Hello
Hello I’m Samantha, a nursing student from Fond du Lac
Tribal and Community College in Minnesota. I had the opportunity to travel to
Alaska along with eight of my fellow students and two of my instructors to
explore the role of a nurse in the rural schools and communities of Alaska.
Nursing here ranges from working in one and two room school houses to working in
schools with 370 or more children to providing culturally competent care to the
indigenous people. The nurse’s role is so unique here and different, it isn’t
like anything I have ever experienced before.
We're in Alaska
Words can’t even begin to explain everything I have
experienced so far. Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I have ever
been. The mountains are stunning, the ocean is exquisite, and moose are
everywhere! Needless to say there hasn’t been one dull moment on this trip, not
even the driving because everything is scenic and beautiful.
Day One: Friday March 15, 2013
Night snow shoeing with Emily and Andrea
On Friday morning we met Cheri for breakfast and talked
about the challenge of providing culturally competent care to the native
people of Alaska. After that we traveled to Seward and met our host and hostess,
Dennis and Pat, at the Bear Lake Bed and Breakfast where we spent the night.
That evening Andrea, Emily and I went night snow shoeing. It was so much fun. We
also had the opportunity to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
Day Two: Saturday March 16, 2013
On Saturday we visited the hospital in Seward Alaska. It’s an extremely, small hospital connected to the clinic. The hospital only has four inpatient beds. Any of the patients that stay at the hospital are relatively stable. The hospital has delivered a few babies, but only when the weather conditions are too severe to ship the mom/baby to Anchorage or when the delivery is too near. The hospital does have an emergency room, but doesn’t offer any surgical procedures. They also have a small lab where they can run basic laboratory tests. Later that afternoon we rode in a snow cat to Chugach National Forrest and snow shoed to exit glacier. Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses Exit glacier is one of the many glaciers world-wide that are regressing. Regressing refers to the ice of the glacier melting faster than ice is being formed. Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough transform into ice. What an incredibly neat thing. The weather was so beautiful, almost forty degrees. In fact, I was snow shoeing in a T-shirt.
Pictures from the day are below.
Pictures from the day are below.
Day Three: Sunday March 17, 2013
On Sunday we went deep sea fishing in Kachemak Bay for the great and mighty king salmon. The wind was causing some big waves and in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day I turned green. An hour into the trip I found out that I do indeed get sea sick. Bruce, our deck mate, informed us that I was the only person who got technically sea sick because you have to hurl. When we got the spot we were going to fish Bruce put a line into the water and immediately a king salmon bit the hook. Andrea reeled it up to the boat and unfortunately the fish never made it into the boat. Bruce pointed out three of the five volcanos that surround Kachemake Bay. Three of the five volcanos are currently active. The volcanos we saw were: Iliama, Augustine and Douglas. After an hour of no luck and two more people becoming ill we moved to calmer waters on the other side of the bay. There we repeatedly circled around seal rock, which had no seals on it, but seemed to be infested with sea otters. The sea otters were a main source of entertainment for us. After a few hours another king salmon bit a hook and Eric reeled it in. This one made it into the boat. It was a beautiful
fish that was around twenty pounds. We didn’t catch any other fish, but it was a gorgeous day and we got to enjoy more of Alaska’s beauty.
Pictures from the day are below.
fish that was around twenty pounds. We didn’t catch any other fish, but it was a gorgeous day and we got to enjoy more of Alaska’s beauty.
Pictures from the day are below.
