Clinical

So here we are, almost half done our first year of the BScN program. The time has flown by so quickly! We have learned so many things from all of our classes, but I feel that I learned the most for my clinical placement in January from our Anatomy & Physiology class and from our Foundations for Nursing Practicum class. I have learned so much about the human body and why it does what it does, as well as how to take blood pressures, temperatures, and how to feed and ambulate patients. I am rather excited to go to clinical but a little nervous at the same time. I am constantly wondering where my placement will be: Oshawa, Bowmanville, or Port Perry.

Clinical placement will be challenging. I do not really have any nursing experience except from the care I have provided for my two year old son when he's had a tumble. I feel that I am a fairly compassionate person, and I understand how frustrating it is not to be able to do things for yourself. I really hope that I am able to cope with being pregnant, having a two year old, having two full days of clinical every other week, as well as classes practically every day. Ultimately I want to be a labour and delivery nurse, so I have to be able to cope with stress. I do believe that I will be able to do it. I have made it through natural childbirth. I CAN DO ANYTHING! I hope my patients like me!
Department of Nursing (2008). Department of nursing: labour and delivery nurses. Weber State University, Ogden, Utah. Retrieved December 3, 2008 from http://www.weber.edu/nursing/

Faculty or Health Sciences (2008). Bachelor of science in nursing: SIM lab. Uuniversity of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario. Retrieved December 3, 2008 from http://www.healthsciences.uoit.ca/bscn.html

My First Midwife Appointment

I guess that this will be news for everyone...I am pregnant! HURRAY! I am due next June, and my family and I couldn't be happier. I have been so busy with school and my son's second birthday that I haven't had time to write about my first midwife appointment!

On November 18th my son and I made our way to the Midwifery Clinic. The waiting room was full of new toys he had never seen, so when it was time for me to see my midwife, he didn't want to leave all the toys! My midwife and I ended up transferring tons of toys into the examination room so that he would be happy while I answered a ton of questions. It seemed to be working, he was completely fine...until my midwife was trying to take my blood. She was actually a student midwife, very friendly and knowledgeable, but she wasn't able to insert the needle into the vein in my arm on her first try. It was slightly uncomfortable and I guess my son picked up on that, because he started bawling and demanding that the student midwife stop touching me. He was very upset and concerned for me; now completely unaware of the toys in the room. The appointment was over shortly thereafter, but for the rest of the day my son was clinging to me and not wanting me to leave him for even a second.

I know that having a second baby in the house will be a lot of work for my fiance and I, but I need to remember how much of a change it will be for my son. I know that he will love having a baby brother or sister to play with and teach things too, but I'm not sure how he will react to having less one on one time with Mommy! Time will tell, and I know there are many things I still need to learn.

Irishmedic (2008). Venesection tools. Retrieved December 3, 2008 from http://www.ehow.com/how_2111433_take-blood-venesection.html

Breast is Best

Despite the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for newborns until they are at least six months, not even 1 in 3 infants is exclusively breastfed for the first four months of life (WHO, 2008, http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding/en/index.html). I'm not sure exactly why this is.

I was raised in a home where breastfeeding was obviously important: my mother was a member of La Leche League in Port Perry for many years, and all of my sisters who have children have been adamant breast feeders. At family gatherings, it wasn't uncommon for us to talk about how important breastfeeding was for children and how shocking the reality of more and more babies being formula fed right from birth was. When my son was born, breastfeeding wasn't even something we had discussed, it was just assumed that it was what was best for him and would be his only source of nutrition for at least the first six months of his life.

I believe that successful breastfeeding begins with education: mothers, fathers, families, communities, and entire nations need to be better informed of the health benefits associated with breastfeeding; however putting the information out there doesn't mean that everyone will listen or care. I think that nurses and health care providers can really help new mothers to successfully breastfeed their newborns. This means that nurses and health care providers need to be fully aware of the health benefits associated with breastfeeding and how to provide beneficial support for new breastfeeding moms.

Don’t forget...cow’s milk is wonderful for baby cows, and human milk is wonderful for baby humans.

Communication Barriers

Advances in technology are not the root of communication barriers in the health care system. Thanks to technology, there are now tests which can diagnose cancer in its early stages, allowing health care providers to treat patients with the appropriate interventions early enough to make a difference. I think that communication barriers in Canada’s health care system are more influenced by language and cultural barriers between patients and their health care providers. Canada is an extremely diverse country, made up of people from all over the world, and I believe that more nurses and health care providers need to be in the communities to educate residents of what is available to them through the health care system.