the one who thinks it is a wonderful place for a celebration meal for there was another special guest there that night. Elder L. Tom Perry was also there dining with his family! I was unsure if it would be rude to interrupt and talk to him. Fortunately my brave friend Darcy made the decision for me and we were off to his table to meet him. She asked if he L.Tom Perry to which he replied, "usually" we then proceeded to talk to him and take a picture with him!
I talked to his wife a bit and she also went to BYU's nursing program! He was very gracious and tall! It didn't really hit me until I had sat down to eat that I had just met an apostle of the Lord and that he served in the quorum of the twelve! I had used his most recent talk on Mothers for my Relief Society lesson! What an honor and unexpected birthday surprise! (Needless to say I was really glad I had read my scriptures that morning!) We had a fabulous dinner at Mimi's and just had to keep counting my blessings one by one of each girl surrounding that table! I have many wonderful friends and here are just a few of them that I was happy to share my birthday with,
We of course continued celebrating by having more cupcakes, friends and such at my apartment! Hard to believe that I am 22 though! It was a great birthday and I hope the rest of the year follows suit!
Other adventures of late included two camping/rock climbing trips to robber's roost and Zion's, sleeping on top of roofs, bike rides, tie dying, water kickball, and etc! I love BYU and all the people that make it fun to be here! I am off this friday though to NC to the blessed humidity( no I really do love it!) fireflies, green everywhere, southern hospitality, and FAMILY!
Last week I had the opportunity to travel with BYU's nursing program to Florida! How did I become so fortunate you might ask to leave the snowy land of Provo to go to the happiest place on earth- DisneyWorld, for an all expense paid trip? I was recently elected to the student nurses association (SNA) board at BYU as the secretary. I was really interested in becoming more involved in my college experience and trying to make the most of my time in nursing school at BYU. So, I was really excited to say the least, and pleasantly surprised, when I found I was elected. Even more so when I found out I would have the opportunity to travel to Florida to represent BYU!!! It was intense trying to prepare for taking a week off of school, felt like an elite college athlete, but absolutely worth it!
The conference was an annual event put on by the National Student Nurse's Association (NSNA). This year's theme was "Experience the Magic of Nursing" very applicable for the locale. At this conference we were trained on how to be successful in our new positions on our board, taught about different nursing opportunities in breakout sessions, and participated in the house of delegates, to name a few. It was incredible to be exposed to all the different kinds of nursing and how to be involved on a national level in nursing. While we were there we presented a resolution to the house of delegates in hopes of having it passed, which it did, about nurses doing home visits to first time low income mothers. There are already programs that are implementing this action in nursing but having this passed shows that NSNA supports it and it creates increased awareness of it to future nurses of the opportunity to be involved in community health. The conference was mostly interesting, but of course a trip to Orlando, Florida wouldn't be complete without a visit to the local inhabitants of the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT!!!
The gang after arriving in Orlando!
Having some fun in Downtown Disney
Things were a little pricey there than we were use to as poor college students. Never knew how much Disney costed before this trip, thanks Daddy-warbucks for treating me to it all those years!
Looking official at the conference with our advisors. (I hated my outfit that day however!)
Mickey made a special visit!
We were poster presenters! It displayed information about our resolution and how we were making students aware in our chapter of what we were doing. Basically why we are so stellar!
Welcome to EPCOT!
How could this picture not make you smile with all of its ridiculousness! I especially love how we were in China and were able to have a random chinese boy be in our picture!
The pool at the Coronado Springs resort we stayed at, paradise right?
BYU was also recognized as having a STELLAR SNA chapter, that's right we won an award. Our very own president from this past year was elected to the new NSNA board and will help plan next year's event in the booming metropolis in my own backyard Salt Lake City!
Our advisors and the new NSNA board member- Erin accepting our Stellar Chapter award for BYU.
Magic Kingdom, how much better can life get!
I was also able to meet up with my favorite visiting teaching companion ever there!
Ihad a blast with all of the girls at the conference and going to Disneyworld with them, definitely made some great friends. It inspired me to do more with my nursing career and to be involved on a national level now and after a graduate. It made me aware of all the ways I can be involved to make a difference within nursing, for the benefit of my future patients. It made me realize how research can actually be important (despite how much I was frustrated with that class this semester) and can affect a change for good in nursing practice. It also made me want to further my education as much as I can with nursing! That is right I now have a different aim now that I hope to go back to school and obtain a master's degree in nursing! Who knows maybe I will even go for a doctorate degree. It may not happen, but I have the mindset for it now as a very strong possibility. I really would like to do it so that someday I may be able to teach and give back.
