Psyched?

I start my psych rotation this week which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, psych is near and dear to my heart. I have a Bachelor's degree in psychology which I chose to pursue because I wanted to "help people." Little did I know this degree was more about doing/reading research, statistics and blah blah boring stuff. I really feel like it didn't prepare me to communicate or care for people with mental health needs. Luckily for me, I finally figured out my life and discovered that nursing was the ticket! I actually get to care for people on SO many levels. Essentially, every patient is a psych patient. Any patient can be dealing with anxiety with hospitalization or depression with a medical diagnosis or have had a traumatic past or even quirky family dynamic. I am such a strong believer in mental health and that it is just as important as one's physical health. I am so excited to be learning how to communicate therapeutically, which I find to be a challenge, but the awesome kind of rewarding challenge. I think everyone should learn how to do this. I hope that it will enrich my personal relationships and the patients I care for.

On the other hand, the patients in the psych unit are there for very specific reasons:

a. They are a danger to themselves

b. They are a danger to others

c. They are gravely disabled (unable to procure food, clothing and shelter due to a mental disorder)

And well, when faculty talk about the potential to be attacked by "violent, homicidal patients" or you are required to watch videos on how to get out of a choke hold, or read articles like this, I tend to get a little nervous. I am not even allowed to take a pen or pencil into the unit. Really.

I'm sure that if all the rules are followed, it will be a great learning experience. I wish I could say that I will be updating about my experiences, but psych is such a sensitive and confidential topic that I will not be posting or discussing my adventures. I will however probably be blogging more on just psychology because its good stuff. I just wanted to document more of my nursing school journey!! Wish me luck!

Rant

Someone posted this video on facebook which stemmed a conversation that left me feeling unsettled. Because I'm not the confrontational type, I'll just rant on my own blog than stir up controversy on facebook.

You may or may not have seen this video. I obviously have opinions on the video, but that's not what I want this post to be about. The conversations surrounding this video were that "men only marry for looks." And therefore, "all beautiful women are unintelligent." "We are intelligent women and men can't see or value that if we aren't blonde and thin." Or men who marry for looks will "regret it later when they realize how vapid their wives are." So on and so forth.

*This really bothered me!!!*

Guess what! We are all different! Some people have the smarts or the looks or both! Some are super spiritual, or athletes, or good cooks, or good mothers, or kind souls, or funny, etc. etc. Who are we to place value on certain traits over others? When seeking a spouse, we all have our own agenda. What is attractive to one, may be unattractive to another.

Granted it has taken me some soul searching time to become comfortable with my control freak, opinionated, very particular, driven, delicious dessert baking, always late, loves my sleep self! But I am. And being comfortable with myself has made me much more accepting of the others around me. I'm sure there has to be a metaphysical equation for why that is.

If we all spent more time appreciating the value of people's strengths instead of their weaknesses, I think we would feel more secure with ourselves and the world would be a much more loving, productive place.

End rant.

So I married a dog hater...

I grew up wanting a dog like every kid, but my mom was allergic to anything with fur. I did get to raise outdoor rabbits for a while, but unbeknownst to me, it was a "food storage" project for my Dad. One day the bunnies disappeared and we ate "chicken" for dinner. That's right, my parents fed me my pet for dinner....yes, I'm still traumatized.

So I always told myself that when I moved out, I would get my own pet. At BYU, a rebellious roommate and I got a tiny kitten named Maimouna (my roomie had just done a study abroad in Africa and apparently this is a common African name.) Unfortunately this adventure didn't last very long. We were ratted out and had to give our kitten away. Darn those honor code following goody two shoes!! :)

So then, still being a cat and dog (but mostly dog) lover, I thought when I get married I will have a pet!! Sadly, the only flaw in my husband is that his #1 rule is NO PETS. I do have to admit that I was well aware of this rule before we were married. But, I really thought I could change his mind or at least bug him so much that he would relent. I'm 2 years into this marriage and he hasn't budged an inch!!!

At least when I am having a bad day, Luke will scoop me up and drive me to the puppy store. And who can be sad with cute, tiny puppies touching their adorable noses to the glass displays?! My favorite is picking out the cutest puppies and naming them! I keep hoping that one day Luke will fall in love with one and we'll get to take it home!!

NS 30

Third semester of nursing school. I kind of never dreamed I would get this far. And now it's staring me in the face. This is like the beast of all beasts. The dreaded and all feared semester where we statistically the most students from the class. What draws the line between the staying half and the leaving half? Smarts? Drive? Luck? Insanity? Ability to function on no sleep?

I've learned a lot so far, but I feel like now we are taking a big step into actually becoming nurses as opposed to just observing them in the hospital and "helping."

