Chapters 5-12

One thing I got from each different group discussed in the chapters was they all define community differently. When I first began the reading I was tuned in to trying to find the right definition of VC. After reading the book, I can see that it is ok for every person or site to have a different take on the definition. The members contribute to a definition that it is dynamic and evolving. One of the statements in the book talked about how members set the expectations. They model appropriate or acceptable behaviors for their communities. Then a new person determines what their expectations are, if they will fit in, and will they be able to contribute under those circumstances. The chapters also reiterate that the VC has to support the members. They have to meet the members at their level of education and support them as they progress and grow.
Another ideal that I found interesting and applicable to my own career was the detraditionalization. As a nurse you take on the role of advocate for the community you practice in. With the internet that has become a challenge. I may tell my patient best practice and then they read on line something that sounds better. I have to be aware of how people use or find their information in order to educate and advocate for them. I have had to explain to many of my home patients that the physician may prescribe a medication that will not match up with what the WebMD states. That sometimes physicians can and will prescribe for off label uses. I have to explain risk versus benefit ratios to them. I have to explain that if you look up a prescribed med and it says it is an antidepressant that is true but you are taking it for nerve pain. It is sometimes a battle to get a patient to maintain compliance because of the information overload. They want to be in charge of their care and we are taught to encourage that, but it can be difficult when they are not sure what they are reading and who is telling the truth.