It was wonderful to get away but a bit depressing to come back to a snowy day in Provo after sitting by the pool in 85 degree weather, but the I must have packed a little extra sunshine in my bag because today was a beautiful day here. I only have one final left and then I am free for the summer! Just have to memorize every med, what they do, their side effects, and how to safely give them. Think I can do it? YES I can! That was one thing I remember them saying at the conference when talking about furthering your education, that you should do what you think you cannot do! I hope I can achieve the impossible and you can too catch the vision of your dream to make your wishes come true! (yes I caught some Disney magic while I was there)
I also caught the magic of nursing! How thankful I am to be studying this profession and I hope that I will eventually be a capable nurse someday. For those of you wondering exactly what nurses do watch the little video below to get a little glimpse :)
At times how we view or react to things that happen to us in life are merely a representation of our attitude in life. I believe our attitude can also be a contributing factor in leading us to heal. This past week I was able to interact with patients two patients with very different diagnoses and attitudes about their hospitalizations. One lady was there because she had overdosed on her pain medications, which had subsequently damaged her heart and liver. The other patient was one who suffered from cystic fibrosis and cerebral palsy all her life. Both were very easy to talk to and had legitimate reasons to be discouraged by their health concerns, however one saw her diagnoses as part of her life but was not going to let it stop her from living it to the fullest.
Her attitude was one of enthusiasm and she emitted a genuine air about her.She saw her diagnoses objectively and did not see them as a limiting factor. She was determined to take care of herself but was not opposed to any help as well. She had every reason to complain and be down about life but she decided to do the opposite. It amazed me how resilient she was and how often it is those who have every right to feel down are the ones who seem to bounce back the most. In other patients I have seen with good attitudes about their hospitalization they are able to laugh about things and build relationships with the staff members. I believe that these are important factors in helping our patients heal. Sometimes though we need to be the facilitator of this kind of attitude in order to have them heal in that way.
I hope to have that kind of healing attitude with my patients that I may seem approachable and happy to be living my life. I hope that in return I will not come off as overbearing in doing so but in having a desire to help my patients feel the same way despite their health concerns. Many times it is not overcoming the illness that is the problem but our mental capacity to believe that we truly can heal. I believe this can be a factor when we are trying to be healed spiritually as well. We need to have the mindset that we can heal and see the hope in our everyday lives. Accentuating the positive. I hope in the future to build this kind of healing relationship with my patients. One where I can help them see the good in life and learn how to not only cope but live with their diagnoses. I know in my own life I need to follow the example of this particular patient I had the opportunity to interact with and have a more positive attitude for I know I am truly blessed, including my trials.
Luke 9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.
They sought to be healed and had the faith that they could be.
In other updates I was recently elected to the Student Nurses Association board at BYU as the secretary! This came as a huge shock to me but I am really excited to be able to serve in this position and be more involved. Also as an added surprise bonus I will be traveling to Florida on the sixth for a nursing conference there and we will get to go to Disney World too! It is all that is getting me through all that I need to have done before I leave! Luckily though I have a new study buddy, someone to walk me home after the long nights at the library, to share lunch with, and who looks really good in uniform:
It is a known fact among family and friends that I am an indecisive person. I easily become overwhelmed by all of the possibilities that I am considering in my head. Even when I do decide I am often still in conflict of whether or not the decisive result of my pros and cons list is the best option. I am not a push over however when given options I can weigh them out and evaluate what I think is best or what I really want to do, though sometimes just to appease the situation I will go along with things. Maybe I am not indecisive I just take time to assess situations and build up the courage to implement my actions. I think in this one paragraph alone, I have proved my inability to settle on a single conclusion. I believe that sometimes there is more than just one option or there are multiple decisions to be made that lead up to what ultimately will be done in one’s life. In other words although we would like to pin point the major decisions as being monumental in our lives there are actually a thousand everyday little decisions that lead up to that pivotal moment. The pivotal decision I would like to discuss is my selection of BYU as my college choice.