Day Four: Monday March 18, 2013
On Monday Emily, Liz, Annie, and I went to an Old Russian community called Kachemak Selo. We shadowed Teri, a school nurse for this particular community. Teri travels to the community once a week. In order to access the community we had to climb down the switchback; a steep, winding road down the side of a mountain. The Old Russian religion and culture is very unique and fascinating. This particular community was considered very strict. The girls wore handmade dresses with a belt around their wastes. The boys wore handmade Russian shirts with belts around their wastes. From the belt up they considered themselves clean and from the belt down they were dirty. The community had two school houses with 27 students ranging from preschool to kindergarten. In each school house there is a sink in the middle of the hall. We weren't allowed to touch the sink because, according to their religion, we were considered pagan or unclean people. If we touched the sink it would be torn out of the wall and replaced. The people speak both Russian and English. At school they are supposed to speak English, but they have a Russian class every day. The children tend to speak a combination of both Russian and English, so their conversations are quite interesting to listen to. The girls also take a sewing class after school each day. The men of this culture are primarily fishermen and the women stay home to take care of their children. Men are the head of the household, but Teri told us that the women tend to be more educated than the men. The young boys tend to leave school to go fishing with their fathers while the girls are educated and more likely to pursue a college education. There are some other communities located in Alaska, Oregon, China, and Belize. Although some of the communities may be close in distance others are very far away. People in the communities tend to stay in the community. If you leave you probably won’t see your family again. Families are large, consisting of 10 - 15 children per family. These people do not believe in birth control. Teri told us that all of the people in the community are related in some way, shape, or form. When a young man or woman is old enough to marry they are sent to different villages to find their spouse. They are normally wed around the age of eighteen, with some exceptions. The people do utilize electricity and some modern-day appliances. However, they do not have televisions. They live in isolated communities. The purpose of their isolation is to keep them from conforming to the ways of modern society. According to Teri alcoholism in this community wasn’t a problem, it was a way of life. Drinking wasn’t allowed inside of the community, but outside of the community the people could do whatever they wanted. The beaches around the community were cluttered with empty beer cans and bottles. If one of the people were caught drinking inside of the community they are punished, women more severely than men. The people are very modest and shy when “outsiders” enter the community. The children were more welcoming than the adults. All of the people were relatively healthy. The most concerning health problems were asthma and allergies. Only one child had asthma and two had allergies. However, there was one boy who was mostly deaf from a childhood illness. Teri told us that if a person does have a debilitating condition such as deafness or blindness it is
most like caused by a childhood illness. The people don’t believe in western medicine. When they are ill they utilize home remedies such as herbal medicine. Their condition would have to be quite severe before they would even consider utilizing western medicine. If one child becomes ill almost all of the children in the community become ill. While we were there Annie, Liz and I had the opportunity to teach the elementary children about the importance of hand washing. What a great teaching opportunity for us. Teri also talked about ATV safety. The boys and girls there drive four-wheelers very fast and dangerously. Four-wheelers are one of their main sources of transportation and they are overly comfortable driving them. After our long and informative day we got to hike back up the switchback. What a breathtaking hike, quite literally.
Pictures from the day are below.
most like caused by a childhood illness. The people don’t believe in western medicine. When they are ill they utilize home remedies such as herbal medicine. Their condition would have to be quite severe before they would even consider utilizing western medicine. If one child becomes ill almost all of the children in the community become ill. While we were there Annie, Liz and I had the opportunity to teach the elementary children about the importance of hand washing. What a great teaching opportunity for us. Teri also talked about ATV safety. The boys and girls there drive four-wheelers very fast and dangerously. Four-wheelers are one of their main sources of transportation and they are overly comfortable driving them. After our long and informative day we got to hike back up the switchback. What a breathtaking hike, quite literally.
Pictures from the day are below.
Day Five: Tuesday March 19, 2013
On Tuesday Annie, Andrea, Tammy and I flew in a little plane to the schools in Port Graham and Soldovia. Port Graham is a native school. There were twenty two students from kindergarten twelveth twelfth grade. Tammy and Andrea talked to the elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade) about choosing healthy cereal by looking at the sugar and fiber content on the labels. Hailey (a student from Homer) and I talked to the high school students about nursing as a career. The people in this town have no road access. The only way for them to get their groceries or other items is by plane. There is only one store in Port Graham and tourism isn’t very common. The price of living is very high for them (fruits and vegetables are not readily available). Poverty is widespread. Around eleven O’ clock or so we flew to the school in Soldovia. Before the road system was put in Soldovia was the large town in the area and Homer barely existed. Now Homer is huge and Soldovia is more or less a retirement community. Because of Soldovia’s history the school is very large, but there are very few students. I can’t recall the number of students exactly, but it was somewhere between 40 – 50 students. This school is outfitted with a full sized gym, a swimming pool, and an early childhood development program. After the school day we had the opportunity to walk around Soldovia and see some of the tourist sites.
Pictures from the day are below.
Pictures from the day are below.
Day Six: Wednesday March 20, 2013
On Wednesday Kevin, Liz and I traveled to Nikiski North Star Elementary School. This school was very different from the rest of the schools I have worked in so far. This school had 370 students in just the elementary school. We spent most of our day in the nurse’s office observing the nurse’s busy job. I learned that Ice and Band-Aids can cure anything:) Deni, the school nurse, sees an average of seventy students each day.
Day Seven: Thursday March 21, 2013
On Thursday Emily, Liz, Annie, and I spent the day in public health. The focus of this particular public health facility is on infection/disease prevention, women’s reproductive health, and vaccinations.
Day Eight: Friday March 22, 2013
Earlier in the day we went to a one room school house for a tour. The dynamics of a one room school house are really cool. What a challenge for one teacher to teach every student in grades K-12. After that Kevin, Andrea, Emily and I went to Alyeska ski resort for the afternoon. Let me just say, DOWN MOUNTAIN SKIING! It was a lot of fun. Their “easy” hills are like the hardest ones at Spirit Mountain ski resort. I was up for the challenge and enjoyed the sight as I rode up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the challenge as I skied down to the bottom.
Pictures from the day are below.
Pictures from the day are below.