Flu Shots

So as I have mentioned before, I am a volunteer for the OC Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). I signed up to help give flu shots at the OC Health Care Agency on Monday and I really enjoyed it. I was one of 6 volunteer vaccinators for the seasonal flu, and there were 4 vaccinators for the H1N1 that were hired to work from an agency. Most of the people that came in were there for the H1N1, so we were pretty slow. I think I gave about 50 shots all day and then 7 flumists (in the nose)...and I was there for 9 hours (1 hr lunch)! Oh, and I was the youngest vaccinator there. We must have given about 300+ seasonal flu shots and there must have been almost 1000 there for H1N1. There was almost always a line of 15+ people for H1N1.

Whenever I did not have a patient, which was quite often, I would prepare/draw up more shots, label vaccination cards to give patients, or chat with the nurse sitting at the table in front of me. Her name was Pam and she is an oncology nurse (pretty neat since I have been working in Oncology). She also grew up on the East Coast, so we talked a little about that too. I felt really comfortable asking her questions and I really enjoyed talking to her (but I also had fun with some of the other nurses too - especially the ones who stayed till the very end with me because Pam and 1 other vaccinator left after lunch). I feel like Pam and I talked about so many different things, which was great and she was so sweet - having her there made me more comfortable and my experience more rewarding.

Many patients would make comments about us being bored, but even though it was a little boring at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the conversations with people, even if they were pretty brief. I was happy to be able to volunteer my time to help do that and it was a really good experience. I definitely feel great at IM shots, but the screening part is where I get confused. About a month ago, I also volunteered to give flu shots at a school, through the MRC, but when I got there they had me help a nurse screen the patients beforehand and later I helped draw up medications (I think we vaccinated over 1500 people that day!). The screening is so confusing because we have to ask if they have received any vaccines lately and/or in the past, if they have any allergies/asthma (especially if allergic to eggs), if pregnant, any medical conditions, etc. Then, people between the ages of 2-49 can get the flumist if they want it, pregnant women have to have a special vaccine, over age 65 may not need H1N1, children have to come back for a second dose (depending on age), etc. You can probably see how this can get overwhelming! I have definitely learned a lot from it all and, like I said, it has been a great experience. I enjoyed it so much that I might sign up for another shift next week. :)

For my nursing friends out there - if you live in OC, you should join the MRC too!! Maybe we can sign up for events like this together! :D http://www.ochealthinfo.com/mrc/

The Purpose of Christmas

This month I have been reading The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren. It is the perfect way to prepare for the birth of Jesus. It's a really easy, short read and the "chapters" are really short - a perfect book to read right before bedtime.

There were a few good quotes that I wanted to share with you - just little reminders. :)

I don't know what difficulty you feel you're drowning in right now or where the heat is on in your life, but I do know that whatever it is, God knows about it, cares about it, understands it, and is going through it with you. You're not alone.

God is waiting to save you. He wants to save you from sin and self, save you for his purpose, and save you by his grace, through faith. But you've got to relax, quit trying to save yourself, let go, and trust your savior to do it for you.

It is astounding that so many people have celebrated Christmas every year of their lives without ever having opened their greatest and most expensive Christmas gift. Jesus Christ is God's Christmas gift to you.

Have a very Merry Christmas, remembering the true meaning of this blessed holiday!

Re: Manuscript Submitted!

Well, I found out last night that Women's Health Issues Journal will not even review my manuscript. Dr. Rutledge said that she has never heard or experienced this. She has had manuscripts need revisions in order to be accepted, but apparently they wouldn't even review our, perhaps due to the type of study we did. So, now we are looking at other journals to submit to and then revise the manuscript as needed. I will keep you updated!

Manuscript Submitted!

I just got home from meeting with my teacher, Dr. Rutledge. Today we submitted my/our manuscript to Women's Health Issues Journal and so now we wait to see whether it is approved or not or if it needs revising. I am guessing it will be a few months, especially with the holidays, but I will be keeping you posted. It's so very exciting to have this done!

