Hello,
One of my great accomplishments in training to be a Certified Nursing Assistant and a Home Health Aide, was to realize that one must attend to protocals in the medical field. Being one who has dodged proper protocals during most of my personal life, and my professional teaching career, I internalized this paradigm shift, and attempted to perform my interning duties as efficiently, and technically accurate as possible.
As a teacher, I espoused the theory of, "...by any means necessary", to plan, organize, and implement educational programs that were innovative, "out-of-the-box", and often threatening to my administrators, who could not contain or corral me, or my teaching passion.
I even learned, as simple as it sounds, to make an "unoccupied bed" (yes, it is an actual skill), in the "proper" way. I would make it quite differently, if I was to follow my fancy, but I practiced it in the required manner. At least I knew already how to make those hospital "mitre corners", courtesy of my mother the nurse, whose TLC when one of our family members was sick, was legendary.
My teacher entered the room I was working in at the time I was trying to be compliant, and I confessed to her that I was "practicing following the rules", much to my chagrin, ofcourse. I told her a little bit about my teaching creativity, sans protocal, and my new-found adherance to bedside care rules. She said that my past rogue attitude in teaching would still serve me well, and would be a benefit in planning for, and caring for my patients. She challenged me to learn the clinical way initially, and then embellish with my own style later.
I was so happy to hear such good news coming from my teacher, a gospel of sorts to me. I CAN follow rules...I think I can...well, most of the time anyway! Protocal it is for now, but I'm sure I will bend like a tree in the wind, as I creatively shower each patient with my own brand of TLC. At least I won't be erring in showing God's love to others.
'Til next time,
Stephanie
