Psych Clinical

Hey!

I thought I'd take a few minutes to write about my week in psych clinical because it was probably one of the best weeks that I've had here.

On Wednesday, one of my classmates and I had the opportunity to go with a social worker to visit veterans in the community. We drove around in a sweet government care to Rio Piedres, Carolina, and some houses around the hospital. This service is for patients who have psych problems and need help with medication refills and things like being aware of the services in the community. The first patient we saw had a beautiful big black dog that really made me miss Emma! We went to several houses where no one was home, which seemed strange to me. When I was with the VNA in the Bloomfield area, the nurse was always sure to call all her patients in the morning to make sure they were there and prepared for her visit. I once again learned that things are done differently down here in PR. We went to another house that had dogs, more specifically five newborn puppies! They were so young that their eyes were still closed and they couldn't use their back legs. Bri and I just wanted to play with them instead of paying attention to the patient. The mother was obviously a young mutt who had probably escaped from her home and met a male dog who knocked her up. Spaying and neutering dogs is really a problem here in PR, especially the island of Vieques. If I had chosen to become a vet, I would try to devote time to come down and fix these dogs. Since I can't do that, when I'm ready to adopt a furry friend, I fully plan on adopting an island dog. One of my roommates adopted a dog from Turks and Caicos a few years ago and is very happy with her choice. I'm scared that those five puppies are just going to be released onto the streets :( Everyone go adopt an island dog now!!

The next day at clinical I was in the "Depot" clinic where we saw many schitzophrenic patients who were in to get their biweekly or monthly antipsychotic shot. I got to practice IM shots and psych assessments all morning. The nurse was beyond welcoming and took so much time to teach me all about what she does. Being able to spend the day with nurses like her is so refreshing because it's all too common for nurses to want nothing to do with students; it's as if they forgot that they were once in nursing school. Talk about nurses eating their young! The nurses down here have been more welcoming than any nurses I have dealt with back home, and that is something that I will truly miss. Even if the nurses aren't trained as well as American nurses, they have still taken so much time to teach us what they do know. That being said, we have learned a lot about what NOT to do from the VA hospital, for example uncapping a syringe with their mouth, not wearing gloves when drawing blood, and administering anti-hypertensive meds when the patient already has low blood pressure.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the cold weather back home. I can't wait to be able to wear jeans and boots and hoodies and sweaters and hats and gloves! 13 DAYS!! Two weeks from today I'll be laying in my pillow top queen size bed with my snuggle buddy, Emma. See everyone soon!

Thanksgiving Break

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy with assignments and entertaining family and friends over break.

The weekend before break, we went mountain biking in part of the rainforest. I am a pretty experienced biker, but had never really biked off the beaten path. It was a really good workout and very scenic! My favorite part was riding to a "river" and swimming in the fresh water. Our professor didn't tell us to bring our bathing suits, so all of us jumped in while wearing our underwear... some people were classy enough to keep their shorts and t shirts on but I wasn't about to sit around in wet clothes for the rest of the day. A'int nobody got time for that! (Side note: Juan would not have let that happen! He would have been all over that shit and had us plan ahead to bring bathing suits and towels!) At the river, the guide used clay rocks to put Taino symbols on our faces and arms, making us Taino warriors! Needless to say, we were all pooped from the ride and all needed naps when we got back. It was one of my favorite excursions.

Thanksgiving break was very busy. Meg and Gosi flew in late saturday night and after greeting them with a water bottle full of Palo Veijo (cheap Puerto Rican rum), we went right to Brava, a night club in Isla Verde. Sunday, we went to Isla Verde with a few of my roommates and had some drinks on the beach while relaxing. I showed them Old San Juan on Monday, and we went to the beach again on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was so nice to see a couple familiar faces. I love all my roommates and friends down here, but I loved catching up with my friends from home. They enjoyed the island and had a hard time believing that I'm ready to go home. They only saw the vacation part of Puerto Rico... they didn't see the part where I have to sweat my ass off walking to the train station for clinical while wearing my gross uniform. We also had very good luck with the buses while they were here and they only got to experience waiting an hour an a half just go to go to the beach once. I don't regret coming here and I've really enjoyed by time, but I am 100% without a doubt ready to go home. 

