I learned a lot from my two shifts in the Emergency Department at Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue. On the first day we had a patient come in with mental health concerns who was very agitated. We were able to be very hands on with the patient, and it was a great experience. Our nurse was very helpful and very eager to teach us how the ED runs. I was also able to insert my first IV and it was a success. Our nurse said that it is all about the confidence that you have in your skills which is one of the things that I will take away from the ED experience. In addition to that, we learned a lot about how care works in the smaller villages. Kotzebue is the hub for the villages in northern Alaska. In each village there is a clinic that is staffed with a community health aide who has training similar to an EMT. They assess patients, and then if additional care is needed, they will be flown to Kotzebue or Anchorage depending on the condition.
In rural Alaska there are a lot of issues with mental health, drugs, alcohol and abuse. Therefore it is very common to see patients with these conditions come into the Emergency Department. To address issues of abuse, there is a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) nurse who manages these cases. It was saddening to hear about how prevalent these issues are among the Alaska Native people, but positive to know that the issues were being dealt with in a positive manner.
The second day in the Emergency Department was about as busy as our first day, and we cared for a much younger patient than the previous day. I found that I personally really enjoy the diversity of patients that we got to take care of. The Alaskan culture is truly an amazing one. Everyone that we met was so welcoming and willing to teach us about the ways of their people. It really showed me personally that as a nurse I can do so many different things and it reassured me that I don't have to know exactly what I want to do as a nurse right away because I will get so many opportunities to take care of all kinds of people in my career.
The takeaways that I will carry with me from my experience in the Emergency Department in Kotzebue are that small hospitals are great (I would enjoy the opportunity to work in one someday), I need to take every opportunity to learn about the culture of the people around me, and skills are just skills unless you are confident enough to do them. Thank you Alaska for helping me realize that.
In rural Alaska there are a lot of issues with mental health, drugs, alcohol and abuse. Therefore it is very common to see patients with these conditions come into the Emergency Department. To address issues of abuse, there is a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) nurse who manages these cases. It was saddening to hear about how prevalent these issues are among the Alaska Native people, but positive to know that the issues were being dealt with in a positive manner.
The second day in the Emergency Department was about as busy as our first day, and we cared for a much younger patient than the previous day. I found that I personally really enjoy the diversity of patients that we got to take care of. The Alaskan culture is truly an amazing one. Everyone that we met was so welcoming and willing to teach us about the ways of their people. It really showed me personally that as a nurse I can do so many different things and it reassured me that I don't have to know exactly what I want to do as a nurse right away because I will get so many opportunities to take care of all kinds of people in my career.
The takeaways that I will carry with me from my experience in the Emergency Department in Kotzebue are that small hospitals are great (I would enjoy the opportunity to work in one someday), I need to take every opportunity to learn about the culture of the people around me, and skills are just skills unless you are confident enough to do them. Thank you Alaska for helping me realize that.