Wow, now I feel old

Somedays at MedEx we get to see speakers that those of us who've been here since Tier 1 have already seen before, but Im glad we do! Its interesting because I like to see how the field has evolved since then and how my perception of that field has evolved as well. This morning, we began with the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA) presentation by Mr. Richard Wilson. I remember earlier this summer we had Dr. Morgan, the anesthesiologist, come in and speak to us about the same field but hearing about it from a different perspective. Since the last time I saw Mr. Wilson speak CRNA autonomy in the healthcare field was growing, and it still is. Im surprised at how much they can do without an Anesthesiologist around and that in some states they have more autonomy than others. It certainly is a lot of schooling to go through so I get why they have more responsibility than a regular nurse, especially now if they will be required to get a PhD.

A cool prop one of the Tier 1 presentations had!

Seeing the Tier 1 presentations today was... weird. Like an old woman reflecting on her life I remember wearing those silly brown coats and being in their shoes (what, only 4 years ago??). I want them to do well, I want their presentations to go smoothly and they seem very prepared! Sometimes I cringe at some of the mistakes I remember making or how I used to have trouble speaking in-front of a group half that size but doing these kinds of presentations over and over again has helped me. A lot. I hope they realize, in hindsight, why its important for them to do this too.

Yep, that's a pretty big audience.

This afternoon was my first time going to Pendleton, and my first time spending an entire afternoon with a patient! It was certainly a different experience, difficult and easy, rather than hopping around every thirty minutes to a different person. It was also the first day that a patient wanted me to read anything from the book for them as well! I was nervous, and I definitely stumbled over a few words. When I was younger I used to have a speech impediment as well as a lisp which certainly took a toll on my self confidence. Thank goodness my mom had the foresight to enroll me in some classes to help with that but I've still never been 100% confident in my ability to speak out loud where my voice is the focus in the room (i.e. doing presentations or reading a story for a patient). After about two hours of reading though I certainly felt more confident than I had before. I feel as if Im still not the best at my patient interaction but hopefully Im providing some comfort to the people that I meet rather than they meet no one at all.

- Morning Drive-In Jam -

There's Nothing Holding Me Back - Shawn Mendes

Unholy - Hey Violet

Concrete Jungle (acoustic) - Au/Ra

Suggested books and articles:

Webb, G. (1930). The Prescription of Literature. Transactions of the American Climatological and Clinical Association, 46, 262–279.