(no subject)
It's about 3:30 am, and my eyes will not close. I usually get to sleep around 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. An hour of sleep only burns 54 calories, whereas sitting at my computer typing for an hour burns 80 calories. Hell, I could just lie on my couch staring at the ceiling, and I'd still burn more calories than if I were sleeping. I would love to sleep; to lie under my warm blanket and doze until my alarm beeps.....but it never happens. My eyes will not close and my mind will not rest. There are things to worry about, calories to burn, misery to ponder. There is no rest for the wicked!
About a month ago I applied for a medical internship. There's a large number of positions to choose from, but you don't always get any of your top three choices. I filled out the lengthy application, got my letters of recommendation and school records and gave it to my vice principal to send to the powers that be. Certain my application would not be given a second thought, I contemplated the internship as little as possible. Last Friday, I was telephoned to set an appointment for an interview. The position available is to work in an extended care facility. The interview was at 3:00 pm yesterday. I met with the recreation supervisor...the job is to be a student recreation planner. She asked me a number of questions, such as my knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, my strong points and weak points, and hypothetical situations of what to do in an emergency situation. She asked what I would do if I was alone with a patient outside the home and they had a heart attack...well, that one stumped me, so I simply said I'd call 911. Then she asked me what I'd do if a patient had a seizure--well, I had that one down pat.
If I got the job, I would be paid $6.70 an hour, working 8-hour shifts from Monday to Friday. It's a six-week long position, and I would get 10 credits toward my schooling.
The day would start out with greeting the patients and wheeling/walking them to breakfast. I would help to feed the patients who cannot feed themselves, or cut up food and, say, get coffee and butter toast for those who have poor motor skills. Then I would do crafts with them, work with them on their exercises (sit-down ones, of course), and take them around the block for plenty of walks. I wouldn't be doing this alone, of course. There will always be aides around, so I'd sorta be shadowing them. There's plenty of paperwork as well.
I was told that about ? of the patients have some sort of dementia, typically Alzheimer's Disease. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the condition, it is a degenerative disease for which there is no cure. It usually begins after the age of 65. The afflicted individual's brain slowly starts to deteriorate as brain cells shrink and disappear, being replaced by things called "tangles" and "plaques." It starts out as memory loss and disorientation, and as more and more cells die, they lose motor functioning and mental awareness. Eventually, their speech becomes unintelligible and they lose control of their bodily functions. It worsens in many other ways, and lasts for years until the brain shuts down and they die. The sad thing is, they still have feelings. They can feel the shame, frustration and hopelessness of being unable to do so much as bring a spoon to their mouth. Can you imagine the utter embarrassment of having to have someone wipe your ass and feed you blended mush because you no longer have the ability to chew? It's terrible, and now that I've read more about it, I am deeply saddened. My great-grandmother died of Alzheimer's. She was a sweet and beautiful woman who did not deserve to die.
Anyhoo, I'll find out if I got the position or not by tomorrow...well, in about 12 hours, actually :)
Something in me knows I won't get it; that I will fail as I have a million times before. It is my nature.
About a month ago I applied for a medical internship. There's a large number of positions to choose from, but you don't always get any of your top three choices. I filled out the lengthy application, got my letters of recommendation and school records and gave it to my vice principal to send to the powers that be. Certain my application would not be given a second thought, I contemplated the internship as little as possible. Last Friday, I was telephoned to set an appointment for an interview. The position available is to work in an extended care facility. The interview was at 3:00 pm yesterday. I met with the recreation supervisor...the job is to be a student recreation planner. She asked me a number of questions, such as my knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, my strong points and weak points, and hypothetical situations of what to do in an emergency situation. She asked what I would do if I was alone with a patient outside the home and they had a heart attack...well, that one stumped me, so I simply said I'd call 911. Then she asked me what I'd do if a patient had a seizure--well, I had that one down pat.
If I got the job, I would be paid $6.70 an hour, working 8-hour shifts from Monday to Friday. It's a six-week long position, and I would get 10 credits toward my schooling.
The day would start out with greeting the patients and wheeling/walking them to breakfast. I would help to feed the patients who cannot feed themselves, or cut up food and, say, get coffee and butter toast for those who have poor motor skills. Then I would do crafts with them, work with them on their exercises (sit-down ones, of course), and take them around the block for plenty of walks. I wouldn't be doing this alone, of course. There will always be aides around, so I'd sorta be shadowing them. There's plenty of paperwork as well.
I was told that about ? of the patients have some sort of dementia, typically Alzheimer's Disease. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the condition, it is a degenerative disease for which there is no cure. It usually begins after the age of 65. The afflicted individual's brain slowly starts to deteriorate as brain cells shrink and disappear, being replaced by things called "tangles" and "plaques." It starts out as memory loss and disorientation, and as more and more cells die, they lose motor functioning and mental awareness. Eventually, their speech becomes unintelligible and they lose control of their bodily functions. It worsens in many other ways, and lasts for years until the brain shuts down and they die. The sad thing is, they still have feelings. They can feel the shame, frustration and hopelessness of being unable to do so much as bring a spoon to their mouth. Can you imagine the utter embarrassment of having to have someone wipe your ass and feed you blended mush because you no longer have the ability to chew? It's terrible, and now that I've read more about it, I am deeply saddened. My great-grandmother died of Alzheimer's. She was a sweet and beautiful woman who did not deserve to die.
Anyhoo, I'll find out if I got the position or not by tomorrow...well, in about 12 hours, actually :)
Something in me knows I won't get it; that I will fail as I have a million times before. It is my nature.