Nurse Days

Wednesday, January 26, 2000

Today was my first clinical day of the second semester and I spent the day at IHS (Indian Health Services) with Carrie Daily, the public health nurse. She does most of her work in the field, so around 9:00 a.m. we headed out to a small town about 50 miles away. An hour later we arrived at the home of J. and G. B., an Indian couple who have both been diagnosed with diabetes.

Carrie instructed me to take their vitals while she questioned them about their medications. J. stated that he only takes his medication in the mornings when he "feels" he needs it. Carrie explained to me that those in the Indian culture sometimes base whether or not to take their medications on how they feel in the morning. She asked J. exactly what he meant (I think this question was for my benefit), and he said that the mornings he wakes up feeling fine he doesn't take his medicine, but if he wakes up and doesn't feel quite "up to snuff" then he'll take it. J. also admitted that sometimes he forgets to take his medicine, so Carrie asked him if a pill box would help because this way he could fill it up for a week at a time and he'd be less likely to forget. He said it would help him to remember.

Upon further questioning, Carrie learned that J. and G. were taking each other's medications (old antibiotics and other prescription medications), and that they had medicine in the bathroom that had been outdated since 1990 (Carrie informed me later that they must have had these medicines hidden because she went through their drugs the last time she visited and they weren't there). G. said she takes some of J's arthritis medicine when her legs start to bother her, and J. says he keeps the old antibiotics around in case he gets another ear infection. Carrie spent a considerable amount of time explaining how dangerous a practice this is, and that sometimes when medications become outdated they can be harmful...sometimes even lethal. Carrie also explained the danger of possible drug interractions with the diabetic medications they're taking. Just when I thought Carrie was getting through to them, she turned her back and G. winked at me.

I had a very good day today. I learned a lot about a culture I knew very little about before, and when I left I thanked them for allowing me into their home and G. reached up from her chair to hug me.

On the way back, Carrie and I talked about everything from J. and G. to Christianity to our families. I really liked her. She was eager to answer any questions I had, and as I got out of her truck she gave me her card and wrote her home phone number on it. I think she's a wonderful, caring nurse, and if I'm half as good when I'm her age that would be something to be proud of.