The day after Meg and Gosi left was Thanksgiving. It was extremely hard for me to be away from my family and miss my mom's amazing New England thanksgiving, but once I got myself busy cooking in the kitchen, my mind was taken off of it. I made stuffing, my grandma's cranberry relish, and apple crisp. Everything was good except the apple crisp. Note to self: if you run out of stick margarine/butter, DO NOT substitute "butter spread" that comes in a tub for apple crisp. Everyone contributed something different and it was a success. Other than not being able to watch the Macy's parade, the day went a lot better than I had expected. 

The day after Thanksgiving, my parents arrived! Unfortunately, it was pouring, but luckily the waves were huge, which made my dad really happy. The two of us went in the water and rode some waves. The waves were unusually large for the whole time they were there, which meant lots of body surfing. We went into Old San Juan every night for dinner. My mom did an awesome job picking out restaurants. She even found a good pizza place! I've been deprived of pizza for the last there months. I am now in love with mojitos- I had one every day they were here. We went to El Morro, a Spanish fort in OJS which was really interesting. For the most part, the three of us enjoyed being beach bums at the beautiful Courtyard Marriot in Isla Verde (the same place Paul and I stayed). Today, before they left, my dad and I were doing some last minute body surfing. The tide was really strong and two people had to be saved because they got caught in the rip tide. While we were out in the water, we heard yelling and whistling  When I looked to the beach, my mom and another woman were pointing to a lady who was caught and couldn't get to the shore! We swam over and the lady was clearly in distress. I grabbed her hand and started to get pulled by the current too. I talked to the lady and told her to take deep breaths and that we would be okay. After fighting through the waves and current, my dad and I got her to shore. She was in a lot of distress but I think she was just emotionally exhausted and physically tired because she was larger and clearly out of shape. The poor lady was all alone and was very lucky that the two of us happened to be in the water, AND that we were strong swimmers. It felt good to save a life! Go figure, the first time I save a life I wasn't even doing anything nursing related! So, folks, I guess the moral of the story is to not swim alone and beware of the rip tide! I had an amazing time with my parents and was sad to see them go, but I'll be home in 16 short days!!!!!! 

Now the only thing left is two psych exams, a couple of papers, and packing up all our stuff! December 13th can't come soon enough! 

Spending Veterans Day with Vets (taken from the SON blog)

Buenos dias! 

Psych clinical has been going great. As everyone else has said, it’s a very different environment and pace from med-surg but the change is good. We spend a lot of time talking with the patients and have even put together a few group sessions and parties for them. Most recently, we helped the staff on the unit put together a Veterans Day party. During med-surg it was easy to forget that all of our patients were veterans, but it is quite evident in psych because many of the mental illnesses that the patients suffer from have to do with their time spent as a soldier. Almost all of the patients are Vietnam veterans and I have learned how much they went through from spending time in that treacherous environment.

After hearing all about the hardships of the war and post-war period, it was my honor and pleasure to help with the Veterans Day party. A lot of food was prepared, decorations were put up, music was put on, and games were played! The patients don’t have a whole lot of excitement during a typical day on the psych unit, so it’s always nice to give them something to do. We ate with them, colored in American flags, and talked with them. The patients love having us around because we always love talking to them! Spending time at the VA has really given me a new perspective and appreciation towards veterans. I see how much pain and suffering they have been put through. Some of them are still suffering from PTSD and depression over 50 years later. The average age of a Vietnam soldier was 19. That boggles my mind because I cannot imagine having someone younger than me be put through an experience like that. I am learning from the veterans every day and am exciting keep working with them for the rest of the semester.

Adios!

Paulie Comes to PR!

Hey everyone!!

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to have Paul come visit! He flew in on Thursday morning and we had a nice, relaxing weekend. We stayed at the Isla Verde Marriott and I thought I was in heaven. It was so nice and I can't wait to stay there again when my parents come after Thanksgiving.