I kind of hope this is the last BIG hump of my almost 5 year journey to become an RN. I'm sure the next 18 weeks will probably be the most difficult. I just hope I survive and come out the other end a more educated, meticulous and compassionate person.

Wish me luck and I'll see you all again in May! If I don't see you until then, please don't be offended....I've already got my reading list and I won't be seeing the light of day all semester. Ciao!

Pumpkin Chili?

I like to randomly browse recipes and cooking blogs online even though I rarely have the time these days to try new recipes. A few of my facebook friends mentioned that they had made pumpkin chili this fall. And I LOVE pumpkin!! But pumpkin chili? That sounded kinda sketchy. I browsed around a few recipes, but I just was too nervous to take the plunge. But then I got sick and chili sounded like the perfect cure. I tweaked an online recipe to fit what I had in my cupboards and I really liked it. The pumpkin isn't over powering and it had just the right amount of heat. However, when Luke tried it, his reaction was "That's interesting." I guess we can't all have refined palates. Give it a shot...there's a 50% chance you'll like it. Ha! I'm really selling this one.


Please note: I don't really measure when I cook, so these are my best guestimates.

Pumpkin turkey chili

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb turkey
1/2 tsp beef bouillon (just the powder...don't add water)
1/2 cup+ canned plain pumpkin puree (I don't think you could go go wrong with more)
15 oz can of black beans, drained
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
pinch of salt
pepper
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 TBSP chili powder (I like some spice)
1 dash cayenne pepper

Saute onions, pepper and garlic in olive oil til soft in a big skillet or dutch oven. Add turkey meat and cook til brown. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and season as it simmers. The original recipe said to simmer for 20 minutes, but I don't think I waited that long to dive in! I ate mine plain, but could be served with cheese and sour cream!!

The Young and the Old

Since I've started my education in nursing, I've mostly had experience working with older adults. Its definitely not something I thought I would enjoy, but I've come to love it. I work at a retirement community and I often leave work uplifted because I enjoy being with my "oldies," if you will. But recently I've had the opportunity to expand my experience with a new population: 3 year olds! I teach a Sunday School class called the Sunbeams at church. I think working with both spectrums brings me a lot of joy because they both say the darndest things!

Recent Sunbeam-isms:

Sunbeam: Do you know how old I am?
Me: 3?
Sunbeam: No.
Me: 4?
Sunbeam: Yes.
Me: Do you know how old I am?
Sunbeam: 59?
Lololololol!


Me: What is something fun you did this week?
Sunbeam: I went to Disneyland 5 times!!


Sunbeam sitting in my lap points to a mole on my arm and says, "What's that?"
Me: A mole.
Sunbeam: Oh! *Laughs hysterically*



Funny Conversations with my oldies at work:

Oldie: I like your earrings.
Me: Thank you.
Oldie: I never got my ears pierced because my mother said only "fast" women have pierced ears.
Me: Oh dear.....

Oldie squinting at my name tag while riding in an elevator together: What's your name?
Me: Whitney.
Oldie: Whitney? That's a damn classy name! Damn classy!


Oldie: Can you look at my finger and tell me what's wrong with it?
Me: We can't diagnose medical conditions, but I can look at it....*looks at hands and asks a few questions* You can go to Urgent Care...
Oldie: Oh no, I don't want to do that. I'm going to the Dr. on Monday.
Me: Well, if it hurts, you can take a Tylenol or ice it.
Oldie: I think I will just double my Scotch intake.
Me: As a medical professional, I can't really recommend that....

Advanced Directives

I'm going to get up on a soap box right now and tell everyone that they need an advanced directive. Really, get one today. Make your wishes known to your family. I would recommend choosing someone who would be able to carry out your wishes under the emotional stress that may be present in a difficult circumstance.

I'm posting this for several reasons. I am comfortable with my beliefs regarding life after death. We were all made to die. To me, it's a natural part of life, just as it is to be born. Working in healthcare, I've become more concerned with issues such as quality of life. I've seen skeletons of little old ladies unable to speak or eat and lay contracted in their beds, incontinent. Maybe this is what they wanted. But is this what you want for yourself? If you don't, make your wishes known.

Recently at work, we had an experience where a resident had a massive stroke and was found on the floor of their apartment. The paperwork is which the resident stated that they were a DNR (do not resuscitate) was no where to be found. In that case, the resident was rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator. The decision then fell on the son, to take the resident off life support? What a difficult decision.

Keep in mind, advanced directives are not only for when you are 95 years old. Heaven forbid that you were in a devastating car crash tomorrow...would that change your wishes? There are many options regarding CPR, ventilators, dialysis, feeding tubes, organ donation, etc. So please, file an advanced directive with your physician and review it with your family.