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Rita Buck talks with Karen Brewster on September 13, 2005 at the Norton Sound Health Corporation, Village Health Services office in Nome, Alaska about...
1) Some background on her life and her career as a health aide.
birthplace\ Golovin\ grandmother\ mother -- Agloinga, Martha\ step-father -- Agloinga, Steven\ White Mountain\ Unalakleet\ education\ health -- becoming\ Ashenfelter, Willa\ health aide -- alternate\ job -- excitement\ job -- wages\ wages -- city\ skills -- learning\ skills -- using\ vital signs\ blood pressure\ temperature\ injections -- practice\ health aide -- mother\ mother -- memories\ communication -- radio\ radio traffice -- listening to\ doctors\ training -- EMS\ training -- basic medical\ Nome\ emergency -- handling\ medevac\ airplanes -- mail runs\ Muns airlines\ job -- schedule\ trainers\ teachers -- quality of\ Thomas, Dan|
2) How she got started as a health aide and some thoughts on the attitude a health aide should have towards the work.
health aide -- becoming\ health aide -- alternate\ job -- schedule\ marriage\ children\ job -- pay\ job -- bilingual aide\ Norton Sound Health Corporation\ job -- changes in\ health aides -- schedule\ Ashenfelter, Willa -- illness\ Seattle\ health aide -- substitute\ health aides -- learning from\ health aide -- role of\ patients -- compassion for\ patients -- treatment of\ patients -- respect for\ villages -- differences\ cultures\ health aide -- respect for|
3) Some of her mentors, and the roles and responsibilities of health aides in small villages.
health aides -- respect for\ villages -- conflict\ health aides -- conflict\ training -- Nome\ intoxication\ corporation -- business\ respect\ lessons -- learning\ training -- successful\ Ashenfelter, Willa\ Aukongak, Irene\ health aides -- responsibility of\ health aides -- respect\ health aides -- trust\ villages -- relatives\ mentors\ Buck, Rita -- mother\ Lincoln, Lucy -- midwife\ nurses\ medicine -- TB\ work -- volunteer\ job -- pay\ Alaska Native Brotherhood\ patients -- care for\ visits -- home\ visits -- clinic\ job -- enjoyment\ job -- pride\ recognition -- lack of\ compassion|
4) The new generation of health aides, what has changed for them, and the support health aides need in order to be successful.
health aides -- generations\ generations -- transition\ technology -- advances in\ technology -- benefits of\ telemedicine program\ disease -- diagnosis\ symptoms -- description of\ radio\ patients -- care of\ fly-ins -- prevention of\ Nome\ diagnosis -- facilitation of\ disease -- skin\ illness -- ear\ health aides -- new\ computers -- use of\ education\ school -- advantages of\ school -- Physician's Assistants\ jobs -- turnover\ turnover -- rate of\ training -- costs of\ community -- support from\ families -- support from\ White Mountain\ health aide -- longevity of\ White Mountain -- clinic\ city council -- support from\ building -- maintenance\ equipment -- maintenance\ city -- help from\ patient care -- priority\ standards -- moral|
5) More about why she wanted to go into medicine, her family history, and the role of health aides in their communities.
health aide -- becoming\ job -- health aide\ graduation -- 8th grade\ graduation -- speech\ career goal -- nursing\ people -- helping\ White Mountain -- working in\ mentor\ Buck, Rita -- mother\ Ashenfelter, Willa\ patient -- believe in\ patients -- treatment of\ treatment -- equality of\ patients -- compassion for\ health care -- quality\ listening -- importance of\ Agloinga, Martha -- death\ family -- history\ domestic violence\ parents -- alcoholism\ alcohol -- effect of\ stress\ Agloinga, Martha -- characteristics\ Golovin\ Aukongak, Irene\ clothing\ pride\ health aides -- role models\ White Mountain\ Unalakleet\ Covenant High School\ communities -- differences\ childhood\ parents -- strict|
6) The importance of training and compassion in health aides, the difficulties of leaving family and home when seeking training, and some ways health aides in training can get support.
health aide -- training\ health aide -- job\ people -- helping\ patient care -- listening\ clinic -- lack of\ health aide -- successful\ training -- lack of\ pain -- emotional\ Norton Sound Health Corporation\ training -- certification\ training -- Continuing Medical Education\ alternates -- training of\ primaries -- training of\ public health service\ trainers -- village visits\ training -- EMS\ training sessions -- duration of\ training -- sacrifices for\ children\ family -- support from\ training -- hardships of\ health aides -- characteristics of\ health aides -- women\ husbands -- role of\ jobs\ babysitters -- availability of\ mothers -- breastfeeding\ Norton Sound Health Corporation -- training center\ housing|
7) The work she is doing now as a village supervisor-instructor (VSI) overseeing clinics and health aides in five villages.
job -- changes in\ certified health practitioner\ work -- schedule\ job -- village supervisor instructor (VSI)\ villages -- number of\ Shishmaref\ villages -- jobs\ job -- health aide\ job -- Certified Travel Clerks (CTC)\ appointments\ Brevig Mission\ job -- Physician's Assistants\ Wales\ Teller\ Elim\ Golovin\ White Mountain\ Koyuk\ clinic -- new\ Unalakleet\ Shaktoolik\ VSI -- number of\ job -- description\ health aides -- supervision of\ health aides -- observation of\ health aides -- evaluation\ health aide -- manual (CHAM)\ doctor -- license\ standing orders -- use of\ training\ equipment -- types of\ medicine -- control of\ clinic -- running of\ lab work\ equipment -- maintenance\ patient care -- encounter evaluations\ training -- completion\ training -- follow-up\ training -- passing\ paperwork -- amount of\ job -- duration\ job -- challenges\ villages -- differences\ people -- quality of\ clinics -- differences\ clinic -- success of\ job -- satisfaction|
8) A story about a time when her father was seriously injured and she was the only healthcare provider available to provide first response treatment.
