Day 1: Today, I flew in two of the smallest airplanes the world has ever manufactured. The one was a commercial flight that consisted of a 2 columns of one-seat rows, i.e., everyone got a window seat (woo-hoo!).
Megan and I met our nurse Judy, and she is so friendly and eager to help us get the most out of this experience. We went on a 3.5 mile walk where she showed us the entire village: the air taxi, the “uptown” and “downtown,” the barge landing, and the clinic. This village consists of a pretty well off side and a side whose living conditions aren’t quite as extravagant. I will say that I was surprised in a good way. I guess I had these images in my head of what a village of roughly 75 people should be and they blew my expectations out of the water. They have running water, electricity (this is collected through wind power and the use of a water turbine—how cool is that??), cell phones, “snow machines,” and four-wheelers. The clinic is wonderful as well as the new welcoming and intelligent health aides. I don’t know how they manage to take care of an entire village by themselves, but they do and they do it well.
One thing I need to remind myself is to never assume. Yes, this village has things very good for them for the fact that they are willing to do what is necessary to make health changes, but they still lack access and require the visits of a PHN and the constant hard work and dedication of a Health Aide. That being said, there are villages that do not have the resources, capabilities, and mindset that this village has, and I need to make sure not to clump this village in with others who may need more assistance.
Even though this experience is off to a slower start, I am still loving the radio silence, not having to be on my phone constantly, and how peaceful it is out here. It’s not like the village is living in past times with no running water, electricity, or vehicles. Their main source of transportation seems to be “snow machines” when the snow has fallen and airplanes the size of my thumb.
Every time I fly in one of those planes, I feel like I can do anything. It makes me want to become a pilot. I can see why they enjoy being up there so much just due to the ability to see everything from a different perspective. It makes me realize how small we are and even our problems are that may seem endless and vast. If one wants to talk about endless and vast, one only needs to hop in one of those smaller planes and view the Alaska from that point of view.
Day 2: The morning started like any other. Due to daylight savings, it was still dark when I awoke. The village is out in the midst of trees and vast lands. The mountains and hills glisten in the distance, but are miles away leaving mostly flatland and river access for the village.
To start off the day, a good breakfast is always needed (banana with peanut butter and oatmeal). When 0830 rolled around, we hit the ground running by opening up the clinic where we slept.
The elders in the village are well-respected and kind people. However, as they age, they may need some assistance with day-to-day activities. Troubles with memory left one of the elders to struggle with daily activities and the need for medication compliance. I helped with vitals and yes, I took a manual blood pressure for the first time in ages! She told us about her life prior to where she is now, and I was able to see her kind heart. I won’t trade this experience for anything.
Following the home visit, we squeezed a 1.5 to 2 mile walk in the gorgeous sunshine. Walking in this village and looking out at the horizon made me realize how vast the land is out there. In the middle of summer and spring, it is a swamp. In the winter, it is tundra. Oh for the beauty. . .
Around noon is when the fun began. I have always struggled with the teaching aspect of nursing for the fact that I have never felt confident in my abilities, but I am learning to love each and every part of nursing. . . including education. We went to the school in Igiugig where they split the students in to two groups: k-4th grade in one room (there were no 5th graders) and 6th-12th grade in the other. I initially planned the teaching for the older group of students without any knowledge of the village, population, and target of education for the students. I had the broad topics of diabetes and FAS. However, my PHN gave me a few tips for future education that I will be able to take with me, and I know that I can adapt my knowledge and skills more effectively in the future.
After the education sessions, we wrapped up the day with a well-child check. I was able to see the process in a condensed version. Even though it had to be brief due to what the child would allow, I noted the education and assessment the PHN performed not only of the child, but of the parent as well. With that assessment, some education on milestones and nutrition were completed as necessary. Even though I didn’t do a lot of hands-on activities with this session, I was able to observe the necessary assessments and interventions done by a PHN that I had never seen in action before. Who knows? Maybe, I’ll consider public health nursing in the future. . .
Day 3: Day three was a short one in Igiugig. We had one final, routine visit with an adorable toddler that melted my heart. We said our farewells and were on our flights back to Anchorage.
In this short time, I saw so many aspects of public health nursing that ranged from assessments to public education and building relationships. That is one thing I could not stress enough when it comes to public health nursing. The importance of relationships is what allows for effective nursing practice in that field. If I take anything away from this experience, it’s that relationships are the key to effective and holistic nursing.
