Archive for June, 2012

Home Sweet Home

June 18th, 2012 by Melissa Nelson '10

This past weekend I went home.  It had been such a long time since I went home and was so happy as I drove by the “Welcome to Massachusetts ” sign.  Sometimes you just need a break from everything and I think between school and work, I was at my wits’ end.  Having the ability to be with loved ones  and spend father’s day with my dad was fantastic.

As soon as I got home, I noticed some mail that was addressed to me, one being from HC. As I read the letter from HC it reminded me the importance of giving back to the institution that helped make me the person I am today.  It is important to give back and I know that I will be giving back to the institution that was like a 2nd home to me.  Even though I am 2 years out from HC,  I truly believe that anything you can give is just fine. The importance is to start now so that it becomes second nature to you. As we have learn from HC, we are ” men and women for others” and by donating yearly we are just reinforcing this mission.

The craziness of psychiatric clinicals

June 3rd, 2012 by Melissa Nelson '10

Sorry everyone for not updating lately. It has been quite hectic.  I just started a new job and summer classes have begun as well!   Right now I am doing my psychiatric clinicals and all I can say is that it is DEFINITELY different than  any other of my clinical experiences.  It is truly sad and disturbing sometimes the patients that I deal with. The past couple of clinical days have been a bit emotional because you become overwhelmed with the patients and their issues.

I always knew that the mental health system needed to be worked on. But now working with these kinds of patients have really showed me that our mental health system is horrible and that we need to do a lot more to make it better.  As healthcare providers and even as a society, we need to make more of an effort in creating programs that teach people the importance of mental health. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves not only physically but mentally.

I am not fond of this clinical to tell you the truth. However, one positive aspect of this clinical is the fact that  I am able to better my therapeutic communication skills. Therapeutic communication is one of the important aspects of psychiatric nursing. During clinical, I do a lot of talking with the patients and help them to come to terms with their various issues. I teach them coping skills and how to be a productive individual in society.  Hopefully the next couple of weeks will get better.

Tootles!