To Yakutat Interviews

H2004-17-31

1) Her personal background, her childhood, going to a mission school, and how she got her nickname, Sugar.
nickname -- “Sugar”\ name -- origin\ girlfriend\ Klawock\ adoption\ Mission -- Kodiak\ Tlingit\ birthdate\ birthplace\ Alitak, Kodiak Island\ family -- death\ death -- TB\ death -- heart problems\ siblings -- number of\ Stepan, Esi -- father\ Stepan, Anne -- mother\ childhood\ Kodiak\ parents -- death\ sister -- raised by\ steamship -- “Denali”\ child -- left alone\ social services\ Mission -- taken by\ Kodiak Baptist Mission\ going to Mission -- age at\ parent's death -- age at\ mother -- death\ father -- raised by|

2) Dealing with emergencies, why she quit the job, and other work she did after being a health aide.
emergencies -- dealing with\ response -- automatic\ first-aid\ doctor -- call to\ doctor -- advice\ airplane -- evacuation\ fish hooks -- getting caught\ response -- stay calm\ emergency -- knife wound\ emergency -- gunshot wound\ job -- quit\ job -- schedule\ schedule -- half-time\ physician assistant\ pay -- reduction\ job -- resignation\ people -- calls from\ Adams, Marge\ health aide -- lack of\ work -- tried not to\ life -- boring\ job -- teacher aide\ teacher aide -- length of time\ retirement|

3) Starting as a volunteer health aide and then getting paid for the job, and the duties of a health aide.
health aide -- length of time\ health aide -- volunteer\ health aide -- paid\ health aide -- enjoyment\ patients -- house calls\ patients -- post-hospital stay\ patients -- check on\ medication -- taking of\ exercises\ immunization\ children -- shots\ health aide -- responsibilities\ money -- fundraising\ health council\ dentist -- visit from\ mental health program\ health education\ dental care -- flouride treatment\ prenatal care\ teaching\ mothers -- new\ babies -- caring for\ shots\ bathing\ diapers -- changing|

4) Difficult aspects of health aide work, what she missed about the work after she quit, and how the village has changed.
hardship\ job -- difficulty\ job -- first starting\ quitting -- sad\ health aide -- continuation\ clinic -- new\ age\ job -- missing\ walking\ home visits -- walking to\ umbrella -- use of\ raining\ cars -- number of\ ride -- offered\ village life -- changes in\ theft\ safety\ people -- number of\ people -- knowing\ sportsfishermen -- lack of\ village -- peaceful\ running water -- introduction of\ sewer system -- introduction of\ clinic -- running water\ bath -- taking\ water -- heating on stove\ water -- hauling\ water -- source|

5) Transporting patients to the airplane, having to treat patients without a doctor in town, and having to do things that people needed but were not supposed to be part of the job.
health aide -- hardship\ patients -- evacuation\ airplane\ airplane -- transport to\ doctor -- lack of\ accidents -- severe\ accidents -- lack of\ airplane crash -- response training\ tasks -- not by rules\ independent\ situation -- decision-making\ pregnant women -- lack of check-up\ abortion\ clinic -- non-involvement\ suicide\ alcohol|

6) Coming to Sitka, becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN), coming to Yakutat and getting married, and how she became the health aide.
Sitka\ hospital\ TB -- treatment\ high school\ licensed practical nurse -- training\ nursing -- interest in\ training -- length of\ work -- Mt. Edgecumbe hospital\ job -- quit\ Yakutat -- moving to\ marriage\ Valle, George -- husband\ husband -- meeting\ husband -- first wife\ divorce\ first husband -- divorce\ marriage -- length of\ Yakutat -- visiting\ health aide -- beginning\ patients -- elders\ patients -- Mt. Edgecumbe hospital\ patients -- remembered\ elders -- come for help\ hospital -- help from\ hospital -- contact with\ letters -- writing\ doctor -- recommendation from\ medicine -- sending\ hospital -- patients to\ patients -- local care|

7) Writing letters to and calling the doctors at Mt. Edgecumbe hospital in Sitka to consult on patients, trying to maintain privacy, and successful patient care.
telephones -- lack of\ telephone -- crank\ telephone -- using\ telephone -- location of\ Mallott's Store\ Bellingham Store -- cannery\ doctors -- communication with\ letters\ emergency -- use telephone\ telephone -- improvement\ telephone -- on porch\ privacy -- lack of\ people -- find out\ patient -- knowledge about\ letter writing -- problems with\ timing\ patient -- breast cancer\ patient -- care of\ patient -- death\ medical cases -- non-critical\ God -- help from\ faith|

8) Training she received as a health aide.
training -- health aide\ training -- licensed practical nurse\ training -- suturing\ training -- starting heart\ training -- observation\ training -- length of\ Sitka\ Anchorage\ training -- subjects\ triage\ work -- fun\ training -- mock airplane crash\ patients -- assessing\ chaos\ patients -- moving|

