When I was a child, I never dreamed of becoming a member of a royal family or a famous movie actress. My dream was somewhat simpler to attain, but still sky-high. I dreamed of becoming a physician and saving lives. I felt it was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. However, dreams and goals change, especially when one goes through a significant life-changing experience. A significant setback happened along the way, and in it I met someone special that unconsciously changed my mind about what I want to do with my life. I was a small nine-year-old in the fourth grade when I was rushed to Cook Children’s Medical Center in an ambulance one chilly February night. It was not anything fatal or life-threatening, yet I was just as frightened as any other child would be in a similar situation. The hospital’s corridors held a dark, gloomy atmosphere despite the plethora of bright, vibrant pictures scattered on the walls. The fact that one of the first things a nurse did was attach me to an IV didn’t help put me at ease; I felt absolutely terrified. Eventually, I got settled into my dull hospital room. The room had an even darker atmosphere than the vibrant corridors. The only thing that helped me feel more at ease was the fact that my family was with me, but their worry was clearly etched on their faces and they were far from the best at hiding it. It only made sense to me that if my family was worried, I should be worried. I honestly had no idea what was going on, and in this case ignorance was definitely not bliss. I just wanted to get everything over with so that I could leave the place already. After what seemed like an eternity of unbroken silence, my room’s door swung open and the young, peppy woman standing at the gaping doo... ... middle of paper ... ...th kindness. I will forever be thankful for the honor of meeting her, as her influence is one of the main reasons as to why I have chosen this career path. I am positive that my motivation of becoming a nurse as good as her will entice me to success. As frightening as hospitalizations and surgeries are, I am pretty glad I went through that experience. I would definitely resent going through the experience again, but my hospitalization eight years ago is what led me to meeting my nurse. If I hadn’t met her, I would most likely not be this sure about what I want to do with my future. Sometimes the setbacks we go through in our lives are actually blessings in disguise, only it takes years for us to see them that way. The setback of my hospitalization, which led to meeting my extraordinary nurse, led to this moment: the moment where I know which path to take in life.
I had just finished facing my fears watching the metallic needle slip so seamlessly under my skin into the veins of my nervous, clammy hand. Hugging my Mom like it could have been the last time I saw her, seeing my dad's face stern and worried. I wheeled down the hall into this operating room, white was all I saw, a bed in the middle for the surgery to go down. As I lay on the bed waiting to be put under I remember seeing the blue masks of the people to be operating on me, I had to put all my trust in them, trusting someone you seen for less than 5 seconds with your life. Absolutely terrifying. The nurse slipping the fluid into my IV as I lay on my back looking up at the white ceiling, this cold sensations rushed over me. Then suddenly, I was out.
My mom stopped at the hospital shop and got me a pad of paper, crayons, pencils and a pen. For breakfast they brought me eggs, toast and a tea bag with a hot cup of water. I ate the toast and a tiny portion of the eggs. I placed the tea bag in the cup of hot water and watched the color spread. A hospital chaplain came into my room to check on me, I asked if I could have honey for my tea. He said he’d see what he could do before leaving me alone. While waiting for his return , I began to doodle in the pad of paper. A nurse came in and took my blood pressure and then my breakfast tray. I enjoyed the presence of the hospital staff, it meant I was not
When I began this journey I knew that Nursing was all I wanted to do and in order to succeed and do well in nursing school, it was going to require a ton of devotion and sacrifice. Nursing school did not come without its challenges, not only did we have to deal with going to class, clinicals, studying for exams, but we also had to add in the factors of jobs, family, marriages, children, sickness and our daily life. But our instructors encouraged us and pushed us to keep going, and for that we are grateful because we all made a decision to stick with it, and here we are today. It seems unimaginable that just a year ago this journey was just beginning, but here we are today a year later,
As a medical / surgical RN, I provided care for the elderly, the infirm, the mentally challenged, the young, and the psychologically disturbed. The wide variety of patients exposed me to the effects of life style choices, health care choices, and the resulting impacts to the patient as well as to the family of the patient. This experience has fully matured my view of the awesome responsibility that we, as health care professionals, have been charged with, and it has furthered my desire to obtain the skills necessary to provide more advanced care for my patients. In addition to exposure, maturity and experience, my career as a medical / surgical RN has also sharpened my critical thinking abilities and provided insight on observing signs and symptoms that a patient may be unware of. Furthermore, as a charge nurse I learned the importance of collaborating with other health care professionals in order to provide the highest level of care available. In summary, my career as an RN has provided valuable experience, maturity, exposure to impact and outcome, enhanced my critical thinking abilities, and improved my collaboration
After visiting my grandparents several times I began to explore the hospital floor. Although shy at first, I began to talk with the patients and better understand their situations and difficulties. Each patient had his or her unique experiences. This diversity sparked an interest to know each patients individualized story. Some transcended the normal capacity to live by surviving the Holocaust. Others lived through the Second World War and the explosive 1960’s. It was at this time I had begun to service the community. Whenever a patient needed a beverage like a soda from the machine or an extra applesauce from the cafeteria, I would retrieve it. If a patient needed a nurse I would go to the reception desk and ask for one. Sometimes I played checkers or chess with them during lunch break. I also helped by mashing their food to make it easier to swallow. Soon, however, I realized that the one thing they devoured most and had an unquenchable thirst for was attention and the desire to express their thoughts and feelings. Through conversing and evoking profoundly emotional memories, I bel...
