- the excitement of knowing that my clinical placement is postpartum care
- liking my new group for the semester
- going out for pasta and chocolate raspberry mousse
- getting to cuddle my newest "niece" for the first time
- little girl hugs from the newest "niece's" big sister
Monday, May 14, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 266
Today's Daily 5:
Awkward Moments
Last week the new semester of school started off with a ton of work. How often do you finish the first day of a semester and realize you're already a couple hundred pages and a few hours of instructional videos behind?
And then there was the hygiene lab...
(y'all, I'm so scared about the kind of search term traffic this post is going to drive to my blog!)
You know you're a nursing student when you watch two different instructional videos and then have a conversation in a public place about the fact that the video failed to zoom in on the key area (in this case a penis) so that we really knew the difference between the videos and what to do in each situation.
There was the instructor who couldn't bring herself to use anatomically correct terms. Yep. A professional. Can I just say that the already awkward situation was made that much worse by the use of the term "Mr. Happy"?
Or the hand motions in place of the word "breast" when discussing the hygiene needs of elderly ladies.
Or the demonstration and discussion about foreskins, using a surgical glove with a cut off finger tip.
More than that, there was the hilarious laughter and conversations that came from sharing the learning later that day with good friends. And later in the week with family.
Before the lab arrived, I was pretty much horrified. The whole virgin thing means that, well, I'm not exactly acquainted with a man's intimate anatomy. I expected to blush through the entire lab, and couldn't picture having to care for a patient in that way.
After everything that went on in the learning process, I'm not even embarrassed about the craziness of the lab anymore. Right now I'm totally amused.
I know I can be professional when that situation calls for it.
From other experiences in my life, I can empathize about the vulnerability of being in that position, and needing that sort of care, and I intend to use that empathy when I care for patients facing that sort of vulnerability.
But the experience of learning how to care for patients in those situations? I think that might always make me laugh.
And then there was the hygiene lab...
(y'all, I'm so scared about the kind of search term traffic this post is going to drive to my blog!)
You know you're a nursing student when you watch two different instructional videos and then have a conversation in a public place about the fact that the video failed to zoom in on the key area (in this case a penis) so that we really knew the difference between the videos and what to do in each situation.
There was the instructor who couldn't bring herself to use anatomically correct terms. Yep. A professional. Can I just say that the already awkward situation was made that much worse by the use of the term "Mr. Happy"?
Or the hand motions in place of the word "breast" when discussing the hygiene needs of elderly ladies.
Or the demonstration and discussion about foreskins, using a surgical glove with a cut off finger tip.
More than that, there was the hilarious laughter and conversations that came from sharing the learning later that day with good friends. And later in the week with family.
Before the lab arrived, I was pretty much horrified. The whole virgin thing means that, well, I'm not exactly acquainted with a man's intimate anatomy. I expected to blush through the entire lab, and couldn't picture having to care for a patient in that way.
After everything that went on in the learning process, I'm not even embarrassed about the craziness of the lab anymore. Right now I'm totally amused.
I know I can be professional when that situation calls for it.
From other experiences in my life, I can empathize about the vulnerability of being in that position, and needing that sort of care, and I intend to use that empathy when I care for patients facing that sort of vulnerability.
But the experience of learning how to care for patients in those situations? I think that might always make me laugh.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 265
Today's Daily 5:
- sleeping late
- spending the morning quietly curled up with a cookbook with awesome photos
- plants vs. zombies on my iphone
- celebrating our mom together as siblings tonight
- knowing that it was a day where quite a bit was accomplished
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 263 & 264
Yesterday's Daily 5:
Today's Daily 5:
- a long sleep-in
- laughing with a friend
- an evening at home to myself
- finishing up an audio book I quite enjoyed
- the satisfaction of cleaning up my living space.
Today's Daily 5:
- a productive (sort of anyway) day
- the freedom to borrow a car to accomplish some errands
- ikea with my baby brother
- homemade coconut milk chicken curry
- homemade popcorn
Friday, May 11, 2012
Friday Reflections, May 11, 2012
Today's post comes again from Henri Nouwen, and struck me as appropriate this week as I talk about stories - stories about grief, and about journeying with my body. It reminded me of how important each one of our stories is, and encouraged me as I continue to write mine out in this space. I hope it encourages each of you as well.
Making Our Lives Available to Others
One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: "I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to." This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived. Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well. Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others.
We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.
Making Our Lives Available to Others
One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: "I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to." This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived. Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well. Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others.
We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
