Hello,
I recently started a clinical assignment, and during lunchtime all the students go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. The choices are pizza, fried food, salad bar, and prepared salads with meat and eggs etc...oh and pasturized juices.

I mentioned to my partner about going to the salad bar, which was surprisingly fresh. He expressed disapproval. He says that I am going to get some major illness from eating salad from a salad bar, from people breathing, couching etc in the cafeteria, because its in the hospital. How real is that criticism? He says that salad bars are bad enough, but in a hospital I am taking a real risk. And here I was thinking that I was doing the right thing. I guess I will be packing lunches of fruit and nuts to bring down to the cafeteria. But we don't have a locker to store things. I could use the refridge in the break room.

Pack a lunch honey. Do you have a dehydrator? If so you could make some neat flat bread or snacky crackers with your veggie juicer pulp.
I am afraid of the hospital, that's where all the really nasty germs and diseases live.

Yeah, pack a lunch in a nylon cold pack case.

I remember actually yelling in dismay when I walked into the middle of the gigantic Detroit Medical Center main hospital and saw . . . . a Burger King. One of the directors was standing next to me and didn't know what to say. I felt like I was disciplining one of my preschool charges, but it had to be said: What is a fast food restaurant doing in a cancer hospital? Are you kidding me?!

At least the hospital where you are has a salad bar, Mislu.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2012 04:07PM by Tamukha.

Id have thought aslong as it wasn't an open buffet help yourself type deal that you could be ok, nothing really different from a hospital cafe serving hot food after it has been cooked.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

As a raw foodist, my immunity is high. I wouldn't worry about it. I'd be glad to eat the salad and show support for them providing that kind of food. If no one eats it, they won't make it. Just because you share a bed with someone doesn't mean you have to share their paranoia too.

Yea,a hospital is not really the place to get greens that have been out in the open.
BUt then again,your average buffet restaraunt might be the same.
I would go for it.
Vinny

Tamukha,
Yes indeed, what is fast food doing in a cancer hospital!!! That reminds me of seeing a local grocery selling hot dogs to support cancer research. I asked the person selling them, "hot dogs?" I thought those were the reason for cancer. It was for prostate cancer. I think the link between diet and prostate cancer is pretty clear, but now people are saying that age is the reason. So don't nobody get old!

I must say that I am not enjoying clinical, I am honestly thinking of withdrawing. I can't see myself doing this work, and I have an inherent conflict with western medicine. I thought I could work in the environment to provide diagnostic services, but I have reservations about western medicine in general, its money driven, what was a lure, but I don't think I can do it at any cost.

See it through Mislu! The few regrets I have in life are about not seeing things through.

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> See it through Mislu! The few regrets I have in
> life are about not seeing things through.


Coco, I wonder if you really would have been deliriously happy having finished whatever it was you left undone. I mean, there was a reason why you quit, right? So you weren't happy and you quit and then you are unhappy that you didn't finish! I just quit a teaching training program to become a yoga teacher. I was three months in, it's probably one of the most revered in the country (not the one I mentioned to you), and it was really wonderful HOWEVER...I just jumped into it prematurely. I barely had any Hatha classes and so I really was lost. If I want to, I can always go back and see it through. You can too, Coco! One of my classmates at yoga was about to turn 70!!!! Very inspirational to see her going for her dreams.

Mislu, I feel the same way about my situation training to become a primary teacher. I am becoming less and less enchanted with public education these days. I am sticking with it for several reasons: it gives me something to do, I may be able to find a position that I actually like and can feel like I am actually helping some youngsters, and in order to expose other students to alternative ways of looking at things! I am going to search for some Krishnamurti quotes on education...Should be interesting...

I still have a few days to withdraw, but I would loose some money. I am going to do another day of clinical, but Its something I hate going to. Something for me to consider if that is what the job will be like! Its not uncommon for people to leave the program at this stage, they discover in clinical that its not for them. The question for me remains what else will I do?

Have you ever thought about alternative medicine? For instance, massage therapy, accupuncture, Chinese medicine? I went to a school last year for a week which was for Chinese medicine. I was there for massage but if I was really strong in science, I would have gone for Oriental medicine in a heartbeat! You must be strong in this area so I wonder if you've ever considered it.

mislu maybe you could look at the clinical another way .. you dont like it can't really stand it but by seeing it thru you will know what you dislike about it by experience rather then just feeling it

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I have a tendency to throw in the towel with the parts of things that I find difficult or unpleasant even if there are other aspects I do enjoy and want the experience of. I've never put a lot of stock in earning bits of paper to define who I am and what I know and do but in retrospect I feel that if I had ridden out the worst of it and finished some things I'd have gained so much. Sometimes I used that not caring about the piece of paper at the end of something as a crutch to be lazy. I try not to have regrets but I can see now how seeing things through to the end would have be such a benefit in so many ways. I was simply pleasing myself and taking the easy route when I made decisions to just give up.

