My Alaskan Experience
I was extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to experience an aspect of rural community nursing in the beautiful state of Alaska. The entire experience was nothing I had imagined it to be. Before going, I had imagined a remote deserted location that was dark 24 hours a day and displayed cold, harsh weather conditions. My expectations were completely different from reality. I completely fell in love with Alaska during our trip and I often find myself craving to go back.
Saturday March, 16 2013
We started our Saturday morning off by visiting the hospital in Seward Alaska. Kim, an RN was nice enough to give us a tour of the facility and explain the services they provide to the community. The facility was a small hospital that was connected to their community clinic. The hospital contained 4 inpatient beds that held only stable patients whose outcomes were relatively predictable. Commonly admitted patients were there with a diagnosis of COPD exacerbations, RSV in kids, and pneumonia. There was 1 OB room where only a few babies had been born, but most mothers were encouraged to go to Anchorage for the last few weeks of pregnancy. If a mother went into labor during the winter months and the trip was too harsh to be taken by ambulance, they would be flown to Anchorage by helicopter or fixed wing planes. The hospital was also beginning to have "swing bed" patients who were stable and recovering from recent hospitalizations in Anchorage. The hospital did have an ER, but there were no offered surgical procedures. Those requiring surgery were taken to Anchorage. The attached clinic had 6 patient exam rooms. The hospital had a lab there where simple tests were performed. I was surprised by the technology this hospital had for its size. Most of the equipment was newer and up to date. The rooms were very clean and well kept.
After our trip to the hospital we were taken on a tour of Exit Glacier. In order to get to the top we all rode in a snow cat and snow shoed out way to the top. The weather that day was absolutely beautiful, close to 40 degrees. We started out all bundled up in layers of snow clothes and by the time we came back down the glacier, we had shed a few layers, ending out tour in t-shirts. We had a adventurous day that was full of laughs! It was the perfect way to begin our trip and get to know each other on a more personal level, outside of school.
After our trip to the hospital we were taken on a tour of Exit Glacier. In order to get to the top we all rode in a snow cat and snow shoed out way to the top. The weather that day was absolutely beautiful, close to 40 degrees. We started out all bundled up in layers of snow clothes and by the time we came back down the glacier, we had shed a few layers, ending out tour in t-shirts. We had a adventurous day that was full of laughs! It was the perfect way to begin our trip and get to know each other on a more personal level, outside of school.
Clinical Day 1 - Public Health
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when two other students and I were first dropped off at the Homer public health building this morning. We were greeted by three very pleasant registered nurses who seemed more than thrilled to have us there and already had an itinerary planned out for the first half of the day. After introductions and a tour of their building, the nurses had us watch a video called The Old Believers. The film was a documentary that was done in Canada and followed a couple of Russian Orthodox families. The movie gave me a much better understanding about the old believer’s traditions, beliefs, and practices. Getting familiar with their beliefs and traditions will be beneficial since I will be going to a school with old Russian believer children tomorrow. After we watched the movie one of the registered nurses escorted us to the WIC office in Homer. There we were given a tour and a brief overview of what WIC offers to the community. I have been going to WIC in Minnesota for a few years now and it was interesting to compare and contrast the office there to one here in Alaska. Back in Minnesota most of the charting at WIC is done electronically, while the WIC here in Alaska are still doing paper charting. Another difference was that the office in Minnesota offers vaccinations for children, while the office here does not. I was able to see the types of foods that WIC offers to residents here in Alaska and they are identical to the foods offered in Minnesota. After visiting the WIC office we went back to the public health building where the nurse talked about their services provided, individual care as well as helping the community as a whole, and how they measure the effectiveness of their services. It was interesting to learn that chlamydia cases here in the area that is treated in the public health building are very high in numbers. Another disease that is high in numbers here in the state of Alaska is Tuberculosis. The public health nurse said that TB is high in numbers in the more small remote, isolated villages where travel to the area is limited. After lunch we headed to the SVT Health and Wellness Center in Homer where we were given a tour of the facility. The facility was gorgeous and the wellness center was so relaxing. The wellness center was newly built and offered acupuncture, acutonics (needless acupuncture), Chinese herbal medicine, nutritional coaching, massage therapy, and naturopathic medicine. You could feel how holistic their approach to medicine was. It was extremely interesting to see such a different health care facility than ones we have in Minnesota. The most interesting thing in my opinion to see today was the pharmacy system at the SVT Health Center. It seriously looked like a huge vending machine full of medications. The nurse who was giving us the tour explained that when a medication was needed, a pharmacist in Anchorage would dispense a medication from the machine using a computer system. When the pharmacist entered in the medication to dispense, the medication would drop down exactly like candy dropping from a vending machine. I thought it was very cool and definitely different than any pharmacy I have ever seen in Minnesota.