I have chosen Cancer as my favorite constellation because it is the sign I was born under. Latin for "crab", it is the dimmest of all the zodiac constellations and used to be the Sun's most northerly position in the sky. It is located in between Gemini (to its west) and Leo(to its east). It is best known among stargazers as home of Praesepe, an open cluster. Cancer is most well known in Greek mythology as the crab sent by the goddess Hera to help the hydra kill Heracles.…
For my final revision project, I decided to revise my fist essay “The Visible Cancer”. The reason I chose to edit this essay was the special connection that I had to it. When writing this essay, I was very invested in telling the audience how I had felt and describing what had happened with my dad’s cancer as best as I could. In making these revisions I thought it would be a good way to look back on how I viewed the situation when I first wrote this right after it happened compared to how I feel about it now after several months.…
It was my first day of training. UCSD Medical Center (or whatever the name is). First stop: Emergency Room. As I walked inside I saw doctors and nurses bustling about. To my left a resident was stitching up a bicyclist who had been in an accident.…
Once again we get to our infusion getaway at 8:30 am for the last of a two-part chemo. You have to psych yourself preparing for another day of this. Like you psych yourself to eat liver as a kid. Or psych yourself for a psycho as president. Well it turns out her white blood count was too low and we had to postpone until next week.…
My clinical experience so far has been quite interesting, because I learned basic clinical procedures and preventions that I know will benefit me as a nurse in the near future. During lab, we discussed infection control, personal hygiene, and isolation precautions. These procedures impact my personal health and wellness, because I need to ensure that I am using the proper techniques in order to keep me safe. Also, I know that it is important to make sure my patients are not at risk of developing hospital associated infections.…
They call them “Tap-taps,” the brightly painted open back trucks that transport passengers through the dusty streets of Haiti. A traveler taps the side of the vehicle to board, pays, rides and then taps to jump off at a desired destination. For one particular man who sat with his face covered by a towel, that destination was the Diegue clinic in Port-au-Prince. All I knew from intake was that this patient was here for a foot issue. I noticed the adult sitting uncomfortably, a towel wrapping his foot, as his eyes scanned around the room.…
For my assignment, I got to interview Dr. Rolf D. Morstead, MD, FAAPMR on February 17, 2018. He obtained his degree at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and is in practice for more than twenty years. He is board certified in both Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Dr. Morstead currently works as an independent practitioner for eighteen years in Monroe, LA. He is also affiliated with St. Francis Medical Center and Glenwood Regional Medical Center.…
Michelle’s story has helped me realise that I need to actively search out training and learning opportunities regarding effective communication with patients. By doing this, I will have the knowledge and skills required to manage similar situations in the future. Furthermore, my action plan will include improving my knowledge and awareness of working with cancer patients as a medical radiations professional. As I develop from a supervised participant to a participant in care delivery I will start reflecting on my clinical practice, to acknowledge areas of concern and create achievable goals to become a competent…
When my mom got cancer I was positive it was a life changer. It started out with treatments. My mom had to go to the cancer center every day. Chemo made my mom really sick and it made her face really swollen, I had a lot of pity for my mom. When I went with my mom to her treatments it made me cry.…
No more cancer is fantastic news! I was thinking about you and your journey. You are such a strong inspirational woman! I had no idea that Leslie had a stroke. I knew something serious happened, but I didn't want to just outright ask and make her feel uncomfortable and then as time went by I forgot about it.…
The code of conduct outlines the expectations of how a medical professional should conduct themselves. Section 1.2 signifies that “Practitioners will display qualities such as integrity, truthfulness, dependability and compassion” (Medical Radiations Practice Board of Australia 2014). The numerous practitioners that treated Michelle’s cancer journey expressed numerous occasions to ignore the section of this code. By ignoring the patient, not informing her or her family members about the actions taken for healthcare, and by being abrupt with her instead of communicating with understanding with her, the code was not followed. Michelle was not shown the qualities of dependability and compassion.…
My March to End Cancer Though I never knew Robert Cunningham personally, I know the terrible effects that cancer has on a family, as I lost my grandfather to cancer in 2009. From a very young age, I was encouraged by my family to "be my own person," and in a sense to "march to the beat of my own drum." In the fall, I plan to attend Western Kentucky University and double major in science and math education and middle school science through the SKyTeach program. Though my "march" is not biomedical research, nursing, or medicine, I believe that I can still serve to impact the battle against cancer through several methods. Cancer Research Funding Organizations like Relay for Life and St. Jude's Partners in Hope are instrumental in the research of cures for cancer.…
Everyone responds differently upon being diagnosed with an illness, particularly cancer. Regardless of your race, gender, age and socio-economic background, the experience of cancer has negative effects on both the patient and their loved ones and the experience is drastically different and unique to each individual diagnosed. While experiences of cancer depend on the individual experience, there are patterns that allow us to understand why people are more likely to respond a certain way to their illness. Looking at cancer narratives from the perspective of traditional gender roles allows us to conceptualize how individual cancer narratives are shaped by gendered…
Patient: “Yes, I’m scared of what he is going to tell me”. Student nurse: “Tell me more about why you are scared”. Patient: “I just do not want to know that I have cancer again, I can’t go through all of that again”. Student nurse: “I’ll stay here with you when the doctor comes and we can talk to him about the lump you have found and any concerns you may have”. Client: “Thank you, I would like that”.…
The First Clinical Experience It was an early morning in April. My friends and I arrived 45 minutes early to our long term care facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The three of us sat in my car and anxiously awaited stepping foot into the care facility as we had no idea what to expect. I began to wonder what the patients would be like and how I would care for them.…