Hi! Sorry I haven't posted a message in awhile...we've lost the internet connection that we were picking up, so I'm not able to spend nearly as much time online. We are still looking into getting our own satellite though, and there might actually be a way for us to connect to the Nursing Station's connection after all. Either way, we will have internet again soon...hopefully! I know Wes is going a little crazy without it!
I finally got a chance to meet my Manager on Monday. Her name is Cheryl...I had talked to her several times on the phone before I got here, but hadn't had a chance to meet her in person. She's very nice! She came up for a couple of days for meetings and stuff, and left this afternoon (she lives in Ottawa). I got a chance to sit down and talk to her a little bit about my experience so far, and about my learning plan for work. Even though I still feel very far behind and pretty dense half the time, I keep being told that I'm doing really well and that I'm right on track...so I guess that's good news! It's really great to get that feedback and know that I'm not failing!
The clinic is very busy, but I love it! I get to see lots of really nice people, for lots of different things. It's a really great atmosphere. It makes me know for sure that I would love to be a Nurse Practitioner in a clinic someday. The Emergency and on-call shifts, on the other hand, are way more outside of my comfort zone. I get so nervous when I'm on call at night by myself...even though I know that the other Nurses are just moments away from the clinic and the Doctor in Moose Factory is just a phone call away. I just hope that as I keep learning my confidence will increase...I know it will. I think I know more than I realize, it's just a matter of having the confidence to know that what I'm thinking and what I'm doing are right!
So, I haven't heard much about what's going on with H1N1 in the South, but we're starting to treat for it here. I've seen quite a few people with flu-like symptoms over the past couple of days...I just hope I don't get it! I got the vaccine today...actually my arm is REALLY sore tonight! But don't let that stop you from getting the shot. It's worth a sore arm to avoid the fever, aches, sore throat, etc. that come with the flu. Our H1N1 vaccine clinic is next week, so I'm sure I will be busy giving lots of needles!
I can't believe Halloween is on Saturday! I don't even have any ideas for costumes for Wes and I...maybe we'll just have to wear each other's clothes and go as each other! Haha, at any rate, we'll just have to get very creative. Or I could be very uncreative and I could go as a Nurse...but that's just no fun at all. Any ideas???
We're still getting along well with everyone here. We had a movie night on Saturday night with the Teachers and some Nurses. And we've still been walking...although not so much since it snowed on Saturday. Actually I don't think we've been for a walk since Friday...blah. I need to get on the treatmill...especially since I'm now on my 2nd 4L container of ice cream!! Anyways, Wes is apparently having a "guy's night" tomorrow night with Andy (Paramedic) and Steve (Teacher), and I'll probably go hang out with the girls. And then we're going to be judges for the Halloween costume contest on Saturday night. Lots of fun, and lots to keep us busy!
Well, I guess that's all I have to update right now. Thanks for the suggestions of what to write about! Haha Teresa, I'm still trying to come up with some answers to your very philosophical questions! And I know Dad said he was going to post some discussion topics, although I'm writing this before I've checked my blog. I will check it tomorrow morning when I post this, and then my next posting will be about whatever you've asked.
I love you everyone! Once again, thank you all so much for all of your well wishes, love, and support. xoxoxoxo
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Keeping My Chin Up
Well, here we are in our third week in Kash, and we're quite settled. All of our boxes arrived on Friday (Oct. 16), so Wes is happy as a clam with his Playstation. And I'm really happy to have a better selection of clothes, and my books/personal belongings. It's really nice to have things that remind me of home and make me feel more comfortable.
I've been really challenged with the work here so far. There is SO much to know...the human body is a complicated, complex thing. I'm learning more and more every day, and I hope that someday I will actually be confident in my judgment and decision making. But, considering I've only been here for 2.5 weeks, I've come a long way. I've done lots of daytime clinics, where we do lots of prenatal visits (I LOVE doing the doppler test to hear the baby's heartbeat), and see lots of sore throats, earaches, colds, etc. Then I've had some on-call time, which is basically Emerge. People come in with abdominal pain, chest pain...all kinds of stuff. This is the part that still makes me the most nervous. I've never though of myself as an "Emerge" kind of girl, so I have LOTS of learning to do in that department. I think it'll be a really good experience, but I can still see myself wanting to be a Nurse Practitioner in a clinic setting when I get home.
