Day 2

The second day I was put on East hall where the patients are much more independent--and I had less patients. It's hard at first because you don't have anything to really orient you with each patient other than another person who already know what care he/she needs. You don't know what to look for, what to ignore, what to be alarmed about, what is normal, what's not normal, etc. with each patient. The second day was definitely easier, but by no means clear. :) I took care of one patient with MS! I know that the exclamation mark might be misplaced, but I couldn't help but love the opportunity for exposure to the kind of diseases that I want to do research in later on and hopefully help .... mm... dare I say it ... cure? This patient actually happened to be one of my favorites--and no, not just because she had a neuro-degenerative disease. Her name is Connie and she is so sweet. She was thankful for everything and complimented me on the job I did, which is very nice considering you're main goal is to please them with your care and have that care be good as well as sufficient. Another patient I loved was Charles. I must say, he scared me when I first saw him in the morning. He has a motorized wheelchair and has no legs. Later, when he awoke and I saw him at breakfast and took care of him in his room, I found he was so pleasant, very thankful for everything, and a very warm, happy person. It amazes me how these people can keep a positive outlook. I seriously learn so much everyday on this job. These people are astounding. One last honorable mention, haha, was a man by the name of David Bullock. He was a younger resident and pretty capable except for an amputated leg and some other things I don't think I'm aware of. I went home and found out that he happens to be the first ex-husband of the woman my uncle is now dating/befriending!