Lincoln resident interned in Denmark, hiked through Southeast Asia

KINGSTON, R.I. – May 8, 2007 – Lincoln resident Brad St. Martin gets around.

As a nursing student at the University of Rhode Island, he spent time learning the ropes at hospitals around the region and worked for a semester in Denmark. And on his free time he travels to exotic destinations, especially in Southeast Asia, to hike in unique environments.

On May 20, St. Martin will graduate from URI and begin his nursing career.

“I started out studying journalism in Vermont, but in the summers I worked at Butler Hospital in Providence, and I fell in love with the role of the nurse,” he said. “I enjoy providing hands-on patient care and interacting with patients. There is a great feeling of accomplishment when you help someone in that way.”

St. Martin said that his favorite part of his URI education was the clinical rotations at area hospitals. He learned pediatric care at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, medical-surgical nursing at Westerly Hospital, general nursing at Newport Hospital, and psychiatric care at the South Shore Mental Health Clinic.

A two-month internship in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Aarhus, Denmark, last fall inspired him.

“The technology and the care there is very similar to here,” said St. Martin, who explored Greece, Italy, Germany, Holland, Portugal and the Czech Republic before starting his internship. “It was pretty intense work, with several cancer patients, as well as patients with numerous cardiac and abdominal conditions. I provided total patient care – medication administration in all forms, continuous patient assessments, family care, and even hospice care at times.”

St. Martin found that he likes the intensity, fast pace and critical thinking required of intensive care and emergency room nurses, so his job search is focused on finding employment in the ICU or emergency room at a local hospital. “The nursing job market is pretty good, so I’m shopping around for the best position I can find here in Rhode Island,” said the recent inductee into the international nursing honor society, Sigma Theta Tau.

To relieve the stress of his school responsibilities, St. Martin prefers to get away from it all and take a hike. “Walking in the woods, submerged in nature’s beauty, allows your mind to drift, escaping the stressors of life and immersing one in a meditative state of peace.”

St. Martin spent a summer working and hiking in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, but his favorite backpacking destination is Southeast Asia. He traveled for five weeks in Thailand – “that’s where I caught the travel bug,” he noted – then for a month in Malaysia. He hopes to return to explore Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia next.

“Southeast Asia is a beautiful place, the people are great, it’s cheap to live, the food is amazing, and it’s got the mountains and the beaches,” he explained. “It’s still a developing area, so it’s virtually untouched and filled with natural beauty. I can’t wait to go back.”