I've had my ups, and I've definitely had some downs, but I think all in all I'm having a good experience so far. Wes is being so supportive of me (especially when I feel really overwhelmed after a busy day at work), and I've met some really great people that I can talk to at work. It's a little difficult to see people coming and going so often...like I mentioned in an earlier post, there's lots of coming and going. Most Nurses don't stay for any more than 4 weeks at a time, and then they leave. It's hard because you build friendships with people and then they're gone...but mostly I've found it especially hard to watch people so excited to go home and see their families, knowing that I would feel the exact same way if I were able to go. I miss everyone so much!! It will be so, soooo great to see you all when I come home though, and that thought keeps me moving forward.
Thanks to any of you that are still reading this and thinking of me! Rest assured, I am thinking of each of you too.
Hopefully we'll have pictures to upload soon...well we have the pics, just need to get them on here!! I'll keep working on it. Also, make some comments on my page if there's anything you're curious about that I haven't written yet...it's hard to decide what to write about, and I could use some suggestions!
Well, off to bed. Love you!
xoxo
I've been really challenged with the work here so far. There is SO much to know...the human body is a complicated, complex thing. I'm learning more and more every day, and I hope that someday I will actually be confident in my judgment and decision making. But, considering I've only been here for 2.5 weeks, I've come a long way. I've done lots of daytime clinics, where we do lots of prenatal visits (I LOVE doing the doppler test to hear the baby's heartbeat), and see lots of sore throats, earaches, colds, etc. Then I've had some on-call time, which is basically Emerge. People come in with abdominal pain, chest pain...all kinds of stuff. This is the part that still makes me the most nervous. I've never though of myself as an "Emerge" kind of girl, so I have LOTS of learning to do in that department. I think it'll be a really good experience, but I can still see myself wanting to be a Nurse Practitioner in a clinic setting when I get home.
I've had my ups, and I've definitely had some downs, but I think all in all I'm having a good experience so far. Wes is being so supportive of me (especially when I feel really overwhelmed after a busy day at work), and I've met some really great people that I can talk to at work. It's a little difficult to see people coming and going so often...like I mentioned in an earlier post, there's lots of coming and going. Most Nurses don't stay for any more than 4 weeks at a time, and then they leave. It's hard because you build friendships with people and then they're gone...but mostly I've found it especially hard to watch people so excited to go home and see their families, knowing that I would feel the exact same way if I were able to go. I miss everyone so much!! It will be so, soooo great to see you all when I come home though, and that thought keeps me moving forward.
Thanks to any of you that are still reading this and thinking of me! Rest assured, I am thinking of each of you too.
Hopefully we'll have pictures to upload soon...well we have the pics, just need to get them on here!! I'll keep working on it. Also, make some comments on my page if there's anything you're curious about that I haven't written yet...it's hard to decide what to write about, and I could use some suggestions!
Well, off to bed. Love you!
xoxo
Monday, October 12, 2009
FOOD!!
Hello! Things are still going well up here...nothing really new to report. We were out for a walk this afternoon and it started freezing raining/snowing! I guess we have to expect that eventually though. At least there's nothing staying on the ground yet...I talked to a woman in Winnipeg the other day who said they have 4 inches there already!! I'll definitely let you know when we get our first good snowfall.
