(Well, there might not be quite ten on my list, but somehow "Top Four" or "Top Seven" doesn't have quite the same ear-grabbing appeal, you know? It must be the alliteration.)
#1 After wearing either scrubs or dress clothes all of last week, today we were permitted to wear jeans, as there was a welcome event planned for the evening. If we had to sit through seven hours of classes on "Mutual Respect" and "Psychosocial Components of Nursing Care", at least we were going to be comfortable during them!
#2 Instead of meeting downtown in one of the main Clinic buildings, they transported us to Assisi Heights, which is a beautiful building and campus which is now home to some of the Sisters of St. Francis who were instrumental for many years at the Clinic. We were allowed to explore the grounds during our lunch break, and the sunshine and blue skies were absolutely delightful after a weekend full of rain and thunderstorms.
#3 After classes were over, we all headed out to a camp in the country, where we enjoyed a presentation by the camp's director (a paraplegic who has completed over 100 marathons), really good barbecue, and some fun games. There are over forty horses at the camp, and Camille (my roommate) and I hiked out to see them, as well as a little bit of one of the nature trails.
#4 Mayo Clinic provided one of their photographers to capture the event on film, and Camille found his "facial structures" extremely attractive. I teased her about that most of the evening, and when we finally were getting ready to leave, she unexpectedly blurted out, "I should give him my phone number!" Well, that was all it took--after a few minutes of debating, we decided that Camille would write her name and number on a piece of paper, and I was delegated to deliver it to the gentleman. Neither of us had ever done anything quite like that, and Camille and I giggled about it the rest of the night. He has been dubbed "Mike the Mayo Photographer", and Camille says she owes me one...we'll see if I have any need to call in that favor. :)
#5 When we arrived back at the apartments, I had a letter from my dear friend in Scotland, which I curled up on my bed to browse through--a perfect ending to a most enjoyable day!
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7 comments:
Hmmmm, "Psychosocial components of patient car,"....that is a big one and I always think that this is the where the nurse has to be an actress. Let's face it, you are not always going to like your patients and often their behavior/responses/personal perspectives are reflective of their cultural norms and lifestyles. This is why working in a diverse environment is so interesting and enlightening. You really have to set aside your own personal beliefs and listen to the patient and families. The one element we have in common is that we are all members of the human race and we all want to be respected and afforded some dignity. In the end it doesn't matter how we position ourselves to pray or if we pray at all, but it is really about this human connection. I find this is where nurses get really burnt out and add that to their own cultural issues and you have conflict. Language is a huge issue also. As one of the few Anglo nurses in my workplace, I can see how different voices/dialects interacting with each other creates conflicts . As it is patients feel that no one tells them anything, so you can imagine how they feel when they cannot understand a
caregivers' words. Anyhow it is "words for thought" and just part of my experience as a nurse. Enjoy and learn, dear girl. Love Aunt Pat.
whoops, that should be patient care, not car, who gives a heck about their cars!!! aunt PAT
yeah top ten sounds a lot better love you lots and ei enjoyed reading today's entry! ~your little sister
sorry i meant I*** love ya and i know the p-rents are enjoying the blog!
I was getting worried that you forgot about the blog. you think that you had a really really full week and decided to sleep instead of write (ha ha). so you must be glad that the first week is under your belt. Love you and miss you. enjoy the blog. Aunt Nancy
Great insight in your writing.
I love reading about your adventures at mayo. how are you doing there?
<3 niah
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