Reflection Hour #2

We're really falling behind in community service hours (at least I am)! We talked about health fairs, blood pressure screeing and blood glucose checks. We also talked about rape, rapists, and what rapists look for in a potential victim.

For one thing, I didn't know that rapists look for women with long hair and rarely attacked women with short hair! It makes sense, as it is easier to grab a woman's hair and catch her off-guard, especially in the back where it's harder for her to fight off her attacker.

Speaking of being caught off-guard, the tip I was most surprised about was encouraging women to intitate conversation to their would-be attacker. I understand the rationale: rapists aren't expecting women to confront them first with a benign conversation starter, such as "What time is it?" These are individuals who plan their crime ahead of time, making every detail, including time, place, and victim, under their control.

Another surprise is that one of the top 3 locations where rapists violate their victims is in the public restroom! Using the restroom is such a private and vulnerable experience, but we often don't think about this when we use public restrooms. Sometimes, we're even fooled by the false security of a bathroom stall lock! From then on, I make sure to use the bathroom with a friend or wait to use the bathroom at home.

These tips were eye-opening for me, as well as everyone else in class. It's disturbing to hear how methodical rapists are in committing these crimes.

Reflection Hour #1

Today we had our first reflection session. Not many people have done community service hours, but the ones that have had interesting stories to tell. There were a few health fairs where students checked the blood pressures and blood sugar levels for local Haitian residents. Some people who were found to have high blood pressure were in denial and did not want to hear anything on reducing the possible complications of hypertension. Some children were also found to have hypertension, with one boy fainting in the process (thank goodness the nursing students were there to aid him!).
We also had a guest speaker from the injury-free mobile of the Miami Dade County Health Department. She passed out a survey on injury prevention in the home, litting things parents fail to notice until their children are hurt. For example, I didn't know that placing a crib near a window with blinders can lead to a tragic hanging if the child puts his/her head through the cords that raise/lower the blinds! It was also good to hear about car safety, as there's alot of misinformation going around as to when we should switched children from rear seats to front-facing seats.
We also learned about choking hazards, how we can tell if a toy is safe if it doesn't fit into an empty toilet paper roll (fancy that!).

I would've loved to hear more about the injury-free mobile and volunteering opportunities, but sadly, we ran out of time. I did learn a few things that I can implement in my own home to keep my 11-month-old safe from burns, posionings, drownings, and choking hazards.

Ethics in Health Care

Not everyone knows what ethics mean in health care. Alot of people have strong ethical and moral values, especially in Miami, but don't know what to do when those values come into conflict with the health care needs of the patient.

One of the biggest controversial issues in health care is abortion. We talked a bit about the morning-after pill, the myths surrounding it and what we should do as health care professionals if someone asks for it. Some pharmacists have even refused to fill out prescriptions for the pill, stating that it is a form of abortion, not giving the women who seek them information on other professionals who can help them.

If we ever find ourselves at odds with our patient, it's best to redirect them to someone who can help them, not just refusing to give them care. We must approach all patients with an open mind, although that easier to say than do. I understand not assisting a patient with an abortion should the situation arise, but refusing to care for a patient after she's had the abortion is not just a statement but an act of medical negligence -- at least, in my opinion.

Forum on Civic Responsibility

Today we discussed citizenship: what we define as civic responsibility and the qualities we look for in model citizens. We also talked about the differences between social justice and charity work, two ideas people often have trouble distinguishing from each other. While justice deals with the substance and rules for guiding ordinary, everyday human interactions, charity deals with the spirit of human interactions. Charity is the act of serving people to alleviate an immediate need (such as feeding the homeless), whereas justice is acting to prevent social problems from happening at all (such as lobbying for increased funding to homeless shelters and back-to-work programs).

We also talked about what we thought would make up an ideal society, such as free/affordable health care and housing, cleaner environment, and improved education in public schools. Affordable healthcare was a big concern for most people in the class, as it was number one in every group that spoke of what their ideal society comprised of.

Our last topic was to choose a citizen we thought embodied the qualities of a good citizens. Unsurprisingly, most people chose Oprah Winfrey, as she promotes literacy programs through her "Book of the Month Club". She also supports impoverished communities in poor neighborhoods and in suppressed communities in economically-depressed countries in sub-saharan Africa. One of the biggest surprises was the response of one group: they named our recent Med-Surg teacher as a model citizen.

The lecture was interesting, as it got us thinking how we can serve our community in a manner that suits us. We also saw a very touching slideshow on nursing students helping people in the Dominican Republic with health issues. It's sad that this class will not have the opportunity to visit the Dominican Republic, but I hope we hear about the experience when the next class goes.