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Willa Ashenfelter and Irene Aukongak talk with Karen Brewster on September 13, 2005 at the Norton Sound Health Corporation, Village Health Services office in Nome, Alaska about...
1) How they helped to deal with various non-medical problems in the community, and how they helped each other as friends and colleagues.
village -- health issues\ health aide -- role of\ suicides -- identity of\ suicide -- family\ Village Public Safety Officers (VPSO) -- first responders\ violence\ domestic violence\ arguments\ conflicts -- spouses\ health aides -- respect\ health aides -- trust\ health aides -- part-time\ health aides -- number of\ health aides -- age of\ retirement -- dates\ friendship -- importance of\ support -- importance of\ cases -- sharing\ patients -- visits\ elders -- visits\ husband -- death of\ friendship -- strength of\ telephone\ patients -- advice about\ doctors -- advice from|
2) The third generation of health aides in Willa's family, memories of their first emergencies, and a story about one death in particular.
daughter -- health practitioner\ clinic\ training\ position -- job\ job -- applying\ daughter -- support for\ daughter -- success\ job -- beginning\ training\ job -- uncertainty\ career -- motivation\ health aides -- generattions\ children -- relationship with\ friendship -- confidence\ emergency -- first experience with\ emotions -- fear\ prayer\ expectations -- level of\ situation -- handling\ training -- amount of\ patient -- collapse\ pulse\ clinic -- death at\ treatment -- CPR\ Drickie, Dr.?\ White Mountain\ heart attack -- fatal\ surgery -- possibility of\ treatment -- EKG\ patient -- confidentiality\ patient -- wishes of\ wife\ hospital\ patient -- death of\ children|
3) Caring for patients and respecting their choices about their own health care.
patient -- treatment\ patient -- choices\ health aide -- responsibility\ doctor\ surgery -- heart\ people -- caring for\ care -- refusal of\ patient -- respect for\ patient -- agreement with\ care -- forcing\ handcuffs\ patients -- care for\ village -- care for\ mother-in-law -- osteoarthritis\ clinic -- equipment\ stethoscopes\ thermometers\ patient -- input from\ evaluations -- visual\ abnormalities -- reports of\ doctors -- reports to\ sizes -- descriptions of\ pea\ plum\ lumps -- growth of\ lump -- characteristics of\ Baker's cyst\ abdomens -- rigid\ bleeding\ training\ pay\ people -- caring for|
4) Developing a system of patient records in the village and increasing the health aides' responsibilities.
communication -- satellite system\ communication -- radio\ telephone\ videoconferencing\ diagnosis\ images -- use of\ doctors\ clinic\ health aides --practice\ training -- Anchorage\ computers\ school -- basement\ doctor -- binder\ patients -- records\ binder -- notation in\ records -- location of\ records -- card file\ metal box\ patient -- name\ patient -- birth date\ medicine -- penicillin\ medicine -- dosages\ medicine -- record of\ medicine -- allergies\ medicine -- antibiotics\ medication -- reactions\ hives\ patients -- records\ patients -- knowledge of\ Golovin -- population\ birth control\ population -- growth of\ village -- medicine\ medicine -- progress\ infants -- shots\ public health nurses\ training\ IVs\ PAP smears\ women's clinic|
5) Different uses of plants as traditional medicines even up to today.
trainers\ doctors\ village\ traditional medicines -- use of\ mother\ grandmother\ plants -- use of\ childhood\ treatment -- enemas\ mustard tea -- use of\ stomach pain -- treatment of\ earache -- treatment of\ treatment -- cigarette smoke\ uncle\ mother\ smoking\ warm oil -- use of\ plants -- stinkweed\ plant -- [Ikituq]\ wild tea\ pine needles -- boiling\ scratch\ infection -- treatment\ leaves -- [charqak]\ leaves -- powdered\ sore -- treatment of\ camp -- fall\ trees -- climbing\ injury -- finger\ tendon -- cut\ traditional medicine -- preparation of\ sister\ husband\ tea -- chagrick\ tea -- preparation of\ tea -- use of\ tea -- effects\ sleepiness|
6) A little more on traditional medicines, and advice for future health aides on how to stay motivated and deal with the stress of the job.
traditional medicine -- use of\ mother-in-law\ patients\ elders\ food -- traditional\ greens -- picking of\ health aides -- advice for\ self-motivation\ husband -- encouragement\ people -- helping\ money\ people -- priority\ health aide program -- turnover rate\ turnover rate -- changes\ support -- importance of\ training\ reporting\ patients -- health of\ doctors -- sharing feelings\ patient -- cancer\ patient -- care for\ emotions\ health aides -- quitting\ school\ jobs\ work -- schedule\ work -- time away from\ work -- overwhelming\ work -- return to\ camping -- retreat\ summer\ ice fishing\ stress relief -- snow machines\ Golovin\ White Mountain\ cars\ snow\ ice -- thickness of\ bay -- crossing\ supper -- invitation|
7) Dealing with difficult patients and their choices, and not saying, “I told you so!”
health aides -- personalities of\ grumpiness\ patients -- visits\ visits -- frequency of\ Village Health Services -- director of\ phone -- answering\ patients -- personalities\ prayer\ patients -- caring for\ patients -- attitude towards\ problems\ choices -- personal\ advice\ options\ choices -- living with\ consequences -- death\ patients -- talking with\ children -- loss of\ grieving -- support\ hunting\ guns\ suicide -- thoughts of\ prayer\ wolves -- sighting\ caribou\ visits -- friends|
8) Some success stories.
successes\ happiness\ lives -- saving of\ satisfaction\ report -- radio\ labor -- contractions\ patient -- escorting\ doctor\ pain\ contractions -- Braxton-Hicks\ airplane -- charter\ delivery\ Point Hope\ charter fee -- payment of\ hospital\ people -- helpers\ ambulance -- cost of\ taxi cab\ patient -- condition of\ Nome -- airport\ airline\ pilot\ car -- ride\ emergency room\ help -- thankfulness for\ cancer -- women\ breast cancer\ cervical cancer\ surgery\ travel\ Fairbanks\ Anchorage\ cancer -- diagnosis\ cancer -- survival\ old age -- death\ patients -- thanks from\ diagnosis -- early\ lumps -- measurement of\ measurements -- frequency\ lumps -- checking for\ self-checks| |