Does anyone else ever find themselves thinking about how they would hypothetically medically treat someone?

Like, if you’re watching a movie, and someone gets hurt in the movie, and you start thinking about what you’d do to help them? Or even just a story on the news, or an experience your friend tells you about. My brain immediately starts to think about medical care that would be involved. It’s weird, but perhaps it’s a good sign.

The closest thing I can equate it to is when I took a film class in high school. We were to watch the movie Casablanca nearly frame by frame to understand the composition, camera work, setting, lighting, etc. . After finishing watching the film like that for a few days, my teacher said, “now, when you see things on TV or in the theater, try not to analyze it like you did here.” I think a similar thing is happening to me with nursing, in that I’m thinking about it constantly instead of just thinking about it when applicable.

Maybe I’m just really itching to start working. Either way, my experiences in this class and in the attached clinical have been phenomenal this semester, and I feel like they’ve really helped to get me motivated for what’s to come. Being in the critical care, DOU, emergency, and operating room settings have helped me to really apply what I’ve learned in class to my patients, and I can’t wait to start doing that as a real nurse.

Cheers!

-Carl

In regards to end of life, I have very little experience with the subject from a family perspective. The most recent death in my family happened to my grandfather when I was 7 years old, so I barely remember the details from the event. One thing I do remember, however, is how my mother reacted after the fact.

My mother is very religious, and I think watching her father slowly decline neurologically and physically was very hard on her. She has told all of us in our immediate family that she does not want to be resuscitated if she dies, or put on life-sustaining measures (such as ventilator, tube feeding, etc.) if something were to happen to her. Interestingly, she has not signed an official DNR order yet, but she feels very strongly about the subject and doesn’t want to be kept alive artificially.

I feel like that has sort of rubbed off on me a bit, too. I’m not as religious as she is, but I’d definitely prefer not to be on a ventilator or kept alive by artificial feeding if I’m in, say, a serious car accident. If I went into cardiac arrest for some reason then yes, I would like to be resuscitated, but I’m not worrying about that too much right now. This topic parallels what we discussed in advanced assessment, and I’d like to iterate what I said during that discussion: if I were to find myself dying or in a resuscitative situation, I’d want my family around me. They’ve always been extremely supportive of me when I’ve been ill, and that has made those experiences better. I love my family very much, and having them be by my side in that type of situation would be very reassuring.

I’ve not heard too much about this topic from my peers in class. While I know some have had traumatic experiences with friends and loved ones being sick or passing away, I think that we as healthcare practitioners have learned to become much more resilient to those kinds of events. Not only have we become more resilient, but we have also become more empathetic towards those going through such difficult times, and that has made us much better nurses as this program has gone on.

Overall, this is a weird topic for me to be thinking about personally, but learning and thinking about it has definitely enhanced my ideas and feelings toward the subject of death and dying.

I performed my “drug survey” with my stepfather, whom I live with. He’s in his early 60s, and is a pretty cool guy.

Stepdad takes three medications. He does not know the names off the top of his head, but he knows that “one is for cholesterol, the other two are for prostate” (atorvastatin, tamsulosin, finasteride). He knows what they look like as well, so he won’t get confused about what he’s taking. He actually has this neat little system where he puts his daily medications and supplements in these little plastic jars with lids, and organizes them accordingly. He’s smart.

When asked about side effects, he could not list any. He stated that he had never felt any adverse effects when taking the medications (good), but he was unaware of what the potential side effects could be (not so good). He recalled that his pharmacist told him about them when he was prescribed the drugs, but he could not remember since that was a long time ago. I believe this is a common theme with many people who have prescription medications.

In regards to safe doses, stepdad does not know the exact dose he is supposed to take every day. However, he does know that he is only supposed to take the medication once a day, and is not supposed to “double-up” if he missed a day. He also knows that it’s supposed to be taken with food, so he always takes his meds during breakfast. He takes them at the same time and does not forget. He’s the kind of guy who follows instructions really well, so if he reads a label that says “take once a day with food” he will stick to it.

Lastly, stepdad only uses one herbal medication among his various supplements. He takes Milk Thistle, which he says his doctor recommended for him. Why? Stepdad likes to have a glass of wine or two every day, and his doctor said taking the milk thistle will help to “keep his liver healthy”. He’s not aware of what it exactly does or what any side effects may be, but he takes it and appears to be satisfied. He also takes glucosamine, vitamin d3, and fish oil as supplements.

Essentially, stepdad knows what his meds are for and why he takes them. Even if he does not know all the details about the exact doses and side effects, he will not hesitate to ask his physician if he ever has any questions or concerns. Shoutout to stepdad for being cool and letting me ask (and post) about his medication experience.

I found an article published in January that reported on a study linking psychosocial well-being to cardiovascular health: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287802.php

The study looked at the cardiovascular health of a large group of people. There was an initial study done when the group was in their childhood, and another 27 years later. The first study assessed their psychosocial situation at home and school, while the second assessed their cardiovascular health and lifestyle factors when they were grown up. Remarkably, children with stressful and unstable childhoods were more likely to have cardiovascular problems when they were grown up.

I think findings like this are important because it helps medical professionals to remember the importance of developmental factors and how it may impact future health. As a student nurse, I’ve learned a lot about the education provided to adolescents and adults when it comes to cardiovascular health, but I’ve not seen anything like this. Technology and medicine aimed at improving cardiovascular health are common here in America, but it’s important to remember that the best prevention and care can really begin at home in a stable environment. While this study is not indicative of ALL children and their psychosocial development, providing a good upbringing and a less stressful lifestyle for your kids will not only improve their psychosocial development, but will ultimately benefit their future health too.

State a team name, letter of your group (A-F), and describe the reason the name was chosen:
Group 11 (Nikki, Carl, Janine)
COPD – we chose this name because it is the disease we chose to highlight in our project

Group Meeting time(s) and location(s) for the duration of the semester:

Role of each group member (Are there roles? Or delegated tasks?):

Who will lead each meeting? If you will rotate, detail how this will occur?:

Who will take minutes and record action items? If you will rotate, detail how this will occur?:

What will your process be for dealing with group members who miss meetings or who are late? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one-on-one or as a group?

What will your process be for dealing with distractions (side bar conversations, cell phone conversations, etc.) during a meeting? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one-on-one or as a group?

What will your process be for decision making? If you decide on a consensus vote, what will your process be for making a decision if consensus cannot be reached?:

What will your process be for dealing with team member who does not fulfill his or her team assignment(s)? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one-on-one or as a group?:

What will your process be for resolving conflict within the group? Will the discussion happen one-on-one or as a group?:

List any other applicable group norms that your group committed to:

First and Last Name of all group members:
Nikki Ives
Carl Eisenthal
Janine Villanueva