On October 19, 2022, my mom was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. The discussion of her situation with us had left us unaware of what the necessary steps were to take. So to prepare for the worst we all gathered together to understand the process my mom was to go through. Throughout the journey, I have been able to watch and speak to many nurses who took gentle care of my mom during her month in the hospital. However, the desire to become a nurse began at the young age of ten years old. This was caused by another occurrence in which two twin cousins had to spend almost the first year of their lives in the neonatal intensive care unit. Gratefully, I had the opportunity to visit them and admire the sweet care that the nurses provided. Since then, I have always had a positive outlook toward nurses and the strength that they hold on a daily basis.
Throughout high school, I have taken my time to dive deeper into the nursing field. This has been accomplished by taking advantage of the opportunities that I received from my school. One program in particular is the Regional Occupational Program, where I was able to partake in learning about different health occupations. This class began in the summer and was able to teach me how to perform the actions of a check-up on a patient, the basics of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation upon a dummy, key medical terminology, and the different occupations within the nursing field. Every day was enthralling as I got to learn directly from two retired nurses. They taught me about the correct procedures of checking temperatures orally and temporally, checking breathing rate and pulse rate, how to use a stethoscope, gathering information about one’s weight or height, and using that to calculate their body mass index. Overall I was able to gather much information about the procedures of the beginning steps to taking care of a patient.
To further, my exploration of the nursing field, I volunteered at Kaiser Permanente in Riverside California. During my summer at the hospital, I was instructed to create comforting cards that were presented to patients along with their dinners. I spent great time on each card made so that every patient who received them would feel special knowing that they had support. Although the cards were a fun time to show creativity and care, I had more love for the time I got to speak to patients. Once finished making cards, I was instructed to walk around with other volunteers with a hospitality cart to the hospital. The cart included drawing books, crayons, pens, pencils, games, hair ties, combs, and other essential items. The volunteers and I went from room to room asking patients if they needed anything or if there was anything we could get for them. In the hospital, volunteers and I visited patients, asking if they needed anything or if we could provide anything. Although, understandably, many patients were not in the mood to communicate much, the ones who did make it more special. We would be told different stories, asked questions about ourselves, or thanked for help. My favorite floor to communicate with patients was the nursery, The nursery was my favorite as we were able to see healthy sleepy babies and provide a small bit of care for the new moms. To conclude, the different people and families that I was able to meet made me truly appreciate the experience.
Moreover, these previous experiences uniquely positioned me to care for my mom following her double mastectomy. During recovery, I was able to play a viable role in nursing her back to health. This included cleaning her with soapy sponges, feeding her light food, brushing her hair, and, significantly, managing her with drains. Post-mastectomy, two drains were stitched into the side of her for the serous fluid to collect. These drains required careful emptying and logging of fluid levels both morning and night. To conclude, I believe that my interest in nursing equipped me with the correct skills to assist my mom and family during this challenging period.
My nursing journey was greatly shaped by the volunteer work and program, as they equipped me with valuable skills that I was able to use personally. Every step along the way has reinforced my commitment to becoming a nurse. Therefore, driven by a heartful desire I hope for the opportunity to one day positively impact other individuals.
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