I've gone to clinical twice now and was really, really worried that I would hate it or that my clinical preceptor would hate me. Turns out we click BIG TIME!
Terry (not her real name) is a gorgeous outgoing black african american woman who is wonderful. I get to her house an hour before we leave, just to speak about how our day is expected to go, the type of patients we'll be seeing and what she expects of me. I like this because then I know what to expect and I can try to make sure I meet them.
One of the patient's we have is a 90+ woman who lives several states over from her only surviving child, who is a boy and he acts like one. My pt complains that they don't have a good relationship and that she has hinted that she would prefer to live closer but doesn't say it exactly like that so it's not like he recognizes it and so as time keeps going on she just gets more and more bitter. (my mom is the same way with one of my brothers so it was ironic that I could totally see it in this exchange) She is depressed and anxious and has openly admitted that she wants to die but won't commit suicide (as per her religious beliefs). She isolates herself because all of her exchanges with the people in her retirement home alienate her. I found it difficult trying to counsel her on changing her behavior. I just don't have the knack for these things. What I DID do was talk to her about her self isolating behavior and to make a verbal agreement to go to a social event at least once this week and she was required to sit by someone she hadn't previously communicated with and when we meet this week we would talk about it and how it went. I hope it goes well!
Then after our day we go back to her house and debrief how our day went. She complemented me (YAY!!!) about how well I'm doing and that I met her expectations for our day.
I will be VERY excited when this rotation is done and over with - just hope it's successful!!!
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