Today Shelbey H. and I worked in the inpatient unit at the hospital. They have 11 patient beds and the patient population includes all ages from infant to elderly with a variety of diagnoses. One thing that is very different than I am used to is having paper charts. The medication information is on paper, along with some of the patient information, but there are some patient assessments that are charted in an electronic health record. The shift today seemed to be fairly consistent with other shifts that I have worked during other clinical rotations on a med-surg floor. After we finished at the hospital, we met a woman who makes things out of furs named Darlene. Paula had met her earlier and asked if we could meet Darlene and see some of her furs. Darlene invited us to her house, and she walked us there from the hospital. While we were walking, a puppy started following us and jumped onto one of the sleds we were borrowing from a staff member at the hospital. After a little while the puppy jumped off the sled and walked over near a house and sat down, so we are thinking that is maybe where the puppy lives. Once we got to Darlene's house, she invited us in and began showing us several of the furs that she had. Some of the furs she showed us were from caribou, wolf, sea otter, seal, polar bear, and calf. Darlene also took the time to share some stories about her family and their traditions, as well as information about her culture and it was clear to see how proud she is of her heritage. Darlene also brought out kuspuks for us to see and showed us how she makes the soles for mukluks. Darlene was so welcoming, offering us coffee and treats, then telling us that she was going to make us each a key chain using fur because she wanted us to each have something beautiful from her village. After leaving Darlene's house, we walked to the AC which has two levels, the first level has a grocery store and the second level has clothing and household items. Many of the food and household items are very expensive because of they need to be flown in or brought in on a barge when the water is open. The items that are heavy or those that take up a lot of space cost more to get to Kotzebue, so they are more expensive in the stores. After our visit to the AC, we then stopped at the fire station on our way to the hotel and had a brief tour and visited with the firemen that were there. Our supper was a Crock Pot meal which consisted of vegetable noodle alfredo and it was sure tasty! After we finished eating and got the supper dishes cleaned up, we divided up the gifts that we brought for our nurse preceptors and other people at the hospital that made our week special. If it is clear enough later tonight, we are planning on going out to see the northern lights.
AuthorHi! My name is Megan Hamernik and I am a senior nursing student at The College of St. Scholastica. While on this wonderful trip to Alaska, I was able to spend time in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Seward, Kotzebue, and Alyeska. Please continue reading to learn about my amazing capstone experience in Alaska! ArchivesCategories |