Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Day 5 & 6 Thankful Hearts & Spirits of Adventure

Day 5 - Friday
July 14, 2017
This was our last day at Cherokee Indian Hospital and Clinics. After lunch, the students were given lovely hand-beaded one of a kind lanyards made by Cherokee artisans, a gift  from Victoria Harlan Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department. Brandon, a nursing student who has served 8 years in the military received a lanyard with an American flag design.




Students experienced a variety of clinical observations in the morning before lunch and in the afternoon had a presentation about energy medicine by Nancy Stephens RN, BSN a Healing Touch Practitioner.  Nancy has helped incorporate this complimentary therapy into patient cares throughout the hospital.  Many patients report finding that this helps reduce pain, decrease anxiety, stress and has helped shorten their stay.

After clinical we drove up to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smoky Mountains and took a quick hike on part of the Appalachian Trail.  The views were absolutely  amazing!







Day 6- Saturday
July 15, 2017
In the morning a couple students and myself dropped off the remaining donations at the Cherokee Nazarene Church about 30 minutes from our cabin.  GPS instead took us to a waterfall so we had to make the 0.4 mile uphill climb to the top to view Mingo Falls before calling for directions.

  The group voted to try to beat the storm front coming through and go rafting on the Nantahala River from 1015-130 pm.  We managed to finish before some gentle showers came through.


 This was also our last opportunity to shop for the perfect souvenir to take home.  We feasted on left overs and packed our bags that Mr. Gillespie volunteered to pick up and pull back to Peoria in the U-Haul trailer that once was full of donations. This evening we had "tribal council" and reflected on the week.  It has been a very full week of learning and activities. We are very thankful for the time and energy that Cherokee Indian Hospital employees and affiliate clinical sites gave to us.  In addition we made new contacts in the community with the help of Kayla Holland who facilitated this entire experience.  We will carry the memories in our hearts and as we care for individuals be certain to remember everyone has a story and should be treated with dignity and respect.



Thursday, July 13, 2017

Day 3 & 4 Generosity & Southern Charm

Currently I am sitting outside the patio outside the Creamery at Antler Villiage at Biltmore Estates reflecting on the last two days.  The students have had such a variety of experiences, many vastly different than each other but all with big servings of generosity and hospitality.

Yesterday on Wednesday July 12, 2017, students spent time at different areas at Cherokee Indian Hospital, the Family Safety Center, Indian Care Clinic/Family Care Clinic and Urgent Care.  Each student had a different type of experience and will share in their blogs. 

The highlight for me occured at lunch time!  Not only did we have an amazing down home cooking style buffet at Granny's Restaurant in Cherokee the ER we spent time with Victoria Harlan a well respected and experienced Cherokee Registered Nurse.


Victoria helped paint a picture of the historical grief and trauma that has lasted generations, issues with the community as well as how these people are overcoming obstacles.  The information we received from she and Kayla Holland, the Nurse Educator, have been eye opening to view others differently as we never know someone elses story.






As part of  Service Learning, the students were able to help meet a need in the community by donating some of the items collected to the Macedonia Baptist Church in Cherokee as it was identified as a place that helped meet needs of children and their families.  You can check out the church on the following link:  https://www.facebook.com/Macedonia-Baptist-Church-Cherokee-NC-113662932128291/
The Church made up of mainly of Cherokee people and a Cherokee Indian pastor, extended an invitation for us to attend their Wednesday evening service. The students agreed it would be a unique experience and a better way to understand culture as their are many Baptist churches in the area. The people here were very kind and the students got to meet some families and children who will benefit from donations.  They publicly thanked the students in the service and were very appreciative of the generosity of the college. The pastor and his wife gifted me with a New Testement Bible that is written in Cherokee next to the English scripture.


July 13, 2017  Thursday

The drive to Asheville to Mission Children's Hospital was just about an hour away from our cabin.  The students were so impressed and several interested in pursuing this organization as a future employer.  It was state of the art and completely geared for children and thier families.  The students toured PICU, Peds, NICU, OB at the main campus.  We then drove to Reuter's clinic and toured the pediatric specialty clinics. I would encourage you to read the student blogs as much was gained from this experience.








As the Biltmore estates is 6 minutes away and has much history to the area, we headed their for lunch and toured the house and estate gardens.  When considering the amount of time and resources spent making the mansion in the 1800's, it was quite the contrast to the poverty that Appalachia region.  We did find that the Vanderbuilts and thier decendents have made many contributions to the Asheville community and they are respected for thier generosity.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Days 1 & 2 Arrival, Altitude & Acculturation


Sunday July 9, 2017, we headed out bright and early from Methodist College to North Carolina.  We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant day to travel and the group seemed to gel right away.  
  The group were great sports as Amy & I navigated the van through traffic and mountains!

Some even used time on the trip to read about the history of the Cherokee alphabet called the Syllabury and practice a few phrases in Cherokee.  

