Happy June 2024 y’all! It’s a little crazy to think that I have been at Yellowstone for a month. Quick look back at all the things I’ve experienced and done is a shadow of what the summer season has ahead. Overall, this experience is down-right fantastic! The people are so welcoming and engaging, the landscape is ever-changing and new, and the opportunity to practice my clinical skills in such an environment is just incredible!
The past week started with the end of a long holiday weekend and I took advantage of the extra time off to hike Bunsen Peak Trail. (Side note, Bunsen’s Peak is named for Robert Bunsen…same guy who invented the Bunsen Burner.) This trail may sound familiar because this is the same trail where I was involved on my first YNP Search-and-Rescue a couple weeks back. It’s not a long trail, but it is steep and has great views in many directions. I topped out on the summit at 8,570 feet during a respectable 1.25 hour climb.
The rest of the week was spent staffing the clinic, where the summer patient volumes continued. On our busiest days we saw 20-22 patients in just over 8 hours. We are still doing quite a bit of pre-employment physicals and screenings as new employees continue to arrive to work in the park. Unfortunately, we have also seen an uptick in walk-in patients with COVID-19 and other ailments seeking urgent care. One of my newly acquired skills is the taking of x-rays. X-rays are not typically within a registered nurse scope, as in a typical healthcare setting radiology technologists perform these skills. It is an interesting blend of science and art to acquire a good quality image for accurate readings. Fortunately, I have had great mentors and cooperative patients that aid in producing excellent films for quick review.
As the week drew to a close, we gathered on Friday evening around the campfire at Park Ranger Joe’s home in Mammoth Springs. We enjoyed stories of adventure and dramatic events of years past. As the evening drew to a close around 10pm, we all parted ways. Of course, on my way out…the EMS pager activated and we were dispatched on what would be the first of five calls over the next 4 hours. Joe and I responded together and then decided to split up to cover the immediate needs of simultaneous ambulance transports. By 430am we had collectively transported 5 patients to the hospital. On my way home…the sun was starting to shed its first light behind the mountains in the distance. I was only thinking of sleep.
Looking forward to the coming week, my first visitors arrive…Heather and Zachary. Time to flip the switch to do some tourist activities as they seek to explore and enjoy Yellowstone. Have a great week and thanks for following along!
