Community Health Clinical

One word: unexpected.

I visited the County Health Department and shadowed a community health nurse for a few hours. I have seen a certain amount of nursing, but I guess I have been missing a part of it. My ED where I work has some pretty amazing nurses, don't get me wrong, but the objective of patient advocate can easily be lost when you are within the process of sheer numbers of patients, "treating and streeting", trauma and critical care. What I saw today was a nurse who just plain loves people: she knew the life stories of her patients...thay had grown up in front of her. Everyone got hugs, pats, and so much teaching and time for everyone that needed it. No question remained when the patients left from their prenatal care visits. She told me she had previously work in home health, where it is all about educating the patients as well.

I had assumed the Health Dept would be an even-rougher place than the dog-eat-dog ED. I had assumed completely wrong.

Something such as this is the direction I wish to go....I just have still too many paths in front of me to choose!