That may not be what you're doing Mislu but I have a feeling that understanding this aspect of the course you're studying would be a good thing for you later on. Sometimes knowing how you don't want to do something is as valuable as knowing how you do want to do it.

coco said :

I have a tendency to throw in the towel with the parts of things that I find difficult or unpleasant even if there are other aspects I do enjoy and want the experience of. I've never put a lot of stock in earning bits of paper to define who I am and what I know and do but in retrospect I feel that if I had ridden out the worst of it and finished some things I'd have gained so much. Sometimes I used that not caring about the piece of paper at the end of something as a crutch to be lazy. I try not to have regrets but I can see now how seeing things through to the end would have be such a benefit in so many ways. I was simply pleasing myself and taking the easy route when I made decisions to just give up.

I could have written this myself. I feel that now I am equipped to make the decision to quit something or not but when I was younger i did it for all the wrong reasons - many exactly as Coco said above. I would love to be able to give this bit of advice to so many youngsters that find themselves at a quandary.

I would eat the hospital salad if it looks fresh and inviting - definately. Unless you know for a fact that the food preparation place is grubby it should be fine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2012 06:00AM by flipperjan.

I felt better about today, but maybe its just one particular person I am shadowing for training. Hes very fast, and seems rather careless. He makes more mistakes than any other person I have worked with, yet seems to be more critical of me not doing things right, or being too slow etc... I am like what do you expect? Its just the fourth day of clinical. I am getting better and more confident, but still make minor mistakes. I suppose its not surprising that I actually perform better with less criticism and push to get things done fast. I get feedback from others but it doesn't seem like criticism, its just information for improvement. I subtly sort of let him do his own thing and focused on those that I work better with. I guess the good part with working with him will be picking up on speed eventually, but at this point I am just not there.

I think its great that a salad can be purchased in a hospital,instead of the very foods that put people in hospitals in the first place.
Vinny



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2012 11:55PM by eaglefly.

Coco and Jodi, I see what you guys are saying...totally. But the problem is that I really felt like meh about many of the things I quit. In other words, once I explored various things, it wasn't really what I wanted. And part of the reason for this is that educational programs usually are set up to disseminate info in a "structured" way that (for me) is very dry. I want to feel passionate about what I am doing. I want to wake up and feel enthused about my day. I don't think that is unreasonable at all; there are people who are like this every day. It's just that most people seem to settle for palatable occupations rather than ones which really make them smile.

As for being "lazy," I think that is a subjective type of value judgment. There are all kinds of laziness--physical, spiritual, intellectual, ethical. But in any case, with all those things that you regret quitting, are there any you could go back and finish? If so, why wouldn't you? I honor who I am at every moment. If I'm not feeling it (which is making me sluggish and "lazy", then it is what it is. I cannot force myself to be anything other than what I am right now. Otherwise, who am I doing it for? Society? If I am not into it, then I need to either examine why that is or admit it to myself. And trying things out isn't a bad thing; it can just get expensive sometimes, LOL!

I can't go back and finish them, money, kids, time, location, etc. A lot of programs won't let you just take the last semester over either so if you quit part way through you've thrown it all in, not just the bit you didn't like. I do regret it, for me it was totally self-indulgence and not wanting to tough out the difficult parts. I didn't flail out on the yoga course even though there were many times I wanted to, longed to just have done with it. Ugh, it was grueling. But I stuck it out and gained so much I otherwise wouldn't've and I have no regrets now about that time well spent.
Sometimes I think the hardest and most unpleasant parts of an experience can have the most value in the end. I end up learning more about myself than whatever it is I've been studying and it's terrific. Sometimes I think the lesson is more about why something is bothering me so much, that that's more important to learn about than anything and quitting just means I'll have to figure it out again later on.

Accomplishing things feels good. It felt good to get my college degree after years of taking all those courses; some of them which it turned out I didn't need. I enjoyed myself so much during that time. I had dropped out in my late teens and it was much more satisfying to go back in my early 30s. And I was afraid I'd be the oldest one there! Not true at all.

But when I tried to duplicate the experience in grad school, I was totally turned off by the experience. I didn't like the focus and I had begun to totally change my whole mindset as a whole. I have begun to shift my entire view on what I feel about society and how to interact with it. I am not the same person I was two years ago. I have been introduced with ideas that I didn't know existed and my desire to be a part of the mainstream has gone way down. I have been living life on my own terms and haven't been subjected (except in a marginal way) to the materialists. The problem with these types is that they can't stand that some people make different choices. They feel threatened, I guess. But I can't stand trying to deal with people who live on the surface.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2012 01:33AM by banana who.

Getting back to the original question, Mislu, I don't know exactly what you are studying for. Is it nursing? Medical school? If the latter, perhaps you could become a holistic physician. I don't know if nurses can do anything other than traditional duties: administering drugs and checking various bodily functions. Nowadays all the grunt work appears to be done by CNAs (emptying bedpans, washing the patient, etc.).

If whatever you're training for can be applied to something holistic, then I guess it would be worth pursuing. I am interested if Oriental medicine appealed to you or not. I have gotten to the point where I am not even that interested in using herbs (except the standard ones found in teas and foods) because I really believe in diet as medicine. But accupuncture seems like a great occupation if a person has the bent for it.