Megan and I met our nurse Judy, and she is so friendly and eager to help us get the most out of this experience. We went on a 3.5 mile walk where she showed us the entire village: the air taxi, the “uptown” and “downtown,” the barge landing, and the clinic. This village consists of a pretty well off side and a side whose living conditions aren’t quite as extravagant. I will say that I was surprised in a good way. I guess I had these images in my head of what a village of roughly 75 people should be and they blew my expectations out of the water. They have running water, electricity (this is collected through wind power and the use of a water turbine—how cool is that??), cell phones, “snow machines,” and four-wheelers. The clinic is wonderful as well as the new welcoming and intelligent health aides. I don’t know how they manage to take care of an entire village by themselves, but they do and they do it well.
One thing I need to remind myself is to never assume. Yes, this village has things very good for them for the fact that they are willing to do what is necessary to make health changes, but they still lack access and require the visits of a PHN and the constant hard work and dedication of a Health Aide. That being said, there are villages that do not have the resources, capabilities, and mindset that this village has, and I need to make sure not to clump this village in with others who may need more assistance.
Even though this experience is off to a slower start, I am still loving the radio silence, not having to be on my phone constantly, and how peaceful it is out here. It’s not like the village is living in past times with no running water, electricity, or vehicles. Their main source of transportation seems to be “snow machines” when the snow has fallen and airplanes the size of my thumb.
Every time I fly in one of those planes, I feel like I can do anything. It makes me want to become a pilot. I can see why they enjoy being up there so much just due to the ability to see everything from a different perspective. It makes me realize how small we are and even our problems are that may seem endless and vast. If one wants to talk about endless and vast, one only needs to hop in one of those smaller planes and view the Alaska from that point of view.
Day 2: The morning started like any other. Due to daylight savings, it was still dark when I awoke. The village is out in the midst of trees and vast lands. The mountains and hills glisten in the distance, but are miles away leaving mostly flatland and river access for the village.
To start off the day, a good breakfast is always needed (banana with peanut butter and oatmeal). When 0830 rolled around, we hit the ground running by opening up the clinic where we slept.
The elders in the village are well-respected and kind people. However, as they age, they may need some assistance with day-to-day activities. Troubles with memory left one of the elders to struggle with daily activities and the need for medication compliance. I helped with vitals and yes, I took a manual blood pressure for the first time in ages! She told us about her life prior to where she is now, and I was able to see her kind heart. I won’t trade this experience for anything.
Following the home visit, we squeezed a 1.5 to 2 mile walk in the gorgeous sunshine. Walking in this village and looking out at the horizon made me realize how vast the land is out there. In the middle of summer and spring, it is a swamp. In the winter, it is tundra. Oh for the beauty. . .
Around noon is when the fun began. I have always struggled with the teaching aspect of nursing for the fact that I have never felt confident in my abilities, but I am learning to love each and every part of nursing. . . including education. We went to the school in Igiugig where they split the students in to two groups: k-4th grade in one room (there were no 5th graders) and 6th-12th grade in the other. I initially planned the teaching for the older group of students without any knowledge of the village, population, and target of education for the students. I had the broad topics of diabetes and FAS. However, my PHN gave me a few tips for future education that I will be able to take with me, and I know that I can adapt my knowledge and skills more effectively in the future.
After the education sessions, we wrapped up the day with a well-child check. I was able to see the process in a condensed version. Even though it had to be brief due to what the child would allow, I noted the education and assessment the PHN performed not only of the child, but of the parent as well. With that assessment, some education on milestones and nutrition were completed as necessary. Even though I didn’t do a lot of hands-on activities with this session, I was able to observe the necessary assessments and interventions done by a PHN that I had never seen in action before. Who knows? Maybe, I’ll consider public health nursing in the future. . .
Day 3: Day three was a short one in Igiugig. We had one final, routine visit with an adorable toddler that melted my heart. We said our farewells and were on our flights back to Anchorage.
In this short time, I saw so many aspects of public health nursing that ranged from assessments to public education and building relationships. That is one thing I could not stress enough when it comes to public health nursing. The importance of relationships is what allows for effective nursing practice in that field. If I take anything away from this experience, it’s that relationships are the key to effective and holistic nursing.