As stated earlier there were many decisions that led up to this point in my life. It was the decision to sacrifice those extra minutes of sleep in the morning to try and make it to early morning seminary (emphasis on the try however). It was my dedication to my high school education and desire to learn that influenced my standing GPA that BYU approved. It was the everyday decision to read my scriptures and building my relationship with my Heavenly Father. The last statement includes the most important aspects of my everyday decisions that have helped me decipher what needed to be done in my life. The interesting thing about making the decision to come to BYU was that at first I felt that I had no choice at all. I was unfortunately either wait listed or denied at all the other schools I had so eagerly applied to during my senior year. When I found out I was accepted to BYU I was excited, but had never actually planned on coming. I had a bad taste about BYU from previous family member experiences and had felt that it was not as prestigiousof a school as the others I had applied to.I then set about making my pros and cons list and then I prayed about it. Today I am not entirely sure of how I went about receiving an answer but I know I did. It was one of peace; reassurance and everything just seemed to easily fall into place. Once I arrived at BYU I then had the choice to have an attitude adjustment and actually give the university a shot. It was shortly after arriving that I had to make the decision, which this time included a couple hundred options, what was I going to study. For some reason I know now that even though I feared if I really had any choice but to come to BYU, I realize that my selection in what to study was also prompted, but a decision made entirely of my own accord. I know I prepared for BYU in high school and then once I was here the opportunity to apply to the nursing program was why I had come.
Everyday is full of little decisions that help you decide your own destiny in life. It also encompasses realizing the benefits or complexities of all the alternatives. We have the choice to be proactive participants and decipher the options before us or merely just buy the book because of its cover but never really discover what it has inside for us. In my own life I know it takes time and quality consideration to come to a decision. Unfortunately for an indecisive person in a fast paced world I have had to learn quick thinking and to fully rely on trust in the Lord’s hand in things. This does not mean I am a floater in this life, no because I know there are priorities and contingencies to each decision we make. I know we cannot always control the outcomes of our decisions but we have to have courage and trust that in the Lord’s eyes all things will be for our good
D&C 122: 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit or into the hands of mrderes, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall givethee experience, and shall be for thy good.
In understanding what is happening to our patients we have to not only see the bigger picture at hand but also all the small details that encompass and make up all that we are seeing. In clinical last week I worked not only with my patient who was experiencing pancreatitis but also a kidney transplant patient. Both patients provided opportunities for me to understand what exactly the pathophysiologies of their conditions were. After trying to understand the lab values by interpreting them and applying them to their present conditions or medications it all started to come together for me. I was prompted or taught by my nurse a lot as she challenged me to explain why things were occurring and why were performing certain treatments to correct them. It was exciting to understand the correlations between treatments and what was happening physiologically to the patients.
These experiences taught me the importance of studying the interactions of medications upon the body’s systems. I learned that with study and evaluation of what is going on in your lab values, they will make sense! I learned the importance of educating our patients’ so that they can adhere to their medication regimen and understand what to avoid if applicable.
I hope to continue to put the puzzle pieces together of what is occurring in my patients. I hope to take the time to really evaluate the systems of the body, what is occurring due to the present condition, and what the medications are doing that I will administer. I am excited that things are starting to fall into place but it also challenges me to learn more so that I can really understand what is happening physiologically to my patients’.
In being in an academic setting I often seek knowledge primarily from my professors. In nursing, however knowledge must be shared and taught by all members of the team. This team includes the patient. This past week at clinicals I truly learned the meaning of your patient being the expert and your best source of information. In working with my patient I learned a valuable lesson of how to learn from and teach a patient. My patient was very knowledgeable about her current condition and knew exactly how her care was to be implemented. She was able to teach me about why things were done for her in a certain way and how to properly perform them. It was wonderful o have such a great coach who was patient enough with me to teach me. I then realized that some one along the way had done the same for her. Other nurses who had cared for her continually had provided care and had taught her along the way. These nurses had given care that was rue to nursing standards and had provided the correct teaching as well.
I learned that the patient may be our best resource of information but only if she understands how to care for herself and what her condition entails. My patient was able to teach me correctly because another nurse had taken the time to do so for her.
I hope as a future nurse to be able to take the time and really teach my patients about their conditions. After all it is their health that we are trying to treat. I think that teaching our patients will help empower them and allow them to be their own personal advocates for health. In my nursing career I hope to not only take the time to learn for myself but allow my patients to learn along with me. I hope to achieve this kind of understanding with my patients just as it states in D&C 50:22, “Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.”
