This article was written as an assignment near the end of nursing school. The article refers to my most memorable experience while in nursing school, and the impact of that experience on my future as a nurse.
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As a final assignment near the end of nursing school, I was asked to write an essay describing my most memorable experience as a nursing student. Wow...
As I contemplated the MANY memorable (the good and the yuck) moments of nursing school, one clinical encounter clearly emerged. It was an experience that Oprah would call one of her infamous "ah-ha" moments!
During the fourth semester clinical on a hospital trauma floor, several members of my clinical group were invited to observe the placement of a wound VAC on an unusually large, open wound. Because I have learned, through my clinical experiences, that I am very fond of large, open wounds (never thought I would say that!), I quickly accepted the offer to observe. As I entered the room, I admit I was shocked to see a partially covered, morbidly obese male in his mid-twenties lying in the bed with a gangrenous wound covering most of his right leg. I quickly said hello to the attending doctors and nurse, and retreated to an area of the room where I could covertly observe.
As I ogled the massiveness of this wound, listened to the doctors describe the wound and the steps of this procedure, and noted the actions of the nurse assisting the doctor, I was completely enthralled. I was fully focused on this right leg, this large wound, and the medical procedures and nursing skills being performed. It was then that I heard the patient softly crying out in pain. As I redirected my thoughts to the entire situation in the room, I was suