Welcome to my new blog. I intend to gather some useful sites and publications for you to use, conduct a few web-based research projects and generally create a tiny conversational bubble at the intersection of several different "planets." (Poor Pluto) My metaphorical "planets" are nursing, law and family therapy. I have to spend a little time on the background of how these places came together to create my work space. The story spans 32 years in 2 paragraphs. Feel free to skip it, too...
Starting out as a nursing student at UT Austin (Go, HORNS!), I became interested in the differences I started to see between who got better and who became a "frequent flyer" in the medical system, whether it be in the ICU or the psychiatric ward. Even in the ICU, I spent more time interacting with patients' families and helping sort out some of their tangles, often, as I tried to provide some continuity of care for our patients.
Eventually, I went off into the community sector (wings!) and learned how scary it can be out there. If I was nervous about being outside the hospital setting, I can only imagine how frightening it must have felt for most of these vulnerable folks! Since most of my patients/clients were elderly, there were multiples of family dynamics (think giant kitty hairball!) to learn about and negotiate, every day. These patients and their family members were anxious to tell me their stories. I soon discovered that if I wanted them to let me in their home, check their incision, their blood pressure, their IV, their bandages, their lungs... I needed to listen, listen and listen...
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