The first clinical rotation of my nursing career was more than exceptional. I reinforced procedures learned in class, learned new hands on techniques, and built communication strategies with patients. This experience will be the foundation of my nursing career and I will look to build off it. Not only did I reinforce my techniques, I also managed to help and make a difference in a patient.
I was performing my bedside assessment on this little old lady. She was the sweetest and kindest patient I had. We talked about the Portland campus and how my nursing education was going. In doing so, I cracked a couple of funny comments about nursing school, and she chuckled. I explained to her that it was my first ever clinical experience and to just bear with me through this process. I was a little nervous but also excited to take what I have learned in the lab and practice it in person. I started with the neurological exam and moved down to the rest of the
body. I auscultated her heart and lungs, palpated her abdomen, and examined her skin. Through the exam I gained confidence. I provided descriptions, education, and reasoning with each movement and analysis. I was as thorough and informative as I could be. With this, the patient gained the greatest outcome of it all. Once I finished, the patient was grateful. She said that I was the first person to tell her why they were doing these tests. She was amazed as to how complex
the human body was. She did not know about capillary refill, skin turgor, or even pedal pulses. I was the most informative person to who her as she gained knowledge and understanding of how these things work. I thanked her as I finished the exam for being supportive through my first assessment. She thanked me back for teaching her these new topics. I left the room and never saw her again.
The situation could be small or large but no matter what, it is important to make a
difference. The small conversation I had with this patient will go with her through the rest of her life. As little as it can seem to many people, it is as great as anything to the patient. Things aren’t going to be easy at times in the nursing profession, but it is important to take a step back and observe the greatness that nurses do and to reflect on the influence you have on people.
