December 1998 - New England, USA I have now completed my first six months as a Nurse Practitioner in a 120-bed psychiatric hospital. I thank God for my boss, Dr. T., a Family Practice Physician, and an excellent teacher. The hospital has an adult unit for acute psychiatric problems, a second adult unit for detoxification… Continue reading The Psychiatric Hospital
Category: Nurse Practitioner
Continue Graduate School or Drop Out?
April 19, 1997 Show me Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths. Psalm 25:4 (KJV) I am seriously debating whether or not I should continue with graduate school. They are raising the tuition to $380 per semester credit hour, and I have 29 hours to go to complete my Master's of Science in Nursing… Continue reading Continue Graduate School or Drop Out?
Becoming a Patient
July 1996 My most difficult semester of graduate school is history. The pathophysiology class, taught by a physician from Russia with a heavy accent, was challenging to understand. She gave us a great review of physiology and took us much deeper into what goes wrong in the body when disease occurs. The second course was… Continue reading Becoming a Patient
My Year of Rejection and Sorrow
April 1995 I am relieved to have my interview for graduate school behind me. I will learn next week whether or not I am accepted, so the waiting which began last September is almost over. I hope my good grades in my first two courses at the State University help with my admission, but the… Continue reading My Year of Rejection and Sorrow
Transcultural Nursing Course – Dominican Republic – Part 4
January 1995 Over the next few days, Dr. Elaine assigned me to work in the Mennonite clinic which was hosting us in comfortable simple motel-like rooms on their campus. I watched Dr. Nancy examine patients all day long in much the same fashion as USA physicians. She speaks some English and many of the medical… Continue reading Transcultural Nursing Course – Dominican Republic – Part 4
Transcultural Nursing Course – Dominican Republic – Part 3
January 3, 1995 With our trip half over, we returned today to the city hospital to work as a group so Tammy could translate for us. We made rounds in the pediatric ward and watched a skilled nurse easily start several IV's in babies, unlike yesterday. She wore a cap with a blue velvet band,… Continue reading Transcultural Nursing Course – Dominican Republic – Part 3
Transcultural Nursing Course in Dominican Republic – Part 2 – ICU
January 1995 - San Juan, Dominican Republic After awakening, I began reading my English-Spanish Bible in my Pan Dia village home, when Maria, a ten-year-old girl came in and shyly started reading over my shoulder. I gave her a Spanish gospel tract to read, and she was thrilled. Before we said goodbye, the cute children… Continue reading Transcultural Nursing Course in Dominican Republic – Part 2 – ICU
Transcultural Nursing Course in Dominican Republic – Part 1
Village Immersion December 28, 1994- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic By God's grace, He opened the door for me to take my second course in graduate school over the next two weeks in the Dominican Republic. I was short three days of vacation time at work, but Marge RN, who is retiring on December 31, kindly… Continue reading Transcultural Nursing Course in Dominican Republic – Part 1
Dermatology Nurse Practitioner?
Geriatric Nurse Practitioner - May 2009 I have worked at the nursing home for nearly five years giving primary care to the elderly residents. There is no dermatologist that holds a clinic on site so the patients must wait for months to see a dermatologist in his office when we refer them for a skin… Continue reading Dermatology Nurse Practitioner?
Dreaded Virus
Geriatric Nurse Practitioner - February 2009 As I prepared for bed, I began to shiver followed by nausea and vomiting. I put my cell phone in my pocket in case I fainted like last winter. I unlocked the kitchen door so the ambulance paramedics could enter without breaking the door down in case I had… Continue reading Dreaded Virus