One of the biggest reasons I chose a career in healthcare is because I thought it would be the perfect outlet to give back all the blessings I have received in my life. I don’t just want to help people, I want to be there for them on the best and worst days of their life, so I became a nurse.
During my Freshman and Sophomore year at University of South Carolina, I joined other students on two medical mission trips to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Dr. Hickey led our Capstone Scholar group to Nicaragua and I joined a student group through Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre health honors society. Our group was comprised of a handful of students in pre-med, physical therapy, PA, dental, and public health pathways, all looking to find their calling and gain some experience outside the classroom. In the months leading up to our flight to Nicaragua, we studied common diseases and contributing factors, culture, and our best attempt at medical Spanish. Being my fourth time in Nicaragua, I was excited to return to the place where my dreams of becoming a nurse originated. Throughout the week in Nicaragua, I found myself slightly discouraged by the way our large group of American students appeared in the small village. Even though we fundraised, studied and every student was there with good intentions, I couldn’t help but to feel like our purpose was falsely perceived. I remember feeling uncomfortable bringing candy and stickers and our piñatas and feeling helpless to the thought that our service trip seemed cloaked in vanity and paternalism. After our trip, I knew I wanted to repeat this learning experience, and dedicate my efforts to finding a balance of authenticity and humility. Everyone in Nicaragua and on my mission team pushed me to become a healthcare professional that sees past judgement and differences of all patients and peers. In order to do this, I knew I needed more training that would come later in Nursing school. Wanting to continue pursuing hands on learning, I joined AED, the Pre-Health Honors Society. AED combines students from diverse majors and clinical pathways. As one of the only Nursing majors, I was able to explore alternate pathways and engage with my inter-professional peers in social events and professional conferences. What made the trip to Costa Rica with this group different than my trip to Nicaragua, was that it was completely student led. Going into this trip, I expected to be able identify more treatments and diagnosis with an extra year of Nursing school under my belt, but I found that I still had a lot to learn after I mistakingly thought someone had heart failure when really they presented with the only signs I could remember that parallel that of a lifelong roofer. My time and experience in Costa Rica re-confirmed that healthcare was the right career path for me, but I was still searching for what my path would look like.
I knew that I wanted to help get people to a place of holistic health and wellness, and that I wanted to do it out of love. I knew that I wanted to be authentic and get to know a person and their community. I knew that I wanted to slow down and not rush through patient appointments as quickly as possible. My desire was to learn how to treat a patient by taking into account their culture, background and lifestyle and not simply by visible ailments or complaints. My concern was how to do this in a real-world practice while avoiding compassion fatigue and eventually developing a lack of empathy.
It wasn’t until my time in the South Carolina Nursing program my Junior and Senior year that my thoughts and internal struggle with showing my true intentions in a career of service were heard and acknowledged.
Nursing school isn’t all assessments, memorizing complicated drugs and critical thinking. It is also public health initiatives as well as thoughtful communication. One of the classes we took was called Population and Community Health Nursing, and our clinical hours were volunteer hours at a place of our choice. We learned how to identify community resources and how to provide inclusive care to people of all backgrounds, showing the same level of respect equally.
Built into our course work, my cohort participated in a poverty simulation, aimed to help us gain perspective into health disparities. Each member of my cohort was assigned a role to represent someone in the community who could expect problems with the medical system.
Before beginning our simulation, we had to assess our knowledge of Social Determinates of Health and reflect on expected outcomes and considerations. Some of the questions we needed to answer included: “Why are these social determinants important to consider in terms of the patient's health status?” And “How could a nurse caring for this patient's, work to improve these determinants?”
I was given the role of an 8 year old boy with a single mother, who had to steal things off of other student’s (other families) tables and deal drugs at school to get enough money for my mom’s medication. The simulation felt like it would never end, and notices of eviction and bills piled up on my table and made me feel hopeless. Even though it was just an afternoon, I gained a better understanding of what it felt like to a disadvantaged youth who needed someone to be my advocate and not judge or patronize me. After our simulation we had another opportunity to reflect, considering the experience we had.
Post Simulation Reflection Questions: Now that you have participated in the poverty simulation... 1. How has your answer to the below question changed?
2. If caring for patients in a hospital setting, what are some things to consider prior to these patients being discharged? How would this be different if they were being cared for in an outpatient setting (ie. primary care clinic or rehabilitation facility)?
3. Consider the social determinants of health. What are some of the social determinants of health to consider with our case study patients? Why are these social determinants important to consider in terms of the patient's health status? 4. How could a nurse caring for this patient's, work to improve these determinants? Discuss ways a nurse could help to manage patients/families living with challenges such as food shortages or transportation issues.
More recently, I volunteered with, Birthright, an organization that served as a resource for pregnant mothers in downtown Columbia. We helped connect moms with doctor appointments, transportation, clothes, baby supplies, government benefits, housing and much more. My time volunteering with Birthright led me get to the same conclusion that a career in service is effectively providing resources, education, and love instead of advice and judgment. After taking Community Health Nursing, I learned that humility is a key ingredient to successful healthcare, even if some providers lack awareness of it. My job as a nurse is to be a resource, a connecting point, and an advocate. The line between service and seeming patronizing can sometimes be blurry for medical professionals. But by learning from experiences and gaining awareness of how to show humility and the importance of acting with authenticity and integrity, can position us to care for patients in a holistic way and be their advocate along their journey to health and wellness.
Now, I am able to recognize that there is no difference in advocacy in different communities or settings. Whether it is in a hospital, impoverished village or in a different part of your own city, the integrity of a healthcare professional is to be provide the same level of care, with the same attitude, everywhere. From my time on the patient’s side during the simulation, and time on the other side as a student nurse, I have seen how important it is to be aware of the impact humility can have on the care and outcome of someone’s health.
On my Freshman trip to Nicaragua, I was so nervous to speak in Spanish with our first group of patients. A mom and her two young children sat down at my triage station and we began to assess them.
After we gave them their prescribed medications and a mosquito net, they left and all nervousness I was experiencing gave way.
Later in the day, the daughter from the first appointment ran back and handed me a coloring sheet she had worked on while her little brother was being assessed, explaining that it was ME!
She had colored the image to match my green scrubs and my blonde hair (and a wonderfully fun twist on the surgical gloves.)
After receiving the sweet gift I spent the rest of the day learning as much as I could. When I look back on that moment, I can still feel the energy and passion that was ignited inside me that day, and how it continued to burn throughout my time in Nursing school.