“You’re leaving next week? But you just got here!”
With Emily Knippenberg, Valpo ’16 and previous CAPS Fellow. Emily was my main supervisor during the fellowship and helped direct next steps in my project and was always giving the best professional and life advice.
Doesn’t it feel like that? It’s true what the saying says – time flies when you’re having fun! Time also flies when you are kept incredibly busy and everyday is filled with numerous learning opportunities and personal and professional challenges.
To incorporate clinical nursing experience I helped with the Wound Fair that was mandatory education for our nursing staff. Prevention is key for pressure ulcers!
As my summer at The Village at Rockville (TVAR) in Maryland wraps up I can’t help but reflect on the time I have had here. From the people I have met, the meetings I have sat in on, the responsibilities I have been given and the times I’ve spent exploring the area – I look back and wonder how it all managed to happen during one CAPS Fellowship. I can honestly say that everything that happened was unexpected, challenging at times but so worth it. So worth the occasional discomfort, confusion, exhaustion, and hours of meetings.
To give you a better idea of what my summer looked like I will explain it this way. I worked 9-5, except Fridays which were 7:30AM-5PM so I could participate on wound-rounds. There were occasional evenings during the summer that I would stay late or go in and talk with night shift staff but other than that my evening and weekends were available for endless adventure and exploring the Maryland, Virginia, D.C. area.
I took a solo road trip to Annapolis, MD last weekend. Fun, very historic downtown to explore.
When we weren’t experiencing the numerous restaurants, hiking trails or activities people had encouraged us to visit, we were in the office working on our individual projects. Other times we were attending meetings both at TVAR and at the corporate office – National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS).
With: Jason, the Executive Director at TVAR and another main supervisor; CAPS Fellows – Maddie Nieter and Michelle Andersen; and Emily Knippenberg
A huge part of making this CAPS Fellowship what it has been, are the people I have encountered both at TVAR and also beyond at other NLCS entities. Every person I met has encouraged me to reach out to them and to let them know if I ever have any further questions or need professional guidance. It has amazed me to experience the compassion and desire other people have had to see me grow. I know many times it is said that words cannot fully describe something - in this case that saying can’t be truer. Words truly cannot describe the appreciation I have for the amount of wisdom, guidance, and support I have received the past 8 weeks. I have received many notes with words of advice, wisdom, various contacts, and many other little tidbits that I will be reflecting on and incorporating into further development, especially, in the coming years as I continue to pursue my passion of becoming a nurse.
Now comes a bittersweet time of saying goodbye to such an influential group of people I have had the honor of working with this summer. It will be the people of National Lutheran Communities and Services, especially The Village at Rockville, that I will miss greatly.
One of my favorite things to do was explore new and always breathtaking hiking trails. As well as, other outdoor activities like kayaking and white water tubing down part of the Potomac River.
But as this journey comes to a close I walk away a determined and more knowledgeable nurse and professional. I also leave reflecting on the word “change”. A goal in my life is to create change somewhere, somehow. I don’t know yet if that change will come in the form of a medical mission trip, a pediatric hospital, a church, or with family or friends, but I have been made to realize that change won’t always be seen with my own eyes. Maybe the change I create in the world will happen years after I have an idea or begin to create something. Maybe this change in the world happens within my own heart, creating a domino effect. In addition to having a passion to serve in a pediatric hospital I now add a passion of working with dementia patients. It is hard to imagine how much an entire perspective and desire can change in a few weeks time.