Let's start off by talking about the farewell dinner. On the Wednesday night before I left, there was a banquet for all of the Summer III's and their clinical coaches. It was pretty fancy, and the food was delish. There were some speeches given by Summer III's and the vice president of nursing. After that, they read my story from my last post! I totally didn't realize that they would read it for the dinner, but I was glad I got to share a good experience. Afterwards, my clinical coaches, the other girl on my floor, her clinical coaches, and another nurse met up for a little goodbye party. It's kind of strange to see nurses without their scrubs on. Here's a picture from that night.
Looking back, what did I learn this summer?
1.I learned confidence. So much of learning how to be a nurse is just being a nurse. This summer was a fantastic opportunity to experience real nursing. I feel so much more confident talking to patients, performing assessments, talking to doctors, and thinking through situations.
2.I learned how to prioritize and multitask. A big part of nursing is learning how to handle your day. You have multiple patients who might need things at the same time. I learned how to become more efficient and to get things done in an order that makes sense.
3. I learned about medications. This is by far my biggest weakness, but I have already gotten so much better at recognizing medications.
4. I learned about the heart. I think that I might have just a little too much enthusiasm about EKGs and the workings of the heart. So cool!
5. I learned about teamwork. It was fantastic to see a good model of the healthcare team. The doctors, PAs, NPs, nurses, therapists, social workers, and many others all have a role to play. I learned a lot about how that works and how to be a part of a team.
6. I learned a lot about my patients. I invested a lot of time into those people, and I grew to love them. I still think about them frequently. I know that there will be many days where I think, "I wonder where so-and-so is right now and how they're doing?"
7. I learned a lot of random things. There are things that I saw at Mayo that I highly doubt I'll see anywhere else. There's a reason people go there as a last resort. They know what they're doing.
8. I learned a lot about myself. I know that I love nursing. I love being at the bedside (I do not want to go into surgery). I am pretty good at educating patients. I don't like night shifts very much. Apparently, I like blogging.
Final thoughts. I laughed and I cried. I prayed with patients and I cleaned up poop. I removed IVs and I educated patients. I went to church and I rode the bus to work. I was complimented and I was criticized. I woke up at 5:30am and I stayed up til 8:00am. I had a 15 year old patient and I had a 93 year old patient. I cooked for myself and I fixed the dishwasher. I went from following my nurse around to taking the lead. I had days where I hardly sat down and I had days where I didn't have anything to do. I saw families full of hope and I saw families without any hope at all. I held hands with patients and I held pressure on their bleeding site. I felt powerless and I felt empowered.
I'd say that the themes of the summer were brokenness and healing. Some of the people I saw were broken and that made me feel broken too. Last week, I had a patient whose procedure failed. They weren't able to fix her problem and she was crying all afternoon. I had a few patients who had congenital issues that will never be cured. There was a lady who had two conflicting health problems that each prevented the other from being treated. I saw patients who preferred to be in the hospital because they received more love there than they did at home. I saw patients go home to get ready to die.
However, I also saw a lot of healing. I saw a woman that was nearly comatose who couldn't talk or move on her own. After a few days of treatment, she was able to sit up, eat her dinner, and talk to her family. I saw patients who had been living a low quality life who came in and left feeling so much better. I saw families coming together to support each other. While there were some things that made me feel broken, the healing overcame. I feel like I did make a difference. Don't tell anyone, but I would have worked the whole summer for free. The experience was invaluable.
Here are some nursing quotes that accurately portray how I feel about nursing. I had wanted to slip these into some previous posts, but I forgot.
"Our jobs as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and to celebrate the joy every day while we are just 'doing our jobs.' " -Christine Belle
"You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you that you'll win no matter what."
- Patch Adams
"They may forget your name, but they'll never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou
"When you are a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours." -Anonymous
So....What next? Oh, I just love that question. I'm not sure. This year, I'm going back to school and will continue to learn as much as I can. After that, I don't have any answers. I guess we'll just have to wait and see where God leads me and what opportunities are presented. It's gonna be pretty great. :)
Thank you all for reading. Thanks for letting me be weird, nerdy, and emotional. Maybe I'll start blogging again once I get a job. Who knows?
Love you all.
Peace out.
P.S. There are just some things that shouldn't go onto the public internet. However, there is a story that still makes me laugh every time I think about it. Next time you see me in person, ask me tell you. I'll know what you're talking about.
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