Similarities Between Blood And Bikes

As a child, I remember excitedly reciting the names of human body parts and voraciously reading books about the medical world. My favorite activity I can recall revolved around me using my play pretend doctor’s kit to give my younger brother “checkups” to diagnose and treat the imaginary ailments he came to me with. This activity captivated me as it allowed me to mimic my parents’ former occupations and feel more empowered as I could take charge and make the “crucial decisions” which would “save my patient’s life.” My parents recognized my interest in the medical field and helped to further deepen my passion in the field of medicine. They answered my questions about the human body, encouraged my research into potential careers in medicine,

As I prepare for my first classes in nursing school, I recognize my unique position to examine the values that I will bring into my nursing career. Without any experience, my values remain relatively unshaped regarding healthcare. In contrast, the values of nurses who have already accumulated a variety of experiences tend to be more nuanced and informed. For this exercise, I met with one of these experienced nurses—CC, a cardiac-catheterization laboratory nurse who just welcomed her third child. Together, CC and I explored the differences in our upbringings, how we were each sucked into nursing, and how our values have changed throughout different life experiences. Above all, I intended to delve into the story of her fifteen-year career in order to discover how an experienced nurse philosophizes patient care.

In the corner of the small hospital room stood a shy little girl. “You shouldn't be in here, honey”, my mother said as she nudged me out of the room where my grandfather lay dying. At the time, I couldn't understand the enormity of the situation. Ignorant to what was happening around me, my innocent mind fled with curiosity. The beeping of the machines and the soft quick steps of nurses captivated my attention. I was fascinated with this strange new world. This is the moment that sparked my desire to become someone great; a nurse.

When I was nine years old, I was very sick, and I had to stay in the hospital. I have very few memories of the hospital, but I do faintly recall a few calming faces as I lay in a hospital cot. These calming appearances were the doctors and nurses of the hospital. During my stay, I interacted with the hospital staff which was made up of nurses and physicians. The main reason why I didn’t feel scared about my condition was due to the trust I had in the abilities of my doctors and nurses.

As I walked into that small and musty room, in a dimly lit corner of an office building, I did not expect much. I was very reluctant to accept my first job as a 16-year-old in medical records at a multi-physician practice in my small hometown. Why couldn’t I have been hired at the restaurant down the street where all of my friends worked? As I began this all but glorious job scanning paperwork, filing patient records, and obtaining multiple paper cuts along the way, it turned into something very unexpected. I ended up loving the atmosphere of working in a medical practice, and I knew the medical field was something I wanted to explore further.

Gang violence in America is a plague which ends the lives of thousands of youth. The two most notorious gangs, mostly located near Los Angeles, California, are are the Bloods and the Crips. Many things will be covered concerning these specific gangs to understand the basics of these two rival gangs, one must understand how they gain members, what actions they take to mark their territory, and what symbols they use to identify themselves.

Growing up around three female nurses in my family has sparked an interest in working in the medical field; being the introvert that I am, I decided that it was best to become a medical records field technician in Surprise Arizona. Being a big part of my life has I was growing up, my Nana and my two aunts Phyllis and Theresa all took upon the same career choice and became nurses. On February 14, 2012 I went with my Nana and my sister to the nursing home where my Nana works and passed out cookies for Valentine’s Day. While I was passing out cookies with my sister, I was able to see how the staff interacted with the patients and helped them if was needed, it made me realize that one day I would like to work somewhere in the medical field, but

Dressed in a white bath robe I leaned over to my little sister, Elly, with a toy stethoscope and began her physical. After observing Elly’s heart rate, reflexes, and vision I diagnosed her with the common cold and instructed her to stay in bed and eat chicken noodle soup. Playing doctor as a child was the beginning of my interest in medicine. As a teenager, attending doctor appointments cultivated my curiosity for the medical profession and convinced me to get my nursing assistant certification after high school. Working as a CNA developed my interest into a passion for medicine. I didn’t immediately know I wanted to be a physician assistant while playing doctor with Elly, or even after I became certified as a nursing assistant, but after realizing a PA’s work is like solving a puzzle I decided to pursue a Masters in Physician Assistant studies.

