Spring Break!!!

Submitting my last assignment, I pressed 'Enter,' as if it were the precursor to freedom! I was reminded of the dramatic slow motion better portrayed in movies.  The zoomed-in shot of the villain, his finger progressing ever so slowly...'til BOOM! Okay maybe not so much, but I did feel a bit of excitement as I completed that final quiz!

    There were two major tests and a quiz that stood between me and a whole week of no classes! I swear the professors feel like we need to earn our spring break and I feel they place all tests the day or two prior to the vacation, so that we can appreciate it more.  Though, I would much rather take all exams prior to a vacation than having to worry about them during such time and take them after. 

Last week I headed to the 'Free Clinic.'  This small facility is associated with the Shenandoah Hospital in Woodstock, VA. Not the historical Woodstock, but the tiny, woodsy town that mirrors most other cities of VA.  Both doctors were absent that night, but there was an NP (Nurse Practitioner) and a NP student.  That was the first time I had ever heard of the NP program at JMU...anyways, I shadowed the NP for a few hours. During such time, I realized quickly that diabetes runs more rampant than I had thought.  I would say that 80% of our patients had a stage/type of diabetes. Also, if not all of the patients were poor or jobless, this increased the work load for the clinicians.  It made it more difficult to find an appropriate drug for the patient.  It wasn't so much as which brand or generic, but where might this individual obtain the right drug for the least amount of money.  They keep lists of all the local pharmacies and what they charge for each drug. (A local pharmacy even gives out certain medications for free, of course with a prescription.) These were definitely the underprivileged individuals. Granted I worked for a 'refugee-type' facility back in Utah, but this was still a great 'eye-opener.'

One particular experience associated to drug therapy, a gentleman stepped on a nail, which protruded through his work boot and produced an open wound.  The NP busted out her Sanford(a drug book that most clinicians carry.  It has the smallest font known to man!) and found the right drug.  The antibiotic needed to not only work on diabetics, but the major decision maker was whether or not the nail had a direct impact (minus the shoe) with the skin or not. Two separate drugs just because of excess material.

Well, Spring Break here I come!