First Week: I have survived my first week at SFMC. There is a lot to learn-the environment is unlike any floor I’ve ever been on. 10 out of 35 patients were in for gunshot wounds. This is the norm. The majority of our patients are Latino; a good portion of these patients don’t speak English or very little. A good deal of the staff speak Spanish and basically every nurse can communicate the basics with their patients. I am picking up quiet a bit already.
Of course, the charting is different, policies and procedures are different, medications, machines, etc. I am glad that I have had such enriching experiences as a student to give me competence and confidence regarding many technical skills.
There are so many new people to meet, but they are all very welcoming for the most part. My preceptors have been very good so far and I am definitely learning about the flow on the floor.
A couple of the days this week weren’t the greatest there, but they will get better. Friday was a great day; it was the day I knew I was going to be okay. There are so many new “languages” to learn: Spanish, SFMC nursing, CA culture; it is a lot to take in, but I have great support from my community, especially Holly who is also an RN on the same floor.
To shake off some of the stress Boyle Heights came over and we all went to Happy Hour at La Costa, a Mexican restaurant, which is right by our house. They have good food and drinks for great prices. We spent the night at MM (Miraculous Medal, the community I live in) after games and bonding.
Saturday MM went to Runyon Canyon with Boyle Heights and hiked up in the Hollywood Hills area. The hike was invigorating and the views of the hills and the houses were spectacular. We spent the evening at the BH house and again played games, drank tequila and antics ensued. The Hurricane occurred (Kent throwing a ton of stuff out of his room after getting soap poured on him and peanut butter smeared in his hair.) Jess got hit in the chest by the end of a bungee cord. No damage otherwise. Overall: A great night.
Today the two houses went to Will Rogers Beach with is right along the Pacific Coast Highway. Traffic wasn’t bad at all and the beach wasn’t very busy. The weather was excellent and the ocean was gorgeous. We spent about 4 hours there walking along the warm sand and soaking up the sun. Unfortunately, many of us soaked up a little too much and are quite red-myself included.
It was a fantastic weekend. Back to work tomorrow for what will hopefully be a great Monday!
Sometime during the first week of September:
Being welcomed and loving SFMC staff.
Today I admitted a patient from surgery. He along spoke Farsi. He came up to the floor after his surgery in a quite a bit of pain and nauseated. It took about an hour to get him settled and admitted. I utilized the language line: A 2 way phone that connects to a third party interpreter. I spoke into my phone, the interpreter translated and the patient answered. It was necessary to get the information I needed, but the whole thing is rather cumbersome and not something you would use for regular interactions. It was also challenging because he threw up at 4 different points in the admission process.
After all the paperwork was done, he was medicated for pain and resting more comfortably, I went to get a denture cup for him. As I walked out of the room I had moment when I thought to myself: “Hey, take a minute to really put yourself in this man’s shoes. He is in his 70s. His has lived in this country for 2 years, is in pain, just threw up 4 times after surgery and can’t understand English. How must that feel? How nerve wracking.”
I went back in the room, gave his wife the denture cup and then just stopped a few moments with them, held their hands, smiled and used a lot of assuring non-verbals. They both seemed to get the message that they would be ok. I walk in the room later and she holds up a camera and wants a picture with her husband and me. It was so great to know that I had helped them and gave them that reassurance. It was a powerful experience and I am sure it won’t be my last at SFMC.
Friday we had a BBQ at MM. BH came over, as did Darby, Ann, Sr. Camille various friends. There was lots of food. A success.
Saturday morning we went to the Getty Museum. There is a .75 mile tram ride up a mountain to get there. It was designed this way to make guests feel separated from their everyday lives. Indeed, this was the case. There were several pavilions with different levels featuring different exhibits. The numerous outdoor opportunities gave us stunning views of the mountains, cities and oceans. Inside, there were exhibits for paintings, drawings and photography. The latter I found to be the most profound. We also toured their botanical garden which was so wonderful when coupled with the spectacular architecture of The Getty. This is a place we may go to again.
Today we went to Venice Beach. The marine layer never really lifted while we were there so we didn’t get a lot of warm sunshine. Jess and I went and walked on some rocks along the water and saw some wicked animal life including: mussels, crabs, starfish, urchins and a couple of rays! It was so awesome to see these animals in their natural habitats. I’m also very glad that I didn’t get pinched by one of the many little crabs! Yikes!
Following Venice Beach we grabbed burgers and fries at In & Out Burger. If you’ve never been, I recommend it. It is fresh and delicious. I suggest getting your burger animal style for a messier and tastier experience. If you’re going to go, why not go all out.
9/9/10
Yesterday we had our second community night. We packed up sandwiches, chips and watermelon and went on a picnic! We made it home for some family bonding time and an episode of Three Sheets (A fun show about the world’s drinking cultures).
A few of us met up with some of the BH crew to go to the Art Walk in downtown LA. Basically, there are a bunch of artists-visual, performing, music, etc. that set up spaces in buildings and outside. It is roughly a 4 block stretch and is crowded with tons of people, music and great art. The area felt so alive! The art was fantastic. There were many amazing pieces. It was hard not to buy some and it was impossible to buy others ($$$$).
Afterwards, we went to this amazing coffeeshop called Syrup. Cheap and delicious Ice cream. Can’t go wrong. I had two scoops- Pear & Champagne along with Hefewezen Lemon. Yum.
We should be getting the internet tomorrow, which will be amazing. I can finally get some serious work done on loan deferment and hopefully clean up my desk of all of these papers.
9/11
It was a very chill Saturday morning, which was quite welcome. I got a bunch of cleaning and errands done. Around 5 went to Santa Barbara. It is about 100 miles right up the coast. We stayed with Alison and Sally, the two VSC volunteers there. We all went to a breast cancer walk cheering station sponsored by St. Vincent Medical Center. We spent 2.5 hours cheering for walkers. It was so much fun and rather tiring. Sally, Becca and I spent most of the time doing homemade cheers. It was pretty rad.
Oh! I have a camera now! I will be posting pictures soon!
9/19
We went to a drive in movie tonight-Sweet.
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