Many people view nursing as a hospital only aspect, but nursing has a wider area than just the hospital scene. The last two weeks of my internship at the Stafford County Hospital have been anything but ordinary. I have been following nurses in the Home Health department and learned all that goes on. From driving 120 miles in a day to visit multiple patients around the county to being sent in the ambulance to another hospital to experience an ambulance ride for the first time. I have started many days without knowing what was to be expected and never knowing when an emergency was going to come into the hospital. Brenda, my supervisor, oversees everything that happens in the Home Health department, and also spends many days on call for the ER. She has been able to setup the opportunities to transport patients to other hospitals and even staying at the Hutchinson Hospital to watch stents be put into a heart in the Cardiovascular department.
Going out and seeing the Home Health patients is one of the things that I look forward to the most. I have gotten plenty of practice taking vital signs and blood pressures. The Home Health nurses have huge hearts and put a lot of care into making sure that their patients are able to remain at home and are safe. With out the nurses going and visiting the patients at least once a week they would not have the opportunity to stay in their rural homes. While following the nurses around the various homes of the patients, they all have welcomed me to help assist the nurses. I am excited for what the next couple weeks bring for me and know I will continue learning all that goes into the rural nursing field.