Into the wee small hours of the morning, when sleep was beckoning me I was still feverishly typing away, lab findings, pathophysiology of the diagnoses, and nursing care needed for my patient. All the while trying to understand what it all meant! I was exhausted the next morning from my late night of work of pre-assessment but was still eager to get started for my first day on the transplant floor. I was a nervous wreck at first and was unsure if my nurse’s lack of acknowledgement to me was a tell sign of how the day was going to pan out. Luckily, the nurse that I was following was wonderful and my patient was very compliant. It was a day full of new experiences as I implemented my skills into real patient care and not on mannequins (though I love Mr. Arm and Gretchen Allen) I was able to do my first assessment on my patient, who had just received surgery from a removal of a tumor from the junction of her esophagus and stomach, and administer lots of medications. I was able to give my first IV push and I could tell the patient’s husband when asked about them exactly what I was giving and why. It was very exhilarating but before I get a head of myself this was also a very humbling experience. I learned that I still have so much to learn and to be comfortable with before I can really implement my skills and knowledge as a nurse. As I followed my nurse through out the day I saw her interact with more difficult patients whose needs were not always physically demanding but emotionally. It was not always the patients themselves that were the most difficult but their family members instead were the challenge. I saw how she addressed the patient first since they were her first concern. She rationally explained things to the patients and their family members in a way that was respectful and calm. She did not show her frustration until she left the room but acted sincerely in her interactions with her patients. I also admired my nursing professor who helped me administer the medications. She was able to relate to the patients so easily and make them feel at ease. She helped me understand why I was giving the medications and reemphasized to me the importance of doing the six rights(Right medication, right dose, right route, right time, right patient, and documentation). I feel that I am gaining a better understanding of my skills and I am constantly becoming more comfortable as I am put to the challenge. It is funny how I have been noticing that the things that I fear the most are most often what I end up valuing the most. I think it is because I have to learn how to replace fear with faith. It is in this faith that I learn and eventually gain confidence not only in myself but in my God. It is frustrating at times when I try to really care for my patients and feel limited by my skills. I want to give them my whole self and really care for not only their physical but also psychological needs as well. I want to have a wholistic approach to my care which I feel is lacking right now because I am concentrating on mastering my skills. I was grateful today when I read a verse in Mosiah 4 that reassured me of what I was doing right now is necessary for success later, either that or I am trying to justify my inadequacies. Either way I found it beneficial for what I am trying to do today:
27) And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Post Script: I know there are some of who are grammar savvy. I am in a research class right now where I need to improve upon my grammar skills, especially in regards to commas, semicolons, and dashes. If you feel so inclined to inform of incorrect grammar in my posts, please feel free to inform me. I obviously really need to master the usage of proper grammar, since I am in college and am still lacking!
The design, core, and purpose of the OR is to perform surgical procedures in a sterile manner. I had the opportunity again this past week to observe and occasionally participate in these procedures. I was amazed again to see patient after patient be rolled in and out of a room with great care and efficiency by all the staff. What struck me most however, were those of a very gentle demeanor in the OR. They were those who treated the patients with the utmost respect and were able to speak very calmly to them as well. They treated the whole situation seriously and were not distracted by their outside lives but concentrated fully on patient care.
Located slightly on the outskirts of the OR core is the PACU. This is where patients are monitored and cared for as they emerge from the effects of anesthesia. This is where I discovered something about myself as a future nurse. As each patient was rolled in for care I was drawn to them and their status. I was intrigued by how the nurse was going to assess and care for them. I enjoyed talking to them and helping provide for their comfort. I found myself getting excited about their vitals returning to normal levels and them being able to be admitted to their rooms. I discovered that I really do enjoy one on one patient care.
In my experiences in the OR and PACU I discovered different ways to provide patient care. What I truly learned though was about how I want to be more involved in patient care. It is a small acquisition but it has helped me realize, even in the slightest, what direction I would like my nursing career to go.
I hope to treat all my patients with care and concern for their entire body as I witnessed in the OR. I also hope to maintain the same level of a reverence almost to sterility in the procedures I will have to perform, such as placing a catheter. I also hope to treat my patients in a calm, respectful manner and have my central focus be on them while I am at work. In learning more about what kind of nurse I hope to be, I am grateful for this experience to now know that I really do want to be by the patient’s bedside caring for them one on one.
Placing a "Bleb" Giving Em an IM injection, she looks a little scared! This is also where I hit this skinny girl's bone! No worries you cannot feel that when it happens to you!
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:8-9
I happened upon this scripture as I was preparing for my efy(especially for youth, counselor position) interview since it is this year’s new theme. It struck a very strong chord with me and was what I needed to hear desperately at that time. As I write this post I will tweak its meaning for it to more accurately apply to my nursing life.