Bwho,
I took a class in TCM but found it intimidating just how long it takes to complete a program, and how much it costs, and how little most practioners earn. Some people do really, really well, but the prime example I know of is someone what did marketing as a profession prior to tcm.

I think Indian medicine is closer to what you express. They use herbs, special preparation of metals, but also regular foods. TCM has food therapy also, so I guess there is crossover on some aspects. I am so curious to get the warm oil treatment for relaxation, never had that, have you? its where they pour warm oil on the forehead, it looks and sounds so relaxing.

What I really meant is that I feel that even herbal medicine is ultimately not the answer because it covers up the detox. However, I do enjoy chamomile once in a while to relax or induce sleep, ginger for warming or digestion, etc. Those are mild uses for herbs. But getting into the sort of thing that herbologists do seems to me too much like standard medicine.

I would study to become a nutritionist but again, it's too dedicated to SAD, although I suppose you could "go rogue" after getting your certification. Is this your course of study? If so, do you ever challenge the teachings?

I should add that while I have toyed with the idea of becoming a nutritionist, I am totally afraid of the science--biology and chemistry--involved!

Its imaging science, xrays and mri etc... There is alot of science in the classroom, but I am finding very little in the actual practice, just remembering what numbers to use, and how to position the patients.

I took A&P 1&2 prior to entering the program, and yes, its very much based on omnivorism, with little concern for natural foods etc... I was so surprised that the professor seemed to have an agenda when it came to the section on nutrition. She asked the class if anyone was a vegetarian, like she was wanting to single someone out, and make light of it, or criticize it. I kept my mouth shut, which might have been the wrong thing to do, but I just didn't want to make waves or conflicts. I think someone here had noted that much of the information is outdated science. There was something about complete protein, and getting a certain amount of protein, also recommending some dairy for calcium and vitamin d. Then there was the b12 thing. Pretty predictable stuff. I knew that it was better not to challenge it, as she was going by the textbook, and of course if its in print its correct right?

Actually taking the class was something of a challenge for me nutritionally, facing all the old pardigms again, and watching them be reinforced all over again. The other professor also had an agenda in reguards to salt intake. He thought that it was ok or even healthy provided it was balanced with other minerals, and that people were just making too big a deal over just one faulty study.

I liked him overall however, despite these things. Oh, he also had started some arguements about religion in class. That really started a vigorous debate which took up class time over stuff that was off topic, why I don't know. I just waited that one out without any input either way. I thought he brought up some great points, its just that it wasn't on topic, and its one of those things thats difficult to change peoples minds on.

I would eat the salad, but not the dressing. I'd even stay away from lemon/vinegar + oil, because odds are, they are cooking with GM canola. It's tasteless, and CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. Canola is a long-chain fatty acid that causes lesions on internal organs that take years to heal after discontinuing use. I know the likelihood of using this stuff... I've been all over hospitality, kitchens, restaurants, and did dietary/food prep in a hospital.

Bring your own dressing. Unless you can get some olive oil, or something else not evil.

The salad itself, though, should be fine. There are very strict basic controls about contaminated food, keeping everything at temperatures where bacteria don't proliferate, etc., etc.

There's hardly any health food to be found in a hospital, that's for sure. Liquid diets for cancer patients include things like beef broth, orange "drink," and jello. =\

I also remember a very large portion of the nurses working in the hospital were obese... Something about "health" in hospitals just wasn't coming full circle...

Phantom: I don't know if this has been nixed, but it wasn't all that long ago I would pass by a hospital in my town and see nurses outside with cigs! It was so bizarre, especially when they wear the garb of their work.

It's crazy that people have to plot ways of eating healthily in a hospital, isn't it? But it goes along with the "meds over diet/lifestyle" of Western medicine and general society.

Yes, it seems like anyone in the medical profession would be hyper aware of health, and taking care of oneself, but I guess it doesn't follow. They saw me eating a salad for lunch that one day and praised me for being 'good'. Like it was some unbareable chore. Someone offered me some fried chicken, and I refused, and they asked if I don't eat chicken. I really don't, but its the fried part that I couldn't handle. Then there was alot of questions aboutthat and why. I explained, about having gerd and managing it, another person just rolled their eyes, like it was just such a party @#$%& or something. I guess I just shouldn't talk about downers like that. Its different when you have the condition...

Somebody rolled their eyes. Nice. That's mature and not offensive in the least. Good grief people are rude. And a medical condition too, you'd think this ignorant person would at least be interested in learning first hand about something they obviously know nothing about. *shakes head*

Eat your salad, enjoy it and feel good about it too. You're doing what's best for you and that's perfect.

Well, I think they just wanted to enjoy their meal and talk about other things. I keep forgetting that most people just want to eat regular foods and not have to know anything negative about them. This person didn't have a problem with eating fried food, actually her only concern was about being a little heavy. She said she could loose weight skipping fried stuff. Does that count as 'healthy'? not necessarily, but its a start.

Sorry to hear you're unhappy with your allied health choice mislu. Have you thought of doing nursing?