How I Made A Difference
During this semester, my clinical rotation has been a fantastic experience. It has been a privilege to meet various patients and take care of them in the best possible way. As a student nurse, I am not yet able to conduct many nursing procedures, but I have had many opportunities to be the support system for my patients. I have used genuine empathy, kindness, and compassion to help each of my patients through their difficult times. I have been eager to lend a listening ear or a helping hand, which has brought both joy to my patients and myself. In particular, because of the pandemic, visiting hours for patients have been unavailable or limited as a precaution to protect them from COVID-19, so patients are often craving human contact and communication. Realizing this, I take extra time attending to each patient’s emotional needs and spend time talking to them about their conditions and how it affects their daily lives, which they are often eager to talk about. With each friendly smile and gentle touch, I believe I have made a difference in my patients’ lives because I have been a source of comfort and support for them. I have learned that giving them a shoulder to lean on is a special part of being a nurse.
In one situation, a patient I connected with during my clinical rotation had been at the facility for an extended period due to suffering an injury from a fall and appeared to be emotionally struggling. When I entered the patient’s room to assess her vital signs, I noticed she was quiet and seemed upset. Instead of immediately collecting her vitals, I took a moment to sit down and talk to the patient. I started the conversation by asking the patient about her life, why she was there, and how she felt. Immediately, as our conversation began, there was a spark in my patient’s eye, and she seemed thrilled to share her story with me. It was evident it was a relief to have someone to talk to about her current situation. As our conversation continued, I realized her mood began to change. It became clear that my patient was yearning for personal interaction, and it directly affected her emotions as she went from sad to happy in a brief time. It was as rewarding for me as my patient because I knew I had made a positive difference. All semester, experiences like this one have made me realize that being a positive support system for our patients is one of the greatest virtues of being a nurse. Not only is physical well-being essential, but so is the emotional as well. Positive support is beneficial to physical healing and expedites a patient’s recovery time.
