2010

I've noticed a lot of people putting highlights on their blog of the year, genious I think. So here I am to reflect on this past year.

January - I was exactly 1 yr into the Nursing program at that point, started my most favorite clinical rotation with Professor Terry-Nelson (cardiac stepdown nurse) at Broward General on a tele floor (5ST). Morgan broke his hand for the 1st time of the year playing basketball at the church. Our first experience going to the ER in the Ball family.

February - Morgan turned 28!

March - We saw WICKED in Miami, FL. Morgan & I went to Girls Camp. I was the lifeguard and nurse, while Morgan master of archery.

April - I turned 23!! Attended the Annual National Student Nursing Association Covention in Orlando, FL. As VP of Nursing SGA & NSA, had dinner with the Chancellor of Nova. I got to go home to Idaho Falls for my break inbetween semesters! I met baby Kimball for the first time & went to Jacob's Eagle Court and a track meet (BRRR! it was cold there in April!).

May - Began OB/Peds. Started up private swim lessons for the summer.

June - Morgan officially a 3rd yr dental student! and Corbin and Andrea visited us!

July - Interviewed for a position as a Nurse Extern & got the job! Got walked down to HR after the interview & was offered the position :D Morgan went home for Dan & Marina's wedding and went on a rafting trip.

August - Started Psych & Community. We moved into a cute little house.

September - Started psych & community clinicals (psych ward = definitely not my favorite clinical rotation ever).

October - Involved in Nursing Accreditation for Nova's nursing program. Morgan Broke the same hand again during an intramural soccer game!

November - My brother Jacob left on his mission for Korea.

December - Morgan & I sang in the stake christmas program. Went to Idaho Falls & visited the temple there. Morgan met our little nephew Kimball for the first time - he is so cute!! Went to Lewiston, ID and went on a jet boat, saw a couple dollar movies, and played some sweet hockey. Went to Spokane, WA and got to see more of Morgan's family and play with our niece & nephews.

MY FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF ALL TIME

Now that it is Christmas time, I have finally started watching this again & continue to look for any excuse to post it or watch it. It REALLY is that good! If you are in a bad mood, or just looking to feel of the true meaning of Christmas, then this video is for you. It makes me laugh, cry, and it makes my day every time I watch it :D ENJOY!

Wrapping up 6th Semester

Sixth semester of nursing school has definitely had its ups & downs. It's been more busy than challenging but I've still learned some big things. One of the most significant things I have learned from my psych class & rotation is the effects of stress on people. A lot of people seen in the psych units within hospital are there because of stress. That may seem kind of ridiculous to you. How can something like stress be the main cause of people in psych units. Well a big number of these patients have a history of substance abuse. Many people turn to substances as a way of dealing with stress, but ultimately this only makes it worse for the individual. Anxiety & stress is not necessarily a bad thing. In the beginning, it actually makes people more aware of their surroundings & even perform better & get lots done. Really, it all comes down to coping mechanisms. How do you cope with stress? Sometimes I go running. Sometimes I go crazy :D Effective coping mechanisms do not help you to escape from your problems, but rather help you to reduce the anxiety and deal with it. Meditation, relaxation, music, exercise. There are many many contributing factors that lead to mental illness, but a HUGE part is just coping with day to day stress and anxiety.

For my community clinical, we taught 6th graders this semester about nutrition, exercise, the heart, diabetes, digestion, muscles, etc. WOW they are so eager to learn. This had to be one of my most valuable clinicals. I love teaching, and this was a great way to get into teaching mode because this is what nurses should be doing constantly - patient teaching. 5 periods of 6th grade classes sure made me SO TIRED every week. I don't know how teachers do it.

Finals this week and then just one semester left to go. WISH ME LUCK!

Jacob....aka Elder Scoville

Yesterday was the last time I will talk to my brother Jacob for 2 years. Crazy. April was the last time I saw him so it'll be 2 1/2 years of seeing him in person (skype doesn't count). Jacob is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 2 years in Korea. Yesterday he reported to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT and I got to talk to him on the phone just a few hours before that (in between my classes). The shock began to set in for me the night before. I just can't believe that he's gone. I'm gonna miss that kid. I'm gonna miss all the phone calls I would be getting from him on a day to day basis. I'm gonna miss the times I'm talking to my mom on the phone and he keeps trying to call me at the same time. I'm gonna miss goofing around with him at Christmas time and making sweet movies. Jacob, you are awesome. You will make a great missionary. Work hard & make the most of those two years. Learn all the lessons you can.

See you in 2 years.

Compassion should not be forgotten

Today I felt like I did at the beginning of nursing school. My first semester I was at Westside and a woman had been left on the bedpan for who knows how long. We went in there because she needed help and she was confused; she didn’t even realize she was on the bedpan. As the nurse was not very kind and not very gentle with her, I was by her side, holding her hand and smiling at her. That was all she wanted. She wanted someone to smile at her and be kind to her. She was confused, but that didn’t mean she deserved to be treated poorly.

