Half way through...

Second week of clinicals at the Nursing home is over and we got two more weeks to go. This week was exciting and challenging at the same time. I actually enjoyed working at the Nursing home and i am surprised i did. My resident makes my day. The moment i enter the Nursing home at 6 a.m i am like a zombie, but the moment i see my resident, i don't know from where i get all my energy. This week i got to do a lot for my resident right from morning care to feeding, checking her vitals, and administering medications. I even enjoyed working with the CNA's and the nurses. They are very helpful and cooperative. The second weeks experience was a whole lot different than the first weeks and i am glad my perspective of that place changed. Working with older people can sometimes be very interesting and i always enjoyed working with the old age group.

The difficult part is to see them in their present condition. I think to myself that at one time they were like us and now the same people are so dependent on other people for their basic needs. I know as nurses we have to be strong, but in situations like this it is emotionally very challenging. Anyways, i know through these experiences, i will be a stronger individual and will be able to cope with difficult situations. Another important thing i have learned is to be patient. Well, several of us have fed our residents and we all know how long it takes to feed them and especially when you have two or more residents to feed. In the Nursing home, there is definitely not much to do, but just being with the residents and doing small things for them makes them happy and they appreciate everything we do for them. This in turn gives me so much joy and satisfaction. On a whole, this week has been a wonderful learning experience for me and am looking forward to working there again next week even though waking up at 4:30 a.m is the hardest thing to do.

First week of Clinicals at Bethany!

The first day of clinicals at Bethany Silverlake nursing home was wonderful. I was not anxious nor nervous but very excited to start clinicals. This is what i always wanted to do, to work with people. We began at 8 a.m with orientation. Orientation was not too long and so I got an opportunity to look into my resident's record and learn about her past and present medical illness. We did'nt get to do much as we were just getting oriented to the new environment, but it was nice to meet with the residents. When we introduced ourselves to them, they seemed happy to see new faces. I was able to talk to my resident and she was really friendly. I was so happy that i was assigned to work with this particular resident for the next four weeks.

The second day was not what i expected it to be. As i entered the dementia unit, i saw my resident sleeping and so i went to help the other residents with morning care. I was dissappointed to see the way some of the CNA's took care of the residents. I had to calm myself and understand that time is a great factor that may be a hindrance to give optimum care. Anyways, my day brightened up when my resident woke up and i gave her a warm shower, made her bed, and fed her breakfast. She was so cooperative despite her illness. She is mobile and so i held her hand and walked with her, and spoke to her about random things. She made my day and i felt satisfied with what i was doing and wished i could do much more than that. I decided that my goal would be to do my utmost for my resident and have a positive attitude. The four weeks that I am going to be there is definitely going to be challenging in many ways, but I will strive to help them in every possible way and bring a smile to their face. I want to integrate my faith into my practice while taking care of the residents so that they can feel God's love through my care.