Psych Nursing

I am four days into my Psychiatric Nursing Semester and loving it! The human mind is just as fascinating as the rest of the human body--but less predictable.


At College of the Ozarks I studied Psychology, and in particular found Abnormal Psych interesting. I am reminded of that now, but the difference being that beginning in two and a half weeks I will be caring for these interesting people, not just learning about them.

I have been assigned to the "Tweens" unit at Vista Health. There I will work with children 8 to 13 years of age. Many of them will have similar circumstances as the children that I work with at the Children's Shelter. I am very interested to learn how to help them on a more clinical level.

Road to Africa update

In six weeks I will be pinned as a Registered Nurse. As that day draws closer, I am more and more aware that though I will technically be a nurse when I pass the State Board exam, I will be far from capable of providing comprehensive nursing care to my own patient load. I have so much to learn!
It is easy to focus on the present with upcoming final exams and pinning, but I constantly am reminded of my larger goal of missionary nursing by those of you who almost daily ask how that process is going. Thank you for reminding me of the big picture.

While nursing school is challenging and I am studying more than I ever have in my life--it is still completely within my reach. God has blessed me with an interest and easy ability to learn. My grades make it look like I am excelling, but the reality is that I have already forgotten much of what I have learned and much of the rest is fuzzy with diagnostics, symptoms, complications, pharmocological and non-pharmacological treatments, etc.

One of my prayers from the beginning of the nursing program is that not only that I will grasp the material I am exposed to and perform well on exams and in the clinical setting--but that God will enable me to retain the information for nursing throughout my lifetime of service to Him.

I am signing up to take an review course that will reinforce the most important points that we have learned in the past 13 1/2 months. Please pray that I will make excellent use of the time and that God will enable me to put the information in my brain storage in such a way that I can retrieve it as needed. The review will take place the week following the last week of classes--the first week of September.

After submitting a long application and medical form in May, I am waiting to hear back from my first choice in mission agencies--Serving In Missions. They are currently checking my references. I also am in communications with Mercy Ships, Frontiers and Africa Inland Missions. I am approximately one and one half year out from my projected move to Africa--though I know my timing may not be the same as God's timing. I am thrilled to leave the specifics up to Him.