So, one of the things I was most curious about when we were getting ready to come up here was the cost of food...soooo, I thought I should share that information with you now that I've done some grocery shopping! Just as a general idea...we payed $13.59 for a bag (4L) of milk, $11.19 for a 4L container of Chapman's ice cream (haha yes, I DID splurge on ice cream!), $3.59 for a loaf of the cheap no-name bread, $17.39 for a 2kg box of Minute Rice, $9.99 for a 3 lb bag of macintosh apples...you get the idea. We haven't splurged on pop or chips or Delissio pizzas or cheese yet...those things are expensive. But don't get me wrong, some things are not all that bad...we bought a pretty yummy no name frozen pizza for $5.65, which satisfied our pizza cravings. And eggs and meat are not that much more expensive than at home. Go figure, I would have thought those would be the worst things to ship! But we HAVE found our way around the food issue a little bit. There is a grocery store in Timmins that will ship food orders here, and even with shipping costs added on, the food is much cheaper to buy that way. We're expecting our first food order to come in
tomorrow (hopefully it does, we're running out of food again!). It's kind of exciting waiting for things to be shipped in...it's like Christmas all the time!! I think I'm definitely coming to appreciate everything more when it's not as easy as just driving across town to buy it.
Well, that's it for tonight. I will post something in the next few days with more details about what kinds of things I'm dealing with in the clinic so far. Goodnight!
So, one of the things I was most curious about when we were getting ready to come up here was the cost of food...soooo, I thought I should share that information with you now that I've done some grocery shopping! Just as a general idea...we payed $13.59 for a bag (4L) of milk, $11.19 for a 4L container of Chapman's ice cream (haha yes, I DID splurge on ice cream!), $3.59 for a loaf of the cheap no-name bread, $17.39 for a 2kg box of Minute Rice, $9.99 for a 3 lb bag of macintosh apples...you get the idea. We haven't splurged on pop or chips or Delissio pizzas or cheese yet...those things are expensive. But don't get me wrong, some things are not all that bad...we bought a pretty yummy no name frozen pizza for $5.65, which satisfied our pizza cravings. And eggs and meat are not that much more expensive than at home. Go figure, I would have thought those would be the worst things to ship! But we HAVE found our way around the food issue a little bit. There is a grocery store in Timmins that will ship food orders here, and even with shipping costs added on, the food is much cheaper to buy that way. We're expecting our first food order to come in
tomorrow (hopefully it does, we're running out of food again!). It's kind of exciting waiting for things to be shipped in...it's like Christmas all the time!! I think I'm definitely coming to appreciate everything more when it's not as easy as just driving across town to buy it.
Well, that's it for tonight. I will post something in the next few days with more details about what kinds of things I'm dealing with in the clinic so far. Goodnight!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
First Week In!
Wow, it's been a very eventful week! It feels like we've been here for longer on one hand, but I'm also surprised that a week has already flown by. I'm thinking that we'll be aiming for our first trip home sometime in mid-January, which is in 13 weeks. Considering how quickly the first week went, January will be here in no time!
We've gone out for walks around the dyke a few more times...today we went around twice! Apparently it's 5.1 km, so we're definitely still getting our exercise! Today has been a BEAUTIFUL day...well, it's a sunny, cloudless sky. It's pretty chilly though - the thermometer outside our apartment says it's 8, but it's very windy, probably close to freezing with the wind chill.
We've made some friends already. Stasia and Andy are a couple that have been here for about a year. Stasia is a Public Health Nurse, and Andy is the Paramedic for the community. Then there's Becky and Steve, who are teachers. We just met them today, but everyone here is very nice, and everyone is looking for friends and something to do during off time! We're all meeting over at Stasia and Andy's tonight to hang out and play some games. There's also a plan to have a potluck Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with all the Nurses and the Teachers that are still here (many of the Teachers went home because apparently next week is "goose week" - which I can only assume means goose hunting, and that the students get the week off to go hunting). We're definitely making the best of the isolation...it's amazing how much there still is to do. The experience really is what you make of it, and there's always something fun or productive to do!
The clinic is still very busy. I can't remember if I ever outlined the clinic schedule/setup in my other posts, but I don't think I did. The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Then Monday to Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday there is always a "Primary On-call" Nurse
We've gone out for walks around the dyke a few more times...today we went around twice! Apparently it's 5.1 km, so we're definitely still getting our exercise! Today has been a BEAUTIFUL day...well, it's a sunny, cloudless sky. It's pretty chilly though - the thermometer outside our apartment says it's 8, but it's very windy, probably close to freezing with the wind chill.
