I Could Never be a Teacher

Isn't funny how you find a profession that is right for you, even if it may be extremely undesirable to others? For example, many many many people think nursing could never be for them. My own family has no idea how I do the jobs I do at work because they think it is extremely gross....but it just sort of fits for me I guess. At this point I can't see myself doing anything else (other than my dream job, of course- Pixar!). So everybody has that job in their mind that "they don't know how people survive in" or they think "they could never do". Mine is teaching.

I thought about it, going back to get my Masters and teaching nursing to college nursing programs one day....And its still a *slight* possibility, but getting smaller and smaller. This past week It was my turn to go to the Junior clinical (same place I was last year-ah!) and help them with their assignments. Our job was to pick out their patient, learn about their patient, go home and prepare questions to ask them the next morning, go the next morning to clinical, ask them all about their patients and watch them squirm because they are nervous and haven't learned anything yet, and then you feel awesome because you know things and they don't.

Well, I did fine with that part. But during the day the students come up to me asking me questions and I am thinking in my head, "What kind of a question is THAT? Where do you come up with these things???" And I think it is because of this: Nursing students are very inquisitive. As am I. They like to understand everything, to every possible extent. When learning about a disease their patient has, they want to know as much as possible, even if that means coming up with the smallest, most detailed questions about the disease. I remember doing it to my seniors when I was a junior and I remember asking my professor. Not because I wanted to put them on the spot, but because I genuinely thought they might know...They seemed so smart. They handled our questions so smoothly, when I, this week, probably looked at them very strangely and gave them the best answer I could.

 I could never be a teacher. This was my second experience working with someone that I was assigned to teach. It was weird because this time around, it was their patient- technically, not mine. I was only their to watch the student do the assigned work. But the way I work- I just want to get things done. I don't like to just stand there watching something (that also ties into my extreme ADD), so when the student is doing one thing, I desperately want to continue on to the next activity and complete that, even though I know she is supposed to practice. Oy. I guess I'm used to doing that at work, me and my fellow aides can practically read each others minds and can work as one being- with 4 hands getting the job done.

And then the students ask questions because they like rationale. Why are we taking her blood pressure again? Why does the pulse ox light turn on? Why is the sky blue? Why do we have to keep my patients feet up? Why does the shot she gets come prefilled?

So thats a minor update on last week...let me try and think of other things....

my NYT reading is not going great. I need more time! AH! But, i did buy an awesome book on clearance that is called "Smarter by Sunday" and every weekend you read about something new that they teach you about, and supposedly by the end of the year you will be a genius. So yesterday I learned about Illiad and the Odyssey and Homer, which I already knew about but it was a nice review. Also, I am reading a lot of Atul Gawande's work, and he is SO fascinating to read. I can't get enough of all these smart people.

Um...Cute moment of the week during babysitting:

I am cooking dinner.
4 year old boy, (R): What are you making?
Me: Chicken nuggets, green beans and mandarin oranges (weird combination-the mom picked it not me)
(R): I don't like green beans.
Me: Why not??? They are so good! They help you grow really tall and strong!! ( I made hand gestures)
(R): *skeptical* Okay.

*After Dinner* (He ate ALL of his green beans!)

(R): Julie!
me: What?
(R): I can already feel myself growing taller!!!
Me:  :-) !

I'm pretty sure thats all I have to update you on. I probably had a lot more in mind when I said last post "Oh my god I have a lot to update you on" but now I cant remember. So, sorry for that false excitement.

With Immense amounts of love,

~A Writer In a Nurse's Body