On Thursday, we hung out on the beach and went out for a Puerto Rican dinner at a restaurant called Metropol. As a joke, all us super cool nursing students call it "metoprolol" which is, of course, an anti hypertensive med. Paul was impressed with the mofongo, rice and beans, and fried pork. I love that stuff too, but it's really heavy and fatty and artery-clogging, not to mention it makes you feel like absolute shit. After dinner, we hung out on the hammocks on the beach, which was also relaxing.

Unfortunately, I had class on Friday morning, but after that we went back to the Marriott to hang out. After soaking up some sun by the pool, we decided to venture off to Casa Bacardi, the Bacardi distillery. Getting there was a headache and I was sure that we were going to miss the last tour. I had never really been in a driving situation in Puerto Rico, but I quickly learned that the roads are not easy to navigate around. The maps on our phones didn't match up to the highway signs and everything is in a different language. Thankfully, we made it on time. The tour was pretty interesting and we got two free samples! Haha.. we got to try a few flavors that I had never had before: Wolf Berry rum and Bacardi Oakheart. The Oakheart reminded me of Southern Comfort, but better (SoCo is nasty... sorry siblings). The Wolf Berry was pretty good too. I bought 2 liters of rum at the gift shop for only $20! All semester I had been avoiding Bacardi because only the tourists drink it, but I couldn't resist that deal.

After the tour, we got back in the car and headed to Old San Juan for dinner. Getting there was also pretty stressful, but we made it. I took Paul to the Old Harbor Brewery for a beer and some wings, and he was impressed. I love that place, probably just because it's the only place in PR where I've found "real" beer. We went to a restaurant recommended by my weirdo roommate, Katie (LOVE YA), Vaca Brava but only wound up getting some appies because we were full from the wings. After dinner we hung out at the Marriott again.

Saturday was devoted to getting our bronze on by the beach then by the pool. I have always wanted to go to a swim up bar and lucky for me, the Marriott had one!! We spent a little too much time there and also enjoyed some of that Bacardi rum. Don't judge.. we were on vacation haha. While hanging out by the pool, we made friends with an iguana and even got some pictures with him!

Hanging out with Paul was so refreshing. I loved hanging out with him and beating his ass in cards (kind of...). Being away from Paul has been really hard but its nice to know that I have someone so awesome waiting for me when I get back :) It made me really excited to get home, but I'm still looking forward to the plans that we have for the rest of the semester, including a bike tour of the rain forest, a catamaran cruise, and of course my visitors- Meg and Gosi then mom and dad!! I'm going to enjoy the beach and sunshine for as long as possible. I do miss the cold weather, but I might as well take advantage of living in the tropics while I can!

Paul brought me some goodies, most importantly TayTay's new album! My roommates and I have all been listening to it non stop. After hearing samples of the singles that she had been releasing, I was disappointed but after listening to the CD I love it. Now if only the JoBros would hurry the hell up with their new album.

We have five weeks and two days left till we go back to the motherland!!! That means three and a half weeks of clinical, one week of Thanksgiving break, and a week of finals. It seems so close, yet so far away. There are things that I have loved and hated about this semester, but I'm sure that if I was home there would be plenty that I would love and hate about that too. Getting around the city is still a hassle and being cooped up in the apartment is annoying. Tonight since we don't have cable, we're streaming in the election results thanks to NBC.com. Everyone's tweets and facebook posts have been so mother effing annoying, but not as annoying as the "Puerto Rican Pride Parades" that have been passing through our neighborhood every night since we arrived. Basically, trucks that are sponsored by the candidates with massive speakers have been driving by our apartment. Last night there were so many of them up until at least midnight. Today has been even crazier and the nurses at the hospital told us not to go out tonight because things can get dangerous. I don't understand it. They don't even vote for the president here! I guess they are just really serious about selecting their governor.

Well I hope everyone survived the storm and is prepared for this so called Nor'Easter that's supposed to be hitting this week. I must admit, I'm jealous that you might get some snow!