We've made some friends already. Stasia and Andy are a couple that have been here for about a year. Stasia is a Public Health Nurse, and Andy is the Paramedic for the community. Then there's Becky and Steve, who are teachers. We just met them today, but everyone here is very nice, and everyone is looking for friends and something to do during off time! We're all meeting over at Stasia and Andy's tonight to hang out and play some games. There's also a plan to have a potluck Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with all the Nurses and the Teachers that are still here (many of the Teachers went home because apparently next week is "goose week" - which I can only assume means goose hunting, and that the students get the week off to go hunting). We're definitely making the best of the isolation...it's amazing how much there still is to do. The experience really is what you make of it, and there's always something fun or productive to do!
The clinic is still very busy. I can't remember if I ever outlined the clinic schedule/setup in my other posts, but I don't think I did. The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Then Monday to Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday there is always a "Primary On-call" Nurse
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Settling In
Well, Wes and I have been here for 2 full days now, and we're definitely settling in. We've been talking to some of the other nurses here and are now getting some of the tips and tricks that makes living here easier. We'll actually be getting our internet arranged soon (hopefully!)...it's satellite so it'll be slow, but better than nothing! Once our belongings that we shipped get here, we'll be good to go.
The clinic is very busy! I'm working on my orientation plan, and I am slowly starting to feel more comfortable. Hopefully I'll be up and running soon, cause I'm sure the other Nurses would appreciate my help. The Nurses change over very quickly (or so it seems). Right now, as I understand it, there are two full-time Nurses here (including the Nurse in Charge), and then the rest are made up of Agency Nurses...they work for different Agencies that send them out to whatever Northern post needs someone at any particular time. Of the 4 that I am working with this week, 2 are leaving on the weekend. They have been here for about 4 weeks...and the other two that got here the same day as me leave Oct. 23rd, so there really is lots of turn around.
Wes and I went for a walk tonight with Priscilla and Stacia, who are the two Public Health Nurses here. There's a dyke that goes all the way around the community, so we got to see the whole area. Apparently it's about 5-6 km long, and it took us about an hour to walk the whole thing. The weather is nice, but a little cool and cloudy. I think it's been about 5-10 degrees...no rain though.
I've taken some pictures, but I guess we can't upload them til Wes' computer gets here. I will post them as soon as I can, so that you can see what it's like here! I'm sure that there will be more eventful things as the days goes on, so I'll keep writing :)
The clinic is very busy! I'm working on my orientation plan, and I am slowly starting to feel more comfortable. Hopefully I'll be up and running soon, cause I'm sure the other Nurses would appreciate my help. The Nurses change over very quickly (or so it seems). Right now, as I understand it, there are two full-time Nurses here (including the Nurse in Charge), and then the rest are made up of Agency Nurses...they work for different Agencies that send them out to whatever Northern post needs someone at any particular time. Of the 4 that I am working with this week, 2 are leaving on the weekend. They have been here for about 4 weeks...and the other two that got here the same day as me leave Oct. 23rd, so there really is lots of turn around.
Wes and I went for a walk tonight with Priscilla and Stacia, who are the two Public Health Nurses here. There's a dyke that goes all the way around the community, so we got to see the whole area. Apparently it's about 5-6 km long, and it took us about an hour to walk the whole thing. The weather is nice, but a little cool and cloudy. I think it's been about 5-10 degrees...no rain though.
I've taken some pictures, but I guess we can't upload them til Wes' computer gets here. I will post them as soon as I can, so that you can see what it's like here! I'm sure that there will be more eventful things as the days goes on, so I'll keep writing :)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Made It!!
Hello from Kashechewan! It's our first night here...we don't have an internet connection in our apartment yet, but I managed to pick up a signal, so I thought I would write a quick message.