Amy & Mr. Bocelli
After stopping in historic Waynesville, NC at Bocelli's and picking up some terrific pizza, we had only a little over a half hour to get to the cabin which we will be staying for a week. 
 After filling up on the delicious pizza and unloading the van, students finished their blog posts and were ready for some shut-eye!  Two very courageous students  accompanied me to a small grocery store in Cherokee about 15 minutes away where we loaded up with the food we would need to prepare family style meals for the week.  As we divided and conquered the grocery list, shopping went very smoothly!  I was impressed at the savvy shopping skills these two young women had as we managed to get everything needed and stay within our budget. We loaded the van up with 2 carts filled to the brim of groceries and made our way back to the cabin. As we attempted to ascend the mountain incline driveway to the cabin, we soon realized that the dew on the ground and lack of weight made it impossible to reach the top.  The skill these ladies had on helping direct me down the mountain backwards in the dark prevented us from being stuck in the deeply rutted banks on each side.  After 5 attempts to make it up the drive, I retreated to parking at the bottom of the mountain and we carried the 2 carts full of groceries up to the cabin. While I have never personally been to a Cross-Fit excercise program, I am certain it cannot be more of a work out than getting those groceries up the mountain. These are the things that are the beginnings of good stories and an uexpected adventures. This would be my second year here, the drive up to the top has been full of adventure and I couldn't help but reminisce and chuckle about the driveway experiences which for flat landers, may compare to a thrill ride at an amusement park!  (No need to read & worry, it is really not that bad, this is just mountain life problems.)
 In the morning we made our way to the bottom of the mountain and set off  for clinical orientation and tour at Cherokee Indian Hospital. 


Afterwards we had lunch, went to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian,  Art Gallery, small shops and Ocanaluftee Indian Villiage where students walked through  Cherokee Village and seen how the Cherokee lived 2 1/2 Centuries ago.  We watched (and even a few participated in) Native American dancing and we observed demonstrations including  traditional rivercane basket making. 
It was a beautiful and warm day, so we decided to catch the last ride of the day a Tubing company had and float 3 miles on the Cherokee River. It was a relaxing adventure and a perfect day to wrap up the day.  When we got back to cabin, our U-Haul of donations made it to the top mountain and so did our van! We then shared the most amazing Chicken Alfredo, garden salad and Brownies. It was quite a treat to have other adults cooking and to partake in a meal I did not prepare.  We are now ready to see what Day 3, brings as it will be the first full day of observation Clinical in Cherokee on Tuesday.  

Friday, July 7, 2017

Abundantly Blessed

Over the last month the donations for us to take to Cherokee, North Carolina have came flooding in!  My office was filled with donations! This is a "good problem" to have as it validates the giving spirit of Methodist College students, staff and faculty.  Many of the students on this travel course have also collected donations from their family, friends, churches and employers. We are so grateful for all who have donated! 
 I wish to express my gratitude to students and staff who volunteered today to help sort and organize these donations so they may fit into the U-Haul trailer we will be loading bright and early Sunday morning. Thank you Angie for being so patient and tolerant of all the noise, chaos and snoring bear toy as you could not shut us out as we sorted in the hallway near your office.  
The countdown is only a little over a day away and the students have been anticipating this trip since the beginning of the new year.  Several students were able to go on the trip who otherwise would not have been able to after a generous grant was received from an anonymous donor through the Methodist/Proctor Foundation. This grant helped cover the majority of travel expenses of our group.  As you can see, we have much to be thankful for!


Thank you to all who have helped thus far and those who will keep us in thoughts and prayers for a safe and meaningful travel learning experience.  Check back in on the blog this week, as students will begin posting daily reflections about their experience.







Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Pre-travel Preparations

While Spring 2017 semester is over and Summer term is just beginning,  preparations for this course began months ago. N393 Nursing Topic Course:  Beyond the Basics: Pediatric Assessment is one of my passions to teach.  It is a blessing to have a second opportunity to take a group of students to Western North Carolina as the travel part of this course. Last year was the very first for this course and the experiences that the students, chaperone and myself had during this time were impacting on the way we not only care for others but how we view the world. I have no doubt that this summer's experiences will lend themselves to great learning opportunities that will last a lifetime.


Holistic assessment of children and their families is the main focus of this course.  Prior to travel, the students will have theory and simulation experiences to enhance their current knowledge of pediatric physical assessment and build on recognition and responding to emergencies. Having the opportunity to travel, students have an "up close and personal" opportunity to assess the impact culture, community, family influence and health care disparities have on the health of children.


The ten students who have been selected to participate in this course,  have already began preparing for their journey to NC several months ago. Recently the students have been collecting donations of children's clothes and toys to take to the Children's Home in Cherokee, NC.

We have been gifted a generous grant from an anonymous donor to minimize the travel expenses of this course,  allowing them the opportunity to participate in this course. For this, we are very thankful!
Links to the student blogs will be available on the sidebar.  We invite you to read what they are learning through this experience and hope you discover something new as well.