9) First getting paid as a health aide for long hours at low wages, seeing patients at home and making house-calls, and making do on your own to help your patients.
health aide -- beginning\ health aide -- payment\ paid job -- time of\ wages -- amount\ wages -- back pay\ back pay -- lack of\ wages -- low\ work -- amount of\ Mt. Edgecumbe hospital -- health aide program\ people -- helping\ home -- visits\ medicine -- clinic\ telephone -- benefit of\ doctor -- call\ telephone -- lack of\ emergency -- response\ health aide -- personal visit\ contact -- personal\ scary\ stretchers -- lack of\ patient -- ulcers\ stretcher -- making\ oars\ blanket\ truck -- loading patient\ canopy\ rain\ ambulance -- early\ patient -- death\ death -- stomach cancer|

10) The number of times doctors would visit the village, working as the sole health aide, and memories of babies she delivered.
doctor -- visit\ visits -- number of\ visits -- current\ health aide -- solo\ patients -- care of\ people -- helping\ walking -- distance\ weather\ youth -- benefit of\ healthy -- stayed\ illnesses -- types of\ colds\ pneumonia\ ear infections\ toncilitis\ babies -- delivery\ baby deliveries -- memories of\ baby delivery -- first\ water bag -- baby inside\ water bag -- breaking\ cord -- around neck\ baby -- saving\ baby delivery -- second\ birth -- breech\ midwife -- help\ baby -- shifting\ baby delivery -- third\ placenta -- not come out\ doctor -- calling\ treatment -- warm bath\ treatment -- success\ airplane -- jet service\ pregnant women -- to hospital early\ baby delivery -- early\ baby delivery -- home birth\ baby delivery -- scary\ infection -- fear of\ baby delivery -- successful|

11) Nursing training she received and some of the difficult things she saw and did.
training -- nursing\ Anchorage\ hospital -- Air Force base\ training -- obstetrics\ baby delivery -- observation\ women -- fainting\ women -- deliver at same time\ babies -- mixed up\ situation -- fixed\ Air Force -- joining\ homesickness\ autopsy -- observation\ autopsy -- interest in\ medical examiner\ organs -- observing\ disease -- learning about\ gross\ disease -- sexually transmitted\ disease -- dental\ training -- timing of\ timing -- lunch time\ program -- difficulty\ grades\ Sitka\ cases -- fewer\ training -- limited\ babies -- birth of\ emergencies -- observation\ emergency room -- night shift\ emergencies -- interest in|

12) The equipment and medicine available when she first started as a health aide, and all the record keeping and paperwork she had to do.
health aide -- beginning\ equipment\ medicine -- availability\ medicine -- clinic\ public health nurse\ doctor -- orders from\ medicine -- local\ medicine -- sending\ equipment -- black bag\ vital signs -- taking\ patients -- records\ notebook\ notes -- burned\ records -- disposal\ reports -- copies\ clinic -- schedule\ patient -- log\ paperwork -- quantity of\ job -- worst part\ paperwork -- space on\ writing -- small\ records -- location of|

13) Dealing with the stress of being a health aide, the support she got from her husband and family, and the training session when she learned to give shots.
health aide -- early\ health aide -- solo\ stress\ house calls -- night\ house calls -- getting to\ stress -- dealing with\ house -- cleaning\ baby -- care of\ family -- raising\ family -- balance\ baby -- took with me\ children -- older\ husband -- job\ job -- schedule\ job -- truck driver\ Chevron\ gasoline -- smell of\ shots -- learning to give\ shots -- training in\ training -- nursing\ orange -- practice on\ people -- practice on\ needle\ needle -- pulling out\ medicine -- normal saline\ practicing -- funny story\ friend|

14) How she was chosen to be the health aide, and working together with Marge Adams.
health aide -- becoming\ job -- selection for\ village council\ experience -- previous\ work -- hospital\ job -- Headstart Program Director\ Adams, Marge\ job -- choosing\ health aide -- why chose\ people -- trust of\ job -- success\ health aides -- number of\ health aides -- help each other\ patient -- care\ home call -- together\ partying\ job -- fill-in\ break -- need for|

15) Dealing with emergencies.
emergency -- night\ emergency -- response\ patient -- run to\ car -- lack of\ driving -- not know how\ walk\ healthy\ incidents -- emergency\ emergency -- gunshot\ emergency --stabbing\ emergency -- car accident\ patients -- survival\ clinic -- new\ wound -- head\ wound -- glass removal\ emergency -- handling\ health care -- village\ health care -- family\ health care -- friend\ people -- care for\ situation -- accustomed to|

16) Why she quit being a health aide, and becoming a teacher aide at the school.
job -- quit\ City of Yakutat\ job -- schedule\ job -- half-time\ physician assistant\ resignation\ schedule -- on-call\ vacation -- California\ Taft, California\ Adams, Marge -- resignation\ health aide -- lack of\ people -- visits continued\ people -- turn away\ advice\ work -- tried not\ job -- teacher aide\ teacher aide -- length of time\ job -- enjoyment\ kindergarten\ primary grades\ children -- helping learn|