The flight was pretty uneventful...although I got a little nauseous after the 4th take-off and landing! We started in Toronto, stopped in Timmins...then Timmins to Moosonee, Moosonee to Fort Albany (didn't have to get off the plane here), and Fort Albany to Kash. I met one of the other Nurses on the plane, who is here with her sister (also a nurse) for a month. So we all got picked up in a truck from the airport, and got dropped off at the Nursing Station. We quickly met the Nurse in Charge, Leah, who assigned us to an apartment and gave us keys. So Wes and I brought all our stuff in and got settled.
We have Bell Satellite T.V., and pretty much everything we need here. Except for food...HAHA! We weren't thinking that we would be flying in on a Sunday, so overlooked the need for food for the first night. The Northern Store is closed on Sundays, so we couldn't go shopping! Well, we found some frozen sausages in the freezer here, and some dry spiral pasta in the pantry...and we brought tea bags with us, so we've had a few cups of that (without milk, but there WAS some sugar in the pantry!)...yes, even Wes has been drinking tea!
Well, that's really all I have to update for now...I'm sure I'll get an orientation to the Nursing Station tomorrow, and Wes and I will go explore the store and probably take a walk around the community. Tonight we just focused on orienting ourselves to our apartment.
So far it's good! Kash has quickly changed from a mystery to a reality, and I'm sure that we'll keep learning as the days go on. I have some pics, so I'll post them and try to write again soon.
Miss everyone already...love you all!!
The flight was pretty uneventful...although I got a little nauseous after the 4th take-off and landing! We started in Toronto, stopped in Timmins...then Timmins to Moosonee, Moosonee to Fort Albany (didn't have to get off the plane here), and Fort Albany to Kash. I met one of the other Nurses on the plane, who is here with her sister (also a nurse) for a month. So we all got picked up in a truck from the airport, and got dropped off at the Nursing Station. We quickly met the Nurse in Charge, Leah, who assigned us to an apartment and gave us keys. So Wes and I brought all our stuff in and got settled.
We have Bell Satellite T.V., and pretty much everything we need here. Except for food...HAHA! We weren't thinking that we would be flying in on a Sunday, so overlooked the need for food for the first night. The Northern Store is closed on Sundays, so we couldn't go shopping! Well, we found some frozen sausages in the freezer here, and some dry spiral pasta in the pantry...and we brought tea bags with us, so we've had a few cups of that (without milk, but there WAS some sugar in the pantry!)...yes, even Wes has been drinking tea!
Well, that's really all I have to update for now...I'm sure I'll get an orientation to the Nursing Station tomorrow, and Wes and I will go explore the store and probably take a walk around the community. Tonight we just focused on orienting ourselves to our apartment.
So far it's good! Kash has quickly changed from a mystery to a reality, and I'm sure that we'll keep learning as the days go on. I have some pics, so I'll post them and try to write again soon.
Miss everyone already...love you all!!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Get Ready...Get Set...
Well, it's the morning of Saturday October 3rd...and I'm sitting at my apartment in Owen Sound. Due to a series of crazy, confusing events, we're actually leaving tomorrow morning for Kashechewan (I was told Sept. 30, then Monday Oct. 5, then Thursday Oct. 8, and now we've landed with Sunday Oct. 4!). I feel like there are still quite a few things to be done before we leave, but I know that it'll all get done. We're heading to the UPS store when it opens at 9 to get all of our belongings shipped up, and then home to move everything still left in the apartment. I know this day is going to fly by!
I'm still not sure what is waiting for us at the other end, I just hope that there is a place for us to live! I suspect that we won't have an internet connection right away, so I will have to blog on paper until I get to a computer. The next few days are going to be full of new experiences and new information, and I plan on journalling it all.
Well, off to get the UPS boxes ready to go. More to follow asap!
I'm still not sure what is waiting for us at the other end, I just hope that there is a place for us to live! I suspect that we won't have an internet connection right away, so I will have to blog on paper until I get to a computer. The next few days are going to be full of new experiences and new information, and I plan on journalling it all.
Well, off to get the UPS boxes ready to go. More to follow asap!
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