Radical Acceptance

Definition: accepting the circumstances or things that we have no control over.

I wrote a poem today for my work meeting. Here it is!

"Ode to a nurse."
Nurse
Overworked, dedicated
Assessing, charting, running
Vial, syringe, chart, patient
Discussing, love, passion
Sincere, open
Health 

Today started a brand new rotation; psychiatric. Walking in, I had absolutely no idea what to expect, and all that was racing through my head were all these stupid stereotypes I had. After today, what I learned the most is that I really need to STOP stereotyping. A while back ago, I was reading a blog that I follow (titled "The Middle Ages." Check it out; it's amazing!)  and the topic was about mental illness. Some of the comments and points that were made...wow. Absolutely blew my mind, and I carried some of them with me today. Many of times when it comes to mental illness, there is this stigma that it is something that we should be afraid of because these people are menaces and are incompetent. But that is NOT the case, well, at least in the unit I will be working with for the next few weeks. The venue:  a private mental health facility about an hour away. It is a rehabilitation facility for individuals with a variety of mental illnesses, ranging from behavioral disorders to psychoses. The unit I will be in; Adult Addictive Center. These individuals range from ages 18 and up and have/are currently suffering from substance abuse.

I was only in the unit for a brief period of time today, since the majority of the morning was focused on orientation and our expectations in working in a facility such as this. However, once we reached the unit was when the action began. Myself and one other student in my class will be on the unit for the remainder of our rotation here. We actually got to observe and sit-in during one of the group therapy sessions. There were only six patients at the meeting; there were about twice that in the unit. Anyway, for confidentiality purposes I am forbidden to repeat what was actually said in the meetings, my apologies. But it just blew me away how supportive everyone was with one another. The patients were giving advice to other patients and you could tell they were genuinely listening and were sincere with their words and body language. What also blew me away was that right away you could tell the patients wanted to be there; they wanted to be at this meeting. There was someone or something that they were seeking help for and that's what kept them going.

Overall, I am astounded at how satisfied I am with this rotation. On the way there, I was so terrified I was going to get yelled at, get something thrown at me, or whatever. Again...stigmas and stereotypes...trying to remove little by little. Not really sure what is going to happen in the weeks to come, but I suppose at this point anything is possible. Now what I ask from you readers is this; when you are approached with mental illness, do NOT be afraid of it. Remember, these people are real people; many of them are leaving behind friends and family just to get better. Be compassionate; seek an opportunity to make a difference. That's what I plan to do.