Only two weeks down in school and I am drastically behind in my reading. I feel completely lost in my classes as they review over pathology with terms that sound so familiar but fail to fall into congruence of what they all really mean. Part of me feels so overwhelmed, with the 3 chapters of reading for one class, four for another, or two and lots of videos to watch somewhere in between, making the climb of K2 seem not as daunting! In wanting to give up and hopefully survive through the bare minimum, that is where the encouragement of verse number 8 comes in. My book(s) of law are now my very heavy new set of Pharmacology, Medical-surgical, Nursing-research, and so on. Right now nothing I read out of them is quite making sense or sticking but I guess it is not suppose to yet. Eventually I hope after doing my reading I will have success in finally at least understanding what my teacher is talking about in my three hour class on Tuesday. It may sound like I am complaining and maybe I am but then I have my experiences in the hospital where it all comes together and makes sense. It gives reason to all the studying and reminds of what I am really doing, learning the healer’s art.
OR: Operating Room = Real life Grey’s Anatomy
I am not an advocate of that show , although I do watch it on occasion, for one it does not have a single nurse in it and if it did half of the problems they run into would not have happened! I do not watch it for the drama and the incredibly annoying characters but I watch it for its back drop, the OR. So for those of you who watch it you have an idea of where I spent an entire day this past week. This year my clinical are in IMC, Murray UT, which has been so nicely nicknamed the Death Star! Do not be alarmed this is not because of very poor statistical ratings discovered by JAHCO but because this hospital is a monstrosity and very confusing to navigate through!
IMC patient tower, a very small portion of the entire hospital!
A sample OR
In my first day in the OR I was able to follow a patient from preparing for surgery till right up after she would be admitted to the hospital. We will call her Elle Woods for HIPPA purposes. I was not very warmly greeted by my first RN of the day and felt quite uneasy about how the rest of the day might go. I met my patient Elle who was to have an ORIF of her left distal humerus translation being that she had a fracture in her bone above her elbow that needed to be closed by placing plates and screws into her bone. As the RN started to put in the IV in her arm for surgery trying to find her vein and causing great discomfort in Elle! In seeing her pain sympathy struck too strong with me and I thought I was going to pass out right then and there! I thought how in the heck am I going to make it through an entire surgery if I cannot even watch an IV being put in! As embarrassing as it was I sat down until I started to feel more stable and had said about a dozen prayers to get me through the day, since the banana I had eaten at 5:30 was not cutting it!
As we made our way up into the OR we were greeted by our friendly OR circulating RN who flight attendant like directed us into the room. I had never imagined to meet such professional, yet relaxed, intelligent, cool people ever in my life in the OR. Yes these RNs and DR. were listening to 80’s rock while they were doing this surgery and cracking jokes to one another the whole time while still being very focused on the patient. They even asked me about who I was, I could tell that they really care about everyone that comes into their OR. It was amazing to see the care they went into to protect the patient who would not be moving for four hours during the surgery. They made went to great efforts to provide lots of padding everywhere, warmth( because it is absolutely FREEZING in the OR!), and the sterility of the procedure. I was able to move around a lot during the surgery and watch all of it! I was right by the anesthesiologist for a while and was able to watch him intubate her (put a tube down her throat so she could breathe) and could see her vocal chords! The Surgeon was amazing he told me everything he was doing and all the anatomy that went along with it. It was incredible! I even was able to see the fracture in the bone that he was trying to fix! After the surgery I followed Elle into the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) This is where they monitor patients coming out from anesthesia and start controlling their pain level. Elle was in a ton of pain when she woke up and reasonable so, after just having seen her entire upper arm cut open! The RN there was great in explaining all her monitoring and what meds she was giving to help relief any pain. Unfortunately for Elle nothing was working! So then this other MD came in and preformed a nerve block by finding her nerve with an ultrasound machine(compliments of GE) and then injecting around it to help block the pain radiating down her arm through her nerve plexus. The pain was finally relieved and Elle was able to be admitted to an official room to see her Mom again. By this time it was almost three o’clock and I had yet to eat anything and I successfully had not passed out yet either! I then went to see if I could catch anymore surgeries before I went home. I entered in where they were doing thyroidectomy. The RN there was also amazing and really funny. He made sure I could see everything going on and showed me everything possible of interest and all of it was! I also saw a 10 lbs goiter removed, adrenal glands the size of a football (which are normal the size of a small rubber ball), and how the pathology lab diagnosis different tissues that come to their lab! Overall it was an amazing day. When I came it was dark and when I left this other world(very much like Star Wars where their technology is astounding, and their light sabers are bovies that electrically severe tissue, which smells like burnt hair!) it was dark again but I will never be the same because of it! I have a huge appreciation for what surgeons know and do, orthopedics being my favorite ones so far. I am so thankful for all those who taught me so much on my first day and for how much I was able to see. I was able to stand strong the entire day and knew that God was with me the entire time pulling me through, along with all the patients in the 60 some surgeries that happened that day.