Today, I had the opportunity of watching two PTCA nurses on the floor remove a sheath from a post-cath pt. They were not rude to the pt nor did they treat her poorly, but they did not go out of their way to think about her as a person. She was pre-medicated with morphine, as per standing orders. Then as they proceeded to remove the sheath, they applied pressure, and the woman was in pain. She held my hand, squeezing it whenever the pain/pressure was extreme. I encouraged her to take some nice deep breaths. She did. She breathed through the pain and the pressure she was feeling. I continued to encourage her every so often. All the time, the PTCA nurses were chattering away about their past experiences with removing sheaths and various things; neither really asked the patient how she was holding up or how she was doing. Later that evening I went into the room to take a BP. The pt explained to me how she had had a breakdown just an hour or so before then. I asked if she was doing better. She was. She started to get emotional and cry as she told me how much it meant to her that I was there to hold her hand when she needed it.

I hope I can stay the nurse that I am now, and only improve from here on out on my PATIENT care. I want to be good at what I do, I even want to become a PTCA nurse. But, I do not want to digress in the way that I treat patients. I don’t want to lose sight of how I would expect myself or my family members to be treated if they were in that situation.

Running Update

Ok so I'm picking up from where I left off on the last running post. I got the flu shot on Tuesday (10/19) and then felt crummy Wed & got the flu Thurs (so no workout on Thursday which should have been a fartlek speed workout). Saturday (10/23) I ran 7 miles, it was a pretty good run since being sick before that. Monday 10/25 was 6 miles. This was another not very good run in 1:01:??. Wednesday 10/27 was 8x800 intervals: 4:11, 4:23, 4:26, 4:33, 4:46, 4:58, 4:44, 4:50 (normally I do this workout Tuesday but i was really sore so I did this on Wed). Thursday 10/29 was my fartlek run (2 min easy 30 sec hard) for 3.5 miles. Saturday 10/31 I ran 9 miles - not a great run for me. I went in the afternoon, it was super hot and I took Gatorade with me... Don't worry I learned my lesson & won't make that mistake again :D Water from there-on out. I don't know the exact time for that run, my watch broke the day before = frustrating! I think it was about 1:4?:??. Yes, SLOW, but that's alright because I have never run 9 miles before. Monday 11/1 I did 6 miles and realized that my asics are not the perfect size for my feet because it was really hurting my toes. Ok run at 59min. Tuesday 11/2 was 8x800 intervals: 4:40, 4:24, 3:25, 4:30, 4:42, 4:31, 4:41, 4:35. This was a great workout. Thursday 11/4 was Fartlek of 2min easy 30 sec hard and I did 4 miles/40 minutes. AND FINALLY, Today Saturday 11/6 I ran 10 MILES!!! The weather here has been BEAUTIFUL :D My time was 1:41:24 = 10:15min/mile. I was sad because my ipod was dead but it turned out to be a great run!! Knees & left shin have been sore but I've been icing + ibuprofen. Mandy showed me a knee exercise tonight. Open to any other suggestions :D

I love my running toys, by the way. I got a nice waterbottle that goes on your hand (I got the hot pink one :D) and I got an ipod arm band, both from Amazon. I love them! They have been working GREAT! The waterbottle is sweet because it's lightweight & fits the perfect amount of water. It also has a pouch that I can put my house key in!

CONGRATS RUBIO!!!!

Marco Rubio is the newest Senator from Florida! Wow! What a landslide win! As Morgan knows, I have never been super involved in politics, however, Morgan has really started to rub off on me :D I have been VERY interested in politics lately, especially healthcare reform. Rubio has really impressed me with his stance on healthcare reform. Not only has he come out and said that we need to repeal Obama's healthcare plan, but he also has an alternate plan for healthcare reform. This can be found on Rubio's website. He has 10 ideas for what we can do instead of Obama's plan:

IDEA #1: Allow Individuals To Purchase Health Insurance Across State Lines

IDEA #2: Encourage Small Businesses And Trade Associations To Band Together And Form Association Health Plans

IDEA #3: Give Individuals The Same Tax Break Given To Businesses When They Buy Health Insurance

IDEA #4: Incentivize The Use Of Electronic Medical Records

IDEA #5: Give People The Tools To Make Cost-Conscious Decisions About Their Health Care

IDEA #6: Increase The Number Of Community Health Centers

IDEA #7: Incentivize State Medical Malpractice Reform

IDEA #8: Enhance Health Savings Accounts

IDEA #9: Incentivize State Insurance Reform

IDEA #10: Adopt A Sensible Program To Cover Those With Pre-Existing Conditions

He has descriptions beneath each idea. Brilliant ideas. I especially liked #6. This semester in nursing school I am taking a community class & clinical. In clinicals, we go to a middle school and teach 6th graders about obesity; focusing on nutrition & exercise. Really, this is a big part of health that we are missing out on - PREVENTION. A big problem in our health system now revolves around Emergency Departments. Education and community centers could really help with this problem. There are so many diseases out there that are preventable or can be controlled, but people lack the knowledge to help themselves. We need more community centers so that we can help people to help themselves.