17) What she liked most about being a health aide.
health aide -- enjoyment\ people -- caring for\ people -- helping\ walking\ elders\ thankfulness\ babies -- care of\ earaches\ fever -- high\ strep throat\ shot -- Penecillin\ daughter -- care of\ grandchildren\ daughter -- go on calls\ daughter -- career\ nursing -- interest in|

18) The hardest part about being a health aide, and the history of the different clinic buildings in the village.
health aide -- hardship\ doctors -- lack of\ equipment -- lack of\ clinic -- new\ clinic -- old\ stretchers\ medicine\ equipment\ clinic -- construction of\ Yakutat\ clinics -- history of\ elder housing\ Adams, Marge\ clinic -- current|

19) Missing being a health aide, the admiration she has for long-time health aides, and changes in the village and the delivery of health care.
regrets\ health aide -- quitting\ health aide -- missed\ Johnson, Barbara\ career -- length of\ health aides -- longevity\ training\ Anchorage\ Johnson, Barbara -- admiration for\ Angoon\ Yakutat\ people -- caring for\ health care -- quality\ village -- changes in\ changes -- improvements\ doctors -- talking with\ physician assistant\ mobility -- improvement\ cars -- presence of\ clinic -- patients come to\ emergency crew -- EMT|

20) Maintaining patient confidentiality, and some of the scary moments she had as a health aide.
confidentiality\ training -- nursing\ people -- curious\ village -- small\ information -- not talk about\ cases -- medical\ case -- scariest\ fisherman\ fish hook -- cheek\ eye\ fish hook -- removal\ barb -- clip\ hook -- work out\ memory -- lack of\ treatment -- success\ case -- finger injury\ treatment -- first aid\ patient -- hospital\ treatment -- correct\ elder -- slip\ ice\ leg -- broken\ bone -- exposed\ Adams, Marge\ splint -- inflatable\ patient -- sent to hospital\ airplane\ hospital -- Sitka|

21) Being proud of her work, and dealing with death and the loss of patients.
cases -- close-calls\ patient -- survival\ case -- success story\ pride\ babies -- delivery\ training -- nursing\ disease -- cirrhosis of liver\ drinking\ patient -- care for\ patient -- death\ sadness\ knowledge -- lack of\ patients -- death of\ death -- drinking\ doctor -- calling\ body -- care of\ body -- sent out\ case -- sad\ children|

22) Handling the emotional impact of traumatic incidents.
patient -- care\ saving patient -- successful\ case -- stabbing\ case -- gunshot\ gunshot -- shotgun\ wound -- extensive\ face -- damage to\ jaw\ blood -- amount of\ physician assistant\ health aide -- support\ patient -- death\ drinking\ training -- counseling\ emotions -- dealing with\ mess -- cleaning up\ case -- horrible\ situation -- dealing with\ impact -- personal\ patient -- knowing\ problems\ counseling -- post- traumatic\ Mt. Edgecumbe\ school\ children -- counseling\ tragedy -- coping with\ village -- impact on|

23) Advice she has for young people who want to become health aides, and the qualities she thinks are necessary to make a good health aide.
health aides -- new\ health aides -- advice for\ youth\ encouragement\ job -- fun\ job -- stressful\ study\ listen\ pay attention\ class -- sit in front\ health aide -- qualities\ health aide -- personality\ passionate\ understanding\ willingness\ job -- do best you can\ training -- amount of\ cases -- preparation\ knowledge -- lack of\ common sense|

24) The relationship between the health aide and the community, her interest in getting more advanced medical training, and a funny story from when she worked shifts at the hospital in Sitka.
village -- size of\ village -- relationship with\ respect\ help -- offered\ people -- willing to help\ training -- desire for\ training -- advanced\ money -- lack of\ home -- having to leave\ hardship\ school -- pediatrician\ financial assistance -- lack of\ Philadelphia -- school\ distance\ expense\ stories -- favorite\ health aide -- experiences\ Adams, Marge\ experiences -- funny\ hospital -- Mt. Edgecumbe\ work -- night shift\ sleep -- daytime\ sleep -- hard to\ shift -- sleep through\ security guard -- wake up\ work -- late to\ embarrassment\ summer\ sleep -- lack of\ schedule -- accustomed to\ work -- double shift\ shift -- evening\ shift -- night\ schedule -- adjust to\ work -- daytime|

25) Being raised at the Kodiak Baptist Mission, and how she got her nickname when she lived in Sitka.
Mission -- raised in\ Mission -- benefit of\ education -- quality of\ lessons -- learned\ discipline\ cleanliness -- importance of\ school\ food preparation\ chores\ Mission -- cottages\ school -- distance\ walk\ school -- late arrival\ children -- playing\ game -- leap frog\ school -- punishment\ Kodiak\ village -- birthplace\ Alitak\ sewing\ socks -- darning\ laundry\ housework\ corners -- cleaning\ money -- enticement\ broom\ Mission\ childhood\ friend\ nickname -- “Sugar”\ name -- origin of\ hospital -- Mt. Edgecumbe\ Klawock\ hospital -- TB\ personality -- nice\ friend -- death of\ friendship -- longevity|