DanRN’s Adventures

NB: I originally drafted this blog January 20, 2026, but only today decided to edit and post it. Part of the delay was dealing with the PTSD of my Manitoba nursing experience and moving on from my identity as a registered nurse. Ironically, the following news item was posted on CBC...and I would submit that nursing retention in Manitoba runs much deeper than just patient-nurse ratios: More Than Half of Manitoba's Nursing Gains Lost to Departures. Very soon after my last blog

In the planning stages of my PATT leave, the big decisions for me were where I would go and what I would do while away. Time to myself, reflection, and enjoying a break were the priority, but I could not imagine three months away with nothing to do. Originally, after our Christmas vacation last year (2024-2025) in Spain, I thought I would camp out in one of the old cities of Sevilla or Cordoba and learn Spanish. After visits to Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, and Cadiz I became qu

It has already been six weeks since my Post-Academic Trauma Therapy (PATT) leave began and it feels like no time has passed at all. I suppose that is due to the busy schedule I have kept since arriving in France, first and foremost taking five weeks of French language classes that kept me occupied. But also interspersing that time with exploration of Montpellier and the surrounding areas, immersing myself in some of the culture and history around me. However, a lot of my time