Accomplishments this week
1.Placed a couple of IVs successfully
2.Learned how to start an IV pump
3.Did NOT pass out in the OR despite the empty stomach and quivering nerves!
4.Somehow managed to get the efy position even though I showed up thirty minutes late to my interview because I had the wrong room and I had a dryer sheet stuck to my skirt!
5.Finished Anderson Cooper’s book, very interesting and great perspective on fairly recent historical events.
6.Was fortunate enough to be the confidant of several confidential reports and kept them
7. Learned that you have to park the direction of traffic to avoid a parking ticket :(
Mosiah 3:19 "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
We had a Relief Society lesson on this scripture a couple weeks ago, entitled "Stick it to the natural man!" The challenge from this lesson was to further one of the characteristics mentioned in this scripture. I decided that I needed to work on patience. Obviously, I did need to work on this because it was found to be tested not too much later. I also had the feeling of needing to contact an old friend I kept on putting it off and saying I would do so over the break.
Well my little tale began on a snowy cold morning in SLC airport. Made it there due to a good friend who was willing to drive the distance in exchange for some fudge. I then made it to Dallas, TX airport to wait for my connecting flight to Greenville, SC. It was a long layover so I was prepared to wait but then I found my flight not appearing on the screen, I continued to wait anxiously to see it appear. Alas it appeared on the screen with a flashing red update next to it CANCELED. Of course that happened right after I had told my Mom that there was nothing to worry about me flying in there despite the blizzard that was forming in that area. How was I to know that there would be a massive storm where I live when it never snows there! I even thought this as I was packing and left behind my serious snow Ugg boots. So then after waiting for four hours as my layover and getting my flight changed for the next day into Charlotte, I got my luggage and headed out of the DFW airport to well...no where. Then I made the effort of calling every person I knew from Texas, unfortunately Texas is a pretty big state and even those who were in Texas would have to make a long trek to come rescue me. There was one dear friend that I knew that lived not too far away from the airport. This was the same friend that I wanted to call earlier but neglected to do so. Well unfortunately she was out of state with her family for Christmas, but it was good to talk to her and I am thankful I was finally able to do so. It is funny how God can intervene in our lives to help us achieve things and bless us by having us do it!
Me and my king size bed!
The festive geese at the GSP airport.
Just thought it was a cool shot. What can I say I was bored.
After the disappointment in not being able to see my friend and much phone calling back & forth between my parents and I, we acquired a lovely King size bed at a Fairfield nearby! The patience testing however was not quite complete. I then was dropped off at a restaurant to pick up some much needed sustenance and waited a good hour for my food then another good hour to be picked up again and finally taken back to the hotel. Of course during that time I had left my cell phone in the shuttle that had picked me up and was unable to contact my worried parents. At last though I made it to the hotel. It was a fun, grown-up sort of experience but also strange staying there all by myself. Luckily the next day I was able to switch my flight to Greenville again and flew in no problem. Then I just had to wait another hour or so before my family could come pick me. Thankfully some good friends of ours were kind enough to lend us their four wheel drive so my family could even get out of the driveway to come pick me up. Oh yes there was lots and lots of snow everywhere too, they were not kidding!
All in all what I hope I learned from all this was a bit of patience can go a long way. I learned that sometimes we cannot do anything about our circumstances but to make the most of the opportunity of having to wait, to face the challenge head on. Being impatient does not help get it there any faster, actually slower. No one is perfect, neither is technology or the weather when you want it to be. It was also said in our RS lesson to remember when your patience is being tested how many times someone has had to wait on you to get something done they needed. So remember the next time you are at the grocery store and the line you have chosen(and are now stuck in) is backed up for some reason to be patient. It could be karma or it could be your opportunity to be kind anyways despite the circumstances or the urge to get upset.
Placing a "Bleb" 
Puppy Prints!