I had known for years that I wanted to work in the health care field, but I always believed it would be as a doctor. I watched for the first few years of my brother’s life as he struggled with different health challenges such as being born premature, having croup and breathing difficulty, and speech impairment. Watching my brother struggle and then being able to overcome these difficulties, as well as seeing other children around him who were not as fortunate, really pushed me even at a young age to make a difference. My family, both immediate and extended, were very supportive, and I felt a real positive push towards working hard to achieve that goal of working in health care. In high school, I was fortunate enough to do a cooperative placement at the Peterborough Regional Health Center’s Intensive Care Unit. Through observing rounds and being in the medical setting, I truly knew this is where I wanted to
A bubbly and upbeat nurse was quick to greet me. Nurse Kate is a registered nurse in the state of Ohio with a BSN and currently working on her Masters. She would be the person I would be shadowing that day. She led me in and out of all the emergency rooms for 10 hours. The rooms were a lifeless blue color with typical hospital beds that could be transported anywhere in the hospital. The grayish tile on the floor looked almost new. A curtain acted like a door, but there were walls separating the actual rooms.
The sounds of oxygen tanks filled the ICU room with life as well as the imminent potential of death. The other hospital rooms with patients had signs of life in them everywhere; it was inevitable that these people would end up recovering. They would go back to their comfortable little cubicles, living as if nothing changed at all. Being in ICU was the total opposite. It was so close to death you would think Hades himself lived there. If you were one of the lucky ones, you’d make it out alive. Yet most of the time you weren’t even promised a tomorrow, sometimes not even the next hour.
I was then introduced to a patient who was in isolation. Her legs were immovable and were crossed in a very uncomfortable position. I wish I could’ve done something so that her legs could be in a more comfortable position, but all I could do was observe and get her a cup of ice cold water to drink. During this clinical observation, I didn’t get to see much but overall, it was a good experience. It made me realize what it was like to be in a hospital setting and what it meant to be a nurse. Seeing how the patients were still able to smile through all the pain they went through, it made me want to become a nurse even more because I would also like to make my patients happy. If I could do one thing differently during this clinical observation, I wish I didn’t ask my senior nurse about what externships she took and instead, I wished I asked her more questions about the patients in order to gain more information about
As I walked through the halls, people knew; and people glared at me with curiosity glowing through their eyes - piercing me like shards of broken glass. I never knew it was so intriguing seeing, or even knowing someone who had been through a major surgery; but I guess it would be fun to know those things from another person 's perspective, one who has never had the audacity to learn what it 's like to go through those things, let alone to know how it feels to go through it themselves. Even my own friends, were curious. And I will be honest, it 's not a nice thing to be asked every hour of every day where you went or what happened; when you were still crying and traumatized about what had happened. It 's definitely not nice to learn after a while that everyone was talking behind my back and slowly making fun of me as the days went by. The names they called became much more clearer as I noticed the people who I thought were my friends, betray
Who brought me here? Out of impulse, my hand travels to my face, pressing the throbbing area on my right temple. I felt a scar and flinched at the pain. I tried to get up. Once I stepped on the cold, white tiles, I instantly fell back on to the bed. My body, engulfed in pain as if objecting my decision to stand up. I lay there pathetically, waiting for the pain to wash away. Staring at the ceiling, illuminated with a white fluorescent light. Perhaps waiting for some help by the hospital staff. I still didn't know how I got here, who took me here, how long I've been here.
I was quivering as I sat on the pristinely white sheeted gurney. I had no idea what to expect. Ami sat in a plastic, maroon chair over in the corner and looked at the cold, disinfected, tile floor. The sounds of beeping machines and ticking clock flooded my ears. The nurse knocked on the door and both Ami and I jumped. She handed me a clipboard with some paperwork on it that asked for the basics: name, date of birth, reason for being here, consent to treat, and so on and so forth. I filled it all out the best I could, my mind was lost in another galaxy. Besides, how was I supposed to know what year my father was born in and the phone number to my mother’s work? Once I finished, the nurse took the clipboard and exited the room once again.
I was visiting my brother in Massachusetts when I got sick on the airplane. I went to the emergency room and I was immediately admitted into the hospital. The doctor recognized my symptoms and immediately took action to medically treat my condition. I enjoyed my week stay in the hospital because the nurses and I became so close and the nurses were there for me when I needed them. The nurses kept me inform, comfort me by making me feel everything was going to be alright. The nurses that took care of me genuinely cared and guided me each step to recovery. This life changing experience gave me inspiration to continue my dream of becoming a
My journey to become a nurse began when my youngest sister was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma. We spent months at the hospital by her side throughout her chemotherapy, radiation and several surgeries. Being around all those families and children in the hospital when many had illness's much worse than hers really opened my eyes to how much of an impact healthcare workers make on so many people’s lives and their families lives too. Although the situations that those children were in seemed so terrible, they had such joy and hope in their eyes.
Suddenly I awake at the noise of sirens and people yelling my name. Where am I? Those words radiate out my thoughts but never touching my lips. Panic engulfs me, but I am restricted to the stretcher. “Are you ok?” said the paramedic. I am dazed, confused, and barely aware of my surroundings. Again “Yes, I am fine” races from my thoughts down to my mouth, but nothing was heard. Then, there was darkness.