job -- health aide\ job -- VSI\ job -- differences\ health aides -- shortage of\ health aides -- part-time\ health aides -- schedule\ White Mountain\ training -- EMS\ training -- up-to-date\ certification -- expiration of\ VSI -- training\ health aide -- availability of\ schedule -- on-call\ Ashenfelter, Willa\ Aukongak, Irene\ schedule -- difficulty of\ village -- getting away from\ emergencies -- timing of\ family -- impact on\ babies -- delivery of\ accident -- father\ building -- relocation of\ building -- collapse of\ emergency -- dealing with\ health aide -- solo\ treatment -- backboard\ clinic\ airplane\ Nome\ patient -- transportation\ injuries -- pelvis\ O'Neill, Dr. Karen\ treatment -- help with\ family -- protection of\ Anchorage\ father -- survival|
9) Changes in the equipment available to health aides, and how health aides and communities deal with tragic situations.
equipment -- improvements in\ medevacs -- availability of\ equipment -- early\ blood pressure cuff\ splint\ computer -- lack of\ thermometer\ backboard\ telemedicine -- advantages of\ equipment -- ZOL\ equipment -- AED\ clinic -- trauma room\ cases -- dealing with\ injury -- severe\ injury -- head trauma\ tragedy -- coping with\ debriefing\ crying\ Norton Sound Health Corporation\ Savoonga -- drownings\ death -- coping with\ debriefing -- importance of\ debriefing -- types of\ talking -- importance of|
10) Dealing with emergencies, characteristics shared by successful health aides, and how her own daughter became a health aide in White Mountain.
emergencies\ trauma -- responses to\ traumas -- differences\ coping\ elders -- care of\ patients -- death of\ Nome\ Anchorage\ home -- returning to\ job -- rewards\ successes -- thank-you's\ talking -- importance of\ successes -- story of\ accident -- boating\ job -- doing best\ health care -- basic\ health aide -- respect for\ health aide -- personality\ personality -- suitability of\ health aide -- characteristics of\ knowledge -- innate\ leaders\ resources -- use of\ school -- nursing\ school -- funding for\ caring -- importance of\ listening -- importance of\ school -- Physician's Assistant\ White Mountain\ daughter -- Certified Health Practitioner\ Ashenfelter, Willa -- daughter\ daughter -- health aide job\ daughter -- support of\ people -- treatment of\ respect\ daughter -- success of|
11) Interacting with doctors, and the story of helping with the delivery of Willa Ashenfelter's last baby.
communication -- radio\ doctors -- communication with\ doctors -- relationship with\ doctors -- listening\ health aide -- trust\ doctor -- questions from\ respect\ training\ health aide -- manual (CHAM)\ standing orders -- use of\ manual -- use of\ manual -- evaluation of\ manual -- accessibility\ manual -- training on\ CHAM -- following of\ baby -- delivery of\ Ashenfelter, Willa -- child\ ?, Carol\ Lincoln, Lucy -- midwife\ Christmas\ Nome\ Sunday School -- Christmas program\ labor -- beginning\ delivery -- successful\ midwife -- role of\ childbirth\ difficulty -- dealing with\ courage\ training\ skills -- use of\ prayer|
12) Other stories of labor and delivery, and how communications have improved over the years.
babies -- delivery\ Ashenfelter, Willa\ delivery -- successful\ Medevac -- availablity\ delivery -- complications\ delivery -- labor\ mother -- young\ prenatal care -- lack of\ health aide -- solo\ telephone -- payphone\ radio\ airplane -- sent\ nurse -- arrival of\ midwife\ training -- lack of\ bystander\ role -- moral support\ radio -- use of\ health aide -- alternate\ radio traffic -- schedule of\ doctor\ Kotzebue\ White Mountain\ health aides -- listening to\ radio traffic -- learning from\ radio traffic -- end of\ doctor\ Nome\ reception -- quality of\ reception -- radio relay\ Saint Michael's\ Stebbins\ Gambell\ radio -- difficulties with\ patients -- reporting about\ patients -- treatment of\ telephones -- introduction of\ telephone -- improvement\ calls -- alphabetical order\ telemedicine\ symptoms -- descriptions\ fax -- use of\ doctors -- talking with\ Physician's Assistants -- presence of|
13) Advice to anyone who wants to become a health aide, and reflection on how she stuck with such a difficult job even through the tough times.
health aides -- job\ health aides -- encouragement\ Norton Sound Health Corporation -- support from\ training center\ health aide -- uncertainty\ people -- caring for\ listening -- value of\ health aide -- characteristics of\ job -- quitting\ work -- difficulties\ health aide -- solo\ emergencies\ airplanes -- lack of\ weather -- bad\ schedule -- on-call\ village -- leaving\ health aides -- respect for\ job -- care about\ patients -- care about\ training -- value of\ people -- relationships with\ career -- rewards of|
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