Work Experience: Part 2

I'm not sure how many of you read through that last novel of a post, but it's OK.  This blog is as much for me as it is for you.

Well, after about 8 months of working at Jamestown (and putting my application in at the hospital for every single job that got posted) I finally got an interview for the Neurotrauma Rehabilitation unit at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.   And what do ya know?  It was my first interview at the hospital and I actually got the job...and that was even after showing up late.

Utah Valley Regional Medical Center

 So, for 2.5 years, this place has been my home away from home.

The position was for another graveyard shift.  However, this one worked a little better for me as it was 3 twelve-hour shifts a week instead of 5 eight-hour shifts.  I worked it out to where I was scheduled 3 on/4 off every week, which left more time for school/family/activities/etc.  People would often ask me while I was in school how I managed to work a full time night job and still attend classes.  Well, the answer to that is, I just did it.  Which is a lesson I've learned over the last few years.  Life isn't easy.  People all over the world deal with less-than-ideal circumstances.  How do we do it?  We just do.  I also managed to survive by knowing all the good (and some not-so-good) spots to sleep on BYU campus.  In case you're wondering, my top spots are underneath the stairs to the balcony seating in the De Jong and in the chairs next to the big windows in the periodicals section of the Harold B Lee Library.

My experiences at the hospital haven't been like those at Jamestown.  I have specific and enduring memories of that place.  My memories of the hospital, however, are more generalized.  Sure, I've got some fun ones, but nothing to the extent of Jamestown.  So, you're going to get a broad overview.

This is probably the first job I've had that I can actually say I loved.  First, the setting was exciting.  There are so many things to see and learn about in a hospital.  MRIs, CTs, XRays, ABGs, Code Blues, Ventilators, Tracheotomies, Strokes, Spinal Cord Injuries, Autonomic Dysreflexia, TBIs, Aphasia, Dysphagia, and so much more.  Medicine is so fascinating.

Second, I loved the type of care we provided.  Rehab is an amazing setting.  Our patients come in with severely limiting physical debilitations as well as the attendant fears and anxieties.  We (I should really give credit to our therapists) take those worries and help our patients channel them into hours of therapy each day.  They attend physical therapy, occupational therapy, and often speech therapy.  After days and weeks, the progress becomes apparent.  Strength and coordination return.  Cognition improves.  I get to witness amazing transformations.  The reward is in the small things though.  I cheer when a patient washes her hair or brushes her teeth for the first time since a stroke.  It's so rewarding to see a patient take his first feeble steps after a traumatic injury.  At my job, I get to watch miracles being worked every day.

Third, I love the patients...well, most of them :).  The part I really liked about working in Assisted Living was how well I got to know my residents.  Most patients in a hospital setting are usually only there for a couple of days, so you might see them for a shift and then they're gone.  Rehab patients stay anywhere from a week to a couple months.  I get to know them, their families, their stories.  I get to know them as people and not just patients.  Which, in turn, makes me a better caregiver.

Lastly, I love my coworkers.  I have never worked with a more selfless bunch of people.  With very, very few exceptions, my coworkers are always willing to jump up and help out at the drop of a hat.  There is no "it's not my patient" mentality.  And perhaps, one of the biggest lessons I will take away from the hospital is just how amazing nurses really are.  They are the life blood of healthcare.  They do much more than perhaps any other person in the hospital (except for maybe CNAs :) ).  They are intelligent, thoughtful, and trustworthy people.  Are there exceptions?  Of course.  There are always a few dopes out there.  But, for the most part, they're amazing.  I think that the doctors that look down on nurses are really missing out on great working relationships that can really benefit them and their patient care.  So, if you're a nurse, and you're reading this, thank you for all you do.

Well, there you have it.  That's about all I have to say concerning my work experience.  I have learned a ton and think that I will be a better PA for it.  I'm glad that that requirement is in place.  After all, no amount of bookwork can substitute for real life, hands-on experience.