Crossroads...........

She sits there, lights are flashing, the bells are ringing...she looks left...then right...then left again.....she decides to make a dash for it......

I feel like that is my life right now. The lights are flashing....bells are ringing. Something is pulling me in a direction that is forgein to me I'm scared and yet I want to explore this feeling that keeps tugging at me.

I love nursing, not doubt about it. There are so many things that I enjoy about nursing. Teaching and working with patients and their families rates at the top of my list for reasons I love nursing. I have always felt so privileged to be able to enter into their lives if only for a brief moment.

One of the wonderful things about nursing and what it provides, is that not only does it

allow you those opportunities that I mentioned, it affords you flexibly which allows you to explore other avenues.

I am at a crossroad in my life. I have nursed in a variety of environments from Medical/Surgical to Palliative care to ICU and ER and now currently I am working in the Recovery room.
My crossroads is that I feel I could be doing more. I know that one of my better qualities is that I love to teach. I love to work with patients and their families in promoting health. Where I live now I am surrounded by rural communities where their only access to health care comes from the solo nurse in the community. I'm not sure that I am ready to go it solo...but I am most certainly ready and eager to explore the role of a rural nurse in a health centre.

Nursing provides opportunities for autonomy and in my opinion there is no place other than rural nursing where you truly get to experience the true meaning of autonomy.

Working in the hospital environment and being an employee of the Health Authority provides me with a certain sense of security with regards to benefits, but the politics in the environment at times weights heavily and can become a distraction in providing the care that you want to provide for your patients.

I enjoy rural communities and what it provides me. I love the serenity and peacefulness it brings me. I love the concept of not having to rush hither and yon and being able to do things at a more leisurely pace. Yes I think rural life style would suit me just fine.

I have an opportunity to explore this and can do it on a contract basis...it seems like a win situation to me so I am not sure where the hesitation is coming from. Oh the things I need to ponder what to do what to do?

SkyWatch Friday

Ucluelet British Columbia. Heading out to sea to go fishing.....What an exhilarating experience!

If you would like to join in on the fun please check out SkyWatch Friday

The Graduate

Seventeen years ago....I remember it like it was yesterday. Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays hit a home run down the third base line and won the World Series. The 1992 World Series was the first Series ever with games played outside the USA. It pitted Toronto Blue Jays against Atlanta Braves. Pretty impressive right. Well don't get me wrong but the only reason I remember that Series was because I was in labour with my third child. That was one of the longest days of my life.

Now 17 years later that little baby has graduated from High School. Oh how time flies. School never came easy for my Roisin. She worked extremely hard. Roisin has Dyslexia.With her being my third child I knew something was wrong right from the get go. Roisin didn't know her ABC's before she started school, she wasn't able to spell her name and the letters she managed to print were often mixed up or backwards. Having educators in my family I used them as a resource. Part of the problem with Dyslexia is that the individual does not have an understanding of Phonemic awareness. It was such a struggle to get the school on side and have her tested. After many discussions with the school and frustrating homework nights Roisin was finally diagnosed with Dyslexia. At first she was getting a fair amount of resources from the school district but then that dwindled and we picked up the slack by getting her a tutor 4 days a week. That poor child would do about 10 hours of school work a day and progress was minimal. Her self esteem was dwindling and she was getting so frustrated. Her father and I finally took her out of the public school system and sent her to a school that was specialized in working with children who had Dyslexia. Roisin blossomed, it was an amazing transformation. By the time she graduated from elementary school she was able to stand up and give a speech that she wrote herself and recite it in front of a packed gymnasium of over 200 people. Needless to say her father and I couldn't have been prouder.

She carried this attitude on into high school. She worked hard, and because of her designation of learning disabled she was provided resources in High School. She fully participated in the school activities, like cheer leading, running clubs, gymnastics, and student advisor/mentor. She made the honour roll many times. She has been a very determined child and times when she wanted to give up she some how found the strength to push forward.

Roisin graduated from High School this past May and is enrolled in a Fine Arts Program at College come the fall. I couldn't be more proud of my baby girl. Through her struggles she has been my teacher and hero. We can learn so much through our children if we just take the time and to watch and listen and to be their advocate when we can.