First clinical experience

Today was my first day of clinical and oh my god I was a nervous wreck! It really did help ease my mind knowing that we weren't responsible for anyone today, thank god. We simply followed a PSW around and got to see how the morning routines worked. I also enjoyed having a partner in crime J.E. to share the experience.  I did push myself to go beyond my comfort zone to help out wherever I could, I even gave a gentleman a shave. I got to go down to help with breakfast service, for the men from the dementia/Alzheimer’s floor which was really nice. We didn’t really get to practice many skills other than socializing but it was really nice to experience these residence get to partake in something “normal”. It warms my heart to see that the staff at the lodge really seem to care about the residents and that they get to live as normal of a life as possible.

One thing I’m still really nervous about is keeping a conversation going with the residents. I don’t tend to have a problem getting through to them, I try to bring up something of interest like commenting on the flowers in their room or something I read on their profile. A classmate was having difficulty trying to get a blood pressure reading so after asking her if she wanted some help, I stepped in to try and distract the resident. I  brought up the fact that she once sang on the radio with her husband, a fact I read from her profile posted in the room. It really seemed to make her happy which in turn made me feel great! It’s a wonderful feeling to bring joy to people even if only for a moment. The thing I have difficulty with is keeping the conversation going and not feeling awkward, especially if I have a hard time understanding the resident.

Even though we get to work with a partner next week, I’m still nervous! I hope we remember to do everything correctly, that I’m able to converse with my resident in an effective way, and that we can find everything we need without looking incompetent. Wish me luck!