Hello everyone, My name is John Santiesteban and I’m currently a nurse. I am attending this class in order for me to achieve my masters in nursing. My enthusiasm for nursing first took root and flourished after losing my father. My father became very ill and needed medical care. When I saw that my father was starting to become weak and frail, I thought to myself “What access would my father have to good quality health care? ” I asked my mother “Where is the nearest hospital? and my mother replied, “It’s about twenty miles away child. ”
It was from that moment on I began to realize a desire to engage in a profession that focused on the area of helping sick people. After losing my father I made the initiative to start a new direction in my life to pursue a career in healthcare. So I decided to become a surgical tech to test my interest. After completing my certification, I was able to do a lot of hands-on work with sick patients and analyze what the Registered Nurses do in the hospital setting.
For instance, a typical day in my job consists of interacting with patients from taking their vital signs to just being a listening ear for comfort. One of the most notable things that taught me patience while working at the hospital was a time I helped a patient get dressed. I had to learn to be present and stop fretting about how long it was taking. She could sense when I was watching the clock and getting antsy. For her, being able to button her shirt was vital to her sense of wellbeing and empowerment in the aging process. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to her.
Looking back on those years and commitment working in the medical field, I still have more to contribute and offer to fulfill my intellectual curiosity in the profession. I feel like I’ve learned the ingredients of what it takes to be a good nurse such as having a good sense of humor, patience, and working under stress, but above all having a loving spirit. I chose to pursue a career in nursing after following a circuitous path. Within the past several years, I spent preparing myself working closely in the hospital and having the joy of helping others.
This has shown me the importance of dedication and acceptance. I have been able to experience uncertainties, challenges, and plain old hard work faced by nurses. But like the nurses in the hospitals, I can find happiness and satisfaction in helping people through medicine. Despite all the hardship nurses face, I want to help people every day, especially in poverty areas. Practicing medicine is something worth the stress and long hours. Furthermore, what I have learned is to always remember to see any situation as if the roles were reversed. Sad to say, my grandmother has since passed away.
I know she will be proud of the path I have chosen to help others and she will always be in my thoughts as I follow my goal in achieving my masters in nursing. It seems appropriate as I begin writing this that I am awaiting for the propane guy to hook up the gas pipe in my house as I had installed a new back up generator. Even though it may seem strange that I start off talking about renewable energy, by explaining fossil fuel generators, which makes perfect sense when you consider the purpose of my writing is to explain what living “off the grid” entails.
Remembering back on my own planning and preparation for a solar powered home, I believe that most people I have spoken to were fast on responding with good comments instead of stating the difficulties and reality of being dependent on and the maintenance that comes along with having a power system. I share my experience with all who considered this renewable energy option in order to make the right decision. I have chosen to live off the grid for various reasons.
My main motivation was environmental, and also having a strong attraction to the whole technology aspects when it came to renewable energy as well as an aspiration in living independently. Before considering off grid living, it is important to understand what motivations one has and family should be included in order to be prepared. The realities of living off the grid are sometime more difficult for others. Like the Ostens, I too enjoy living off the grid and being more independent.