“Oh not again! My eyes are burning,” the patient burst out in frustrated shouts. We had been mid-conversation when suddenly he started to rub his eyes. This patient had a history of stroke and had experienced similar eye symptoms during his last incident. I asked him if he was experiencing any numbness or tingling and he reported right arm numbness. Immediately I called the nurse and we initiated a rapid response to assess for stroke. The story behind how I arrived at the point where I was responsible for closely watching patients for symptoms of neurological issues can be summarized in a short biography.
My childhood was spent on Whidbey Island, in the northwest corner of Washington State. I grew up with a mother who struggled with bipolar disorder so I developed keen skills in observation. One look at my mother’s face and I could tell if she was on the edge of an outburst or in the midst of a deep depression. I was the smart and motivated kid in school. Proud to be the first in my fourth grade class to memorize all of my times tables or one of the …show more content…
A position as a nurse assistant seemed like it would allow me to see healthcare from a unique perspective. My first job was in an assisted living facility as a caregiver for the elderly. This job gave me a chance to get closer to people than I ever had in the past. I helped them with their most basic of needs. I soon was promoted to a higher position and where I dispensed medications to patients in the adjacent dementia unit. While I maintained this part time position at the facility I also I took full time classes to get my degree in Applied Human Biology. The balance of this often stressful job and a challenging degree at times taxed me but I knew the experience would prove valuable. These roles set me up for my current position as a patient care technician at Virginia Mason Hospital in the inpatient neurology/nephrology
My childhood was spent on Whidbey Island, in the northwest corner of Washington State. I grew up with a mother who struggled with bipolar disorder so I developed keen skills in observation. One look at my mother’s face and I could tell if she was on the edge of an outburst or in the midst of a deep depression. I was the smart and motivated kid in school. Proud to be the first in my fourth grade class to memorize all of my times tables or one of the …show more content…
A position as a nurse assistant seemed like it would allow me to see healthcare from a unique perspective. My first job was in an assisted living facility as a caregiver for the elderly. This job gave me a chance to get closer to people than I ever had in the past. I helped them with their most basic of needs. I soon was promoted to a higher position and where I dispensed medications to patients in the adjacent dementia unit. While I maintained this part time position at the facility I also I took full time classes to get my degree in Applied Human Biology. The balance of this often stressful job and a challenging degree at times taxed me but I knew the experience would prove valuable. These roles set me up for my current position as a patient care technician at Virginia Mason Hospital in the inpatient neurology/nephrology