Bismarck, ND: Wrap-up

I am so grateful for my time in Bismarck, ND. I made so many great new friendships & connections that will be with me forever ❤️

Here are some of the highlights from my first assignment:

Favorite brunch spot: Butterhorn. Their butterhorns are obviously to die for with frosting and cinnamon butter but they also have phenomenal food. The best meal I got there was the corned beef scramble 😍

Favorite coffee spot: City Brew, they are originally from Montana which is where I first tried their drinks! I became obsessed with their huckleberry white mocha 🤤

Favorite dinner spot: Charras & Tequila HANDS DOWN. Thank you Katie P. for bringing it up! I became obsessed with the homemade guacamole that they literally make in front of you and I don’t even like avocados 😂 I never in a million years expected to find a good Mexican restaurant in North Dakota, but not complaining either!

Favorite memory: My trip to Minneapolis, MN with Monica and Crystal ❤️ So many amazing moments. That and celebrating my 29th birthday there!

Where I stayed: Nick & Leah’s AirBnB and I totally recommend it for anyone traveling to Bismarck, ND! It was 4 minutes from the hospital too. I stayed here all 3 months and it was honestly the sweetest place I could have asked for. They had everything I needed and more. They were also always available if there was anything I needed (i.e. tea when I felt sick).

Where I worked: CHI St. Alexius Medical Center – Bismarck. It was a great hospital. I met amazing people and had the opportunity to experience so many new units (NICU, pediatrics, SNF). I was also able to experience more of the discharge planning aspect of acute care.

Favorite Unit to Work on: Inpatient Psychiatry! I had never worked inpatient, only residential so it was a nice change and an opportunity to use my clinical skills.

Favorite Excursion: Minneapolis. Mount Rushmore was a close second though!

I will never forget THIS about North Dakota: How crazy the weather changes are! It would be snowy one day and the next would be bright and sunny. I thought CA weather was ridiculously hot & cold but this brought it to a brand new level!

What I learned about cultures around health: There was a large Native American population in North Dakota and I had never worked with folks with that background. It was really interesting learning about reservation life and it added a completely different element to many of the patient-provider relationships I had.

What I learned about myself: That it is OK and necessary to learn to be alone without being lonely and I also learned how to self-soothe.

Favorite Dog I met: Max the therapy dog at the hospital! Such a sweetie.

Overall verdict: I loved North Dakota even more than I thought I would. My team was amazing. The rich history alone was so amazing. I met amazing people. I would 100% do another assignment there in the future.