Insight On My Community Experience

Witnessing the patience, strength, and compassionate attributions that nurses convey within their care was remarkable. Having the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of another human being was a very overwhelming and humbling experience for me. Therefore, these encounters set the foundation towards my pursuit of a nursing career.

Nursing is a noble profession that will help me expand my horizon by letting me focus outside of myself and my self-interest. By focusing outside of myself, I will get to be an advocate for people’s health and a humanitarian who will have a chance to see the other aspect of medical

Prior to my nursing education, my perception of a registered nurse was that of a health care professional whose tasks include administering medications to sick patients on a timely fashion and making sure that the doctor’s orders are met. Without proper education on the different duties and responsibilities that encompass the role of a registered nurse, my impressions of the nursing profesison relied heavily on the various misconceptions that is often portrayed on television and other forms of media. Even after graduating from nursing school, I still have a difficult time in finding a clear definition to my role in nursing as it tend to incorporate various roles such as an educator, advocate, researcher and many others. I do not think of the nursing profession as a single entity, but rather a melting pot of assorted roles that simply overlap for the sole purpose of

Shortly after beginning my nursing career at one of the most prestigious public nursing schools in Georgia, I recognized the significance of being a well-rounded student to become an individual who cares for the public. I wanted to embody a person who has the brains, the heart, the passion, and love for nursing. I had the privilege to work alongside fellow nursing students,

“Definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet only for a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs”-Anonymous. For the past year and a half, I have volunteered at Blaire E. Batson Children’s Hospital. It has been an amazing experience! My passion for the medical field and career of nursing has been magnified. I know without a doubt that nursing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I long for the opportunity to care for my future patients and their families. I want to touch other people’s lives just as I have witnessed nurses do throughout my time volunteering. God has given me a passion for nursing. With my passion and compassion for others, I know I will be successful if admitted into the BSN program.

My career commitment as a nurse has grown tremendously over the past three years; through my daily experiences as a Medical Assistant. I have devoted my time as a full time student and employee of the health care profession. Both of these occupations have helped shape me into the person I want to be for as long as time allows. Daily I witness these community role models that posses abilities such as problem solving skills, promotion and protection of an individual’s advocacy all tied in with compassion to meet the health care needs of an individual.

My personal nursing mission statement is changing and developing as my career advances, however, one core piece will remain constant. I will strive to provide the best, safest, most ethical and compassionate nursing care that I can for all patients and family members with whom I come in contact. I began my post-high school academic career as an accounting major. I enjoyed the challenge of manipulating a report until I had balanced. I thought I had found my calling. As my first semester was nearing an end, I found myself contemplating the thought of sitting behind a desk all day. I wondered

The definition provided above is accessible and easy to understand; however, it initiates false beliefs among individuals because it fails to acknowledge that drug addiction is a mental health problem. Moreover, when words such as, “dependence”, “control” and “craving” are used to define drug addiction, it leaves an impression to the reader that addicts are indeed “people who cannot control their impulses.” Consequently, when we fail to recognize that drug addiction is a mental health problem, our focus is diverted towards the physical aspect of drug addiction. This could cause the belief among individuals that drugs alone cause the addiction. It is essential to acknowledge that there are chemical hooks in drugs; however, individuals need to understand that drugs alone do not cause the addiction. We need to identify and distinguish the “root cause” of addiction and ask ourselves: what caused the individual to take the drug in the first place?

Substance abuse complicates almost every aspect of care for the person with a mental disorder. When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs; these changes are what lead to compulsive drug use. Drug abuse plays a major role when concerning mental health. It is very difficult for these individuals to engage in treatment. Diagnosis for a treatment is difficult because it takes time to disengage the interacting effects of substance abuse and the mental illness. It may also be difficult for substance abusers to be accommodated at home and it may not be tolerated in the community of residents of rehabilitation programs. The author states, that they end up losing their support systems

Drug addiction: A Modern-Day DiseaseThesis statement: Drug abuse is a complex disease that needs enduring and extensive treatment. People who have struggled with substance abuse have often found it extremely difficult to quit due to the physical and/or mental addiction.

Unlike the suburbs yet a suburban mentality was instilled; the idea that how we appear to others and education is the key to social mobility, well, the legal key. Although I was born a child of the ghetto I learned that the ghetto is where I’m teenage mother in Kingston, Jamaica. I currently reside in Seaview Gardens a community that is said to be a ghetto, and don’t get me wrong, it is but it’s my suburb and it’s where I learnt everything I know. “What people think of a ghetto is dependent on how people in the ghetto think” – Shadiomar McPharlene; where I live although there’s distractions all around,

Mental illness is another major reason why individuals start using drugs and eventually become dependent. Chronic drug abuse may occur in concurrence with any mental illness identified in the American Psychiatric Association (DSMIV). Some common serious mental disorders associated with chronic substance abuse include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and generalized anxiety disorder (National Drug Intelligence Center). Some people may use drugs on a regular basis as ways to self- medicate themselves if they are dealing with any

Nursing as a discipline has set forward an explicit desire to serve the public and it is the service and commitment to the individual and overall wellbeing of our society that drives and directs the study and practice of nurses, educators and nurse scholars (Smith & Parker, 2010).

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, iIn 2013, a survey reported that an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older had used an illegal drug in the past month. The first time someone uses a drug, it is usually voluntary. This first use is usually to mask certain emotions that they are currently going through. Repeated use can lead to changes in the brain that challenge an addict’s self control and interfere with their ability to resist the temptation of a drug, this addiction makes them feel better about themselves and forget about the problem they are dealing with at the time. According to the Mayo Clinic, drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a dependence on a legal or illegal drug or

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” (Coretta Scott King). A community consists of many individuals and how those individuals act, either alone or together, will determine whether the community will foster or die. Consequently, in order to be an effective individual in my own communities, I believe that being true to myself and really immersing myself is a powerful way to impact any community. For the most part, two of my communities are Providence College and Pasa Esek Hopkins. Reading about great leaders like MLK and Mother Teresa, who advocate for such strong love of neighbor and standing up for beliefs in the face of adversity, is at the focal point of my inspiration. I believe that believing in one’s self is how an individual can shine in their own community.