Reflective Journal Analysis

One notable hospital experience that is still on my mind deals with a woman in her 80s, who had been admitted for a few days. The unit secretary informed me of this story. While she was hospitalized, her family came to visit her everyday, and one of those nights the patient asked

For this is where each decision I make impacts a human life tremendously. Using my knowledge, skills, and passion for teamwork I will give all that I can to save each and every life. The intensity of the ICU working environment is what I admire most about my nursing experiences. Over the past few years, I can gladly say that I have grown to take the high pressures and stresses of the job with stride. I have dedicated the time and effort to refine my skills of speed, accuracy, and

As a primary care nurse at Lahey Health for the past 10 years, I have interacted with patients and families from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I have attempted to build relationships based on respect, empathy, and understanding. By listening and observing, I have gained valuable insight allowing me to address factors affecting patient care and outcome. I have learned that it is not always easy to determine best practice and that careful individual consideration is necessary.

My week was long and a bumpy rollercoaster. I was sick towards the first half of the week which made my days drag. However, I remained energetic for my class because this week was Read Across America week. The school had a Dr. Seuss book theme each day. I dressed up and the kids dressed up. It was so sweet and we delved into Dr. Seuss. We discussed his stories messages, the rhymes, real words vs. made-up words, and connections to our lives. The only downside was that a handful of our students were sick this week. On Wednesday, our class started out at fourteen and by 12:45 we had eight students left. It made classroom management easier, but I missed the smiling faces of the absent students.

Throughout my clinical experiences, there have been quite a few circumstances I have been placed in that have remained with me whether good or bad. All of them have been learning experiences for me whether it is how to improve and to do better next time from a mistake, for me to learn that this is or is not how a patient should be treated, how to handle family situations, and many others. One experience that I was able to participate in that will remain with me because I had not experienced this before was during my critical care rotation in the fall of 2015. This patient was dying and we were implementing comfort care for him.

The patience, compassion and encouragement of one person improved my family’s last years with its patriarch in countless ways. It was this improvement that inspired me to pursue a career as an

I began volunteering at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to get an overview of what is is like to work at a hospital. Volunteering at a hospital was an eye opening experience, because I got to encounter how physicians, and medical staff communicate, and listen to their patients. These two skills are essential to understand patient needs, and therefore make the right decisions in diagnosing diseases. My role at the hospital was to provide snacks, beverages, and aid kits to patients, families, and medical staff. I have witnessed families that stayed up long nights, because they had loved ones undergo surgery. Any person that has a loved one undergo surgery becomes worried and scared, because of the uncertainty that lies ahead. However, the imperative skills that I have learned and exceeded on was my communication skills. Communicating with these families, and patients was exceedingly important, because you have to place yourself in their shoes to understand the situation they are in. I met young patients, as young as 5 years old, that were in the hospital for days recovering from surgery, or undergoing

I learned so much from this experience. The importance of insurance when admitting patients to the hospital, is key to all facets of health care delivery. In addition, the humanistic aspect of working in the medical field was a constant lesson. Speaking to a mother whose children were killed in a car accident was one of the hardest things I had to do. As I asked her for her children’s names and birthdays, all I could think about was that this mother would never get to hold them again. During my time working in the emergency room, I observed the composure of physicians in tough situations and have taken on that attitude when I face those same challenges. I have observed the formation of relationships, which are founded on confidence and trust. Creating and maintaining long-lasting relationships is something that I appreciate about my own doctor and mentor of ten years. I aspire to do the same when I become a

For the past two weeks I have been performing my clinical at Holton Community Hospital experiencing what it is like to be on the floor with the patients and I had the opportunity to see what it was like in the Family Practice part of the hospital.

Back when I was not sure, I aimed to find out more about what healthcare means for people today by volunteering. It was through this at the Orlando Regional Medical Center that I began to understand. I witnessed firsthand the kindness and empathy medicine requires of its practitioners. Consoling and guiding patients were my primary responsibilities, along with restocking supplies, helping transfer patients, and guiding visitors to their loved ones. I learned to work with people recovering from surgery, terminal patients, and many others only wanting company; I listened to them, wished them a happy birthday, or simply sat with them while they told me about their lives, their struggles, or how they met their spouses. A human connection was essential.

Oftentimes, as patients it is easier to analyze the healthcare setting from a critical perspective rather than a hopeful perspective. Oftentimes, as patients our encounters in healthcare settings are high stress to begin with (e.g. diagnosis, disease, caretaking). To my surprise, Nicole informed of several communication projects that she underwent and continues to participate in at Stanford Children’s Hospital. Nicole informed me that she did undergo a mandatory general seminar on the basics of professionalism and therapeutic relationships with families upon being hired. Since then, Nicole has been required to take more formal classes that have developed as an aim of standardizing certain interactions with families. Some examples include: standard way to answer the phone, walking with someone who is lost to their destination rather than just giving directions. Nicole stated “it has really become more customer service focused.”

Health care providers are nothing short of heroes, yet they remain humble in their abilities. As a volunteer at a senior living facility, I was humbled each and every day by the patients I cared for, however one moment in particular remains clear. Sadly, one lady had not been able to recognize her daughter for quite some time despite our efforts of looking through old photo albums together. The task seemed hopeless, but I felt deep down that she was making progress. One afternoon as the patient’s daughter walked in, the patiet had a quizzical look upon her aging face. “I know you,” she stated confidently as she rose up to embrace her daughter. My heart leapt with pure happiness as I saw tears of joy begin to fall down the daughter’s face. I believe that never losing faith and remaining positive are important aspects in life and especially in medicine. We worked together to reach this special moment and nothing humbled me more than having played a part in

I began working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in 2009 at the UCSD-Thornton Hospital. It was a great privilege to work with a team who could handle the most complex patient situations. I was extraordinarily fortunate to be trained by and worked alongside with intelligent, knowledgeable, and supportive nurses. This experience helped me realize my potential as a critical care nurse, and my great passion for it!

Humans differ from each other. Some people like to change themselves in a better way, and other accept how bad they are. Your concern may be correct, but it doesn't apply to all kinds of people especially for the one that read this book. Writing journal help people to be honest and it's a way of discovering out new things about themselves such as strengths and weaknesses. However, people may lie about a bunch of stuff, so they don't feel shame in front of the reader, but deep inside their heart they know what the truth is. On the other hand, you may not notice the difference in the writer after his/her first journal entry; things may take an 180-degree turn when it is the finale. For instance, my first writing journal isn't similar to this.

During the time I have spent on this new journey, I have met people from multiple schools and different cultures with different levels of training and career goals, but ultimately, all of which have a common desire to serve the patients – something I have found enriching in my