So, the question is: Do I want my current name or my soon-to-be married name on the article? It would be nice to have something under the Kengen name, but it would also be nice to have Traska in case I publish in the future (then everything will be under the same name). Any suggestions? :)

Oh by the way, in case you don't know what my manuscript is on - I worked with some faculty at CSUF on a qualitative descriptive study on Fibromyalgia symptom management. We conducted an interview with 8 women with FM and they shared the various ways that they cope with their condition. It was very interesting and I learned a lot!!

Fun Fact - My Future Pet

My dream dog is a Greyhound and I cannot wait to have my little (haha) companion to walk.

Purina Friend Fetcher - a cute website to help you find the perfect pet. :) http://www.petcentric.com/fun-games/friend-fetcher.aspx?DCMP=EMC-PETC-PETC-MarthaNov09_1&HQS=copy

Graduation Countdown

Now that we know when graduation day is, I had to add another countdown because this is definitely a huge event. Brian will be graduating on May 9 (Mother's Day) with his Master's in Theology and I graduate on May 23. SOOOO Exciting! :)


MySpace-Countdowns

Fun Fact - About Me!

In case you didn't know, I love puzzles! Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles and I still try to do one whenever I get some time off from school. I also love doing word searches, word scrambles, and more recently, crossword puzzles (I used to think these were impossible to finish...even though I still have to look up answers in the back - haha). My grandma gave me a crossword puzzle book on thanksgiving and it was fun working on a couple with the family (it definitely helps having other brains involved!). And I have found myself puzzling instead of turning on the TV lately, so that's a good thing I guess, but I need to probably put the book down until I finish this semester. When we went to Europe in 2006, my dad bought me a puzzle magazine at the airport in Newark, NJ and it kept me busy the entire time, especially on the long flights! Fun stuff. Anyway, I just wanted to share a little bit about me that you may not have known. :)

In case you also like puzzles, I created a little word scramble about me! Post your answers in the comments section and I will let you know how you did. :)

lcthicoa
ninugsr
neaeggd
hlatyeh etare
gtwniri epspar
sbytartebi

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for so many things, but most importantly I am thankful for my faith in God because He gets me through everything. Although I thank God daily for these things, I want to specifically thank Him in writing on this special day. So, thank you, God, for my family, friends, health, food and shelter, education, and every blessing you have bestowed upon me (the list could go on forever!). I give thanks for Brian because he stands by my side every step of the way. I am also very thankful that I got my RN license this year and to be almost done with school, since my nursing journey has been long and arduous, but also full of blessings and wonderful memories. In addition, I want to say a special prayer today for those who are alone, hungry, sick, cold, and/or suffering in any way.

Even though today is Thanksgiving, we should be thankful for all the blessings in our lives throughout the entire year. It can sometimes be a struggle to give thanks, especially for the littlest things or during times of stress or anger, but when you do, I feel it really helps brighten your spirits and makes you realize that you have SO much to be thankful for. I am definitely going to try to be more thankful for simple things that can often go unnoticed.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by the love of family and friends.

Christmas Already?!

So, I was driving down my street tonight and almost our entire street has their Christmas lights up already! I couldn't even believe it! It is November 21...not even thanksgiving yet! (Our house is one of the few without them). If you have never driven by East Lake during Christmastime, you should definitely stop by this December. It is beautiful to see all the lights - in both the front and back of houses. Its a mile around the lake, so bring a loved one and take a nice walk around the lake and enjoy the spirit of Christmas and wonderful chilly weather. :)

Halloween '09

We went to our friends' 2nd annual halloween pumpkin carving party and we won again (although this year there was not much competition). Here is last years pumpkin:
It was a ghost with the words "Boo" - hand carved/freehand...no stencil or outlining (I looked a picture though). And this was this year's pumpkin:
This one is a moon with a bat in front. This one was a lot easier and I think it turned out better than last years. Brian usually takes care of the carving the top and cleaning out the pumpkin and I carve...I love to carve pumpkins!

On Saturday night we went to another friend's housewarming halloween party. Since I was kind of babysitting that weekend (two teenagers, like family to me), I wasn't sure how much time I was going to have at the party - they were at a friends house going trick or treating - so, I didn't want to work too hard on a costume. So, the cheapest and easiest thing for us was to go as ourselves...in 5 years...a nurse and a college professor:
We hope you had a fun Halloween!!