Sadie Nemelka
Syracuse, Utah
Nursing Major
Leadership Engagement Track
My Mayo Clinic Experience
My project was a 10-week long nursing externship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This externship gave me the opportunity to shadow Mayo registered nurses in the neurosurgical unit. I followed this nurses, or "clinical coaches", around the unit as we took care of patients that were pre/post brain or spinal surgeries. As an intern, I was able to independently take out IV's/urinary catheters/gastric tubes, perform assessments/vital signs, and help them with their daily activities. I always had a nurse with me when intervening with any medications or documentation on the computer.
Not only was I able to be in the neurosurgical unit, but I was also able to float or move around to other units in the hospital. Among those units were Neuro/Medical, Neuro-Rehab, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Intermediate Special care Nursery, pediatric surgeries, and the Respiratory Care Unit. I still shadowed one of my assigned clinical coaches or another nurse that is specific to that unit. I still was able to perform the duties above independently, but still needed supervision for medication administration and other nursing duties. After certain weeks I met with my nursing educator assigned to my unit about my experiences.
The inspiration from this project was originally not my idea. I always wanted to do more than just be a Certified Nursing Assistant over the summer so I was in search of something more. I heard about this opportunity from a professor that had a past nursing student complete this same externship 2 years ago. This student really enjoyed this experience and ended up getting a job on the Cardiovascular Medical ICU at the Mayo Clinic. I applied for this externship and fortunately got it! I took a chance and it was a good one.
One of the biggest challenges I encountered with this project was being homesick. I was okay most of the time, but I really did not enjoy Minnesota. Being someone who has grown up in Utah their whole life, it was hard transitioning to such a different place. Of course, everyone spoke English and they drove on the right side of the road, but the humidity, mountain-less terrain, and extreme thunder storms made me miss Utah. I really had a hard time being away from my family so far away because it was the first time I've done something like this.
I am hoping that the patients I was with all summer benefited from my care. If not, I didn't do a very good nursing job. I became a nurse to help and care for people in some of the worst times of their lives. My overall goal was to learn all there is to know about nursing, but deep down I really also hoped to change at least one life over the summer. Not only did the lives of my patients benefit from my care, I was also hoping the nurses I followed benefited from my shadowing. I asked a lot of questions to my nurses and a lot of the times they questioned what they knew and had to re-learn new processes. I am hoping that my inquisitiveness helped them learn and continue to grow in their care.
This project immensely benefited me in that I have gained so much more confidence in my abilities as a nurse. Before this project I was so afraid to go into patient rooms and actually communicate with them and other healthcare workers. Now I feel so confident going into a room, assessing the patient, and asking them how they are holding up. I also have learned so much more about time management because as a nurse, time management is on of the most important skills to learn. I am much more confident in my care and I can manage my time more wisely while performing nursing duties.
"Let go of what kills you and hold on to what keeps you breathing..."
-Spongebob Squarepants