My mentorship is going very well. At first, I thought that the oncology department would be depressing and sad. In all actuality, it is not at all. It is such a great department because the nurses truly get to know their patients. Of course there are a few grouchy patients, but can't everyone have a bad day? It is fascinating to hear all the great stories that the patients have and since most of them are older, they have a lot of them. In the month I have been here, I have developed a bond with some of the patients. There is never a new patient for long. After their first few visits, the nurses have spent the time to talk to them and they know them by name. I used to sit there and wonder how they knew all the patients names, but one day it finally clicked: they see them several times a week; how could they not know their names? It is so great to see how many of the patients have turned their diagnoses into something beneficial. For the most part, the patients are living their lives to the fullest and making the most of the time they have left on this Earth because they know it may be short. In my time here, I have seen numerous patients, but another exciting thing that I got to see was a bone marrow biopsy. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about the bone marrow because it is always easier to learn when you can see it first hand. Even though this department is for the most part exciting, there are also some sad times. These sad times come when a patient passes, when the patients are in a lot of pain, or when a patient first gets the diagnosis. It is very interesting to hear all the different cases because the cancer varies from patient to patient. I have learned so much about cancer and the different types in the weeks I have been here. I love working in the chemo ward and I can not wait to get to shadow the doctors sometime soon.
