Thoughts from the week

Hey all!
I promised a real update earlier today so I'm finally sitting down to write some tidbits about life in nyc. If you have not checked out the pictures from below, please do! Braydon came to town this past weekend and we had a wonderful whirlwind of a time together....We saw the world trade center site, statue of liberty, battery park, and new york stock exchange. We toured nbc studios and had an 'upper east side' dinner with Braydon's uncle. We took a two hour run/walk/hike/sight-seeing adventure in central park. We ate at a Scandinavian restaurant in the West Village (I felt right at home eating pickled herring and lefse!), we visited a few puppy shops in the West Village--Braydon convinced me not to bring one home. We also went swing dancing, scoped out Times Square, Bryant Park and went to a fabulous church service....can you believe he was here for just a few days?

Work has also been going really well, it is challenging but I always leave knowing that I did my best and feeling incredibly fulfilled. I must say one challenge has surprised me and perhaps caught me a little off guard. As mentioned before, I worked on an oncology and hospice unit last summer; I was truly blessed to have that experience. The hospital had an amazing hospice (palliative care) team of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains that gracefully facilitated the dying process of our cancer patients. While advanced medical treatment has saved many lives and brings an abundance of benefits, it can also be a double edged sword. It breaks my heart watching elderly patients die in pain from chemotherapy and in fear from the unknown, knowing they could be at home with their family, dying with peace and dignity. This topic exposes a plethora of ethical dilemmas (and I'm obviously a bit bias) but it is an important issue for everyone to consider and reflect upon. I am diligent not to persuade or be biased toward treatment options with my patients, but these experiences have surely reinforced my desire to pursue a vocation in hospice nursing or palliative care.

Well, I should get going home (I'm still at the hospital!), I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying there last few days of August, best wishes to all!

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"Never live in the past but always learn from it."