It is a warm summer evening at Grady Hospital. It is my first day as an emergency room volunteer. I’m nervous and eager, hoping to see something exciting. However, it is surreally quiet. Suddenly, there is word of an ambulance en route. Minutes later the paramedics burst into the trauma slot pushing a man on a stretcher. His head and face are covered with gauze that is soaked through with dark blood. It is a flurry of well-orchestrated movement as the attendings and residents start to resuscitate him. They pull back the bandages to reveal a deep gash that is bleeding profusely. With much effort his vital signs are stabilized and he begins to regain consciousness. Later, after the excitement had passed, I learned what brought him here. He is diabetic and couldn’t afford to properly manage his condition. He had fainted due to hypoglycemia and hit his head. He had almost lost his life because of the unfortunate financial realities of modern healthcare. In that moment, I came to appreciate the very real cost of disease and the incredible role physicians have in ameliorating it. This formative experience was the beginning of my path to medicine.

Ever since I was little, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. I was the kid who wrote in their elementary school yearbook that her dream job was to become a neonatologist. For my ninth birthday I received a pink stethoscope. My mother, who was a pediatric ICU nurse, taught me how to use it, and everyday I would listen to my dog’s chest to make sure his heart was “working right”. This was the start of my interest in healthcare.

My interest in the medical field dates back to my childhood, where I was intrigued by the combination of knowledge and passion. I spent many days in the hospital with my mother, often wandering the hallways while the nurses visited her. My mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, along with the discovery of polyps on her colon, which we would later find had a high chance of becoming cancerous. There was a vast number of medical personnel I would encounter over the next several years. I paid close attention to each one—their appearance, the questions they asked, and the equipment they used.

I shadowed a pulmonologist. For an entire month, I ceased to exist as anything but a silent observer. There, I observed and projected myself into the doctor’s shoes, and felt at home. I saw him piece information together, seek out subtle clues that other physicians had missed, and construct a picture that later would save a woman’s life. I had always loved solving puzzles as a child; it came to me naturally. Life had merely escalated the circumstances from building three -dimensional Star Wars battle ships to saving lives. The satisfaction I got from seeing the completed spaceship as a child was only a glimpse of the epitome of fulfillment I would later feel when I saw the grateful woman thank the doctor I shadowed

Although some may argue that Stacy could have easily learned about these characteristics through school, Stacy says that the tasks she must handle at the hospital are very different from completing homework assignments, which have very straightforward instructions. At the hospital, Stacy must often come up with solutions on the spot, whereas she is able to complete school assignments on her own time. This shows how her service experience was the only way she truly learned her ability to work spontaneously. This was also her first time interacting with patients and children, which demonstrates just how valuable her experience was toward her discovery of her interest in becoming a physician. Helping others is essential to learning about any innate talents we may possess. By dedicating ourselves to the service of others, we not only learn how we operate with other people, but also do so with the greater benefit of helping the community. Therefore, I urge the reader to try attending a new service activity and reflecting on the experience afterwards. By working in a new environment, I hope that the reader will find out something new about his or her own

With my heart beating frantically, I tried to control my breathing. “Leah Hoag?” a stern voice called from behind the oversized doors. I glanced down at my bag of supplies once more, inhaled a slow, deep breath, and stepped into the room. Little did I know that the round of the clinical nursing competition I was about to walk into would fortify my love for the nursing profession. Visiting the pediatrician’s office as a little girl, I viewed the nurses as heroes dressed in scrubs because I saw them first and sometimes were the ones who made me feel better without having to see the doctor. The profession holds a special place in my heart because both my grandmother and great-grandmother were nurses. Nevertheless, I had not seriously thought about becoming one of my scrub-clad heroes, but, rather, had only admired from afar.

This is not the first time that I was invited to reflect on my life, and as it had been in the past, I would not hold back and be honest in my self-appraisal. In the last couple of years, my health has not been as great as it used to be. Thanks to the torn menisci on my knees. Indeed, there is much to be desired in my current health status. However, as had been observed, nurses make some of the worst patients. I ignore my body’s signals to go slow and take it easy. Many times I find myself scurrying around, not mindful of my aching knees, the need to use the bathroom, or take time for break. I am an antithesis of what I urged my patients to be. In a sense, I feel that I preach empty words to my patients and that my actions belie my words. Reflecting on my current health status, I realize that I have to stop being a type A person and let go the image of the nurse as a superhuman, but, rather, as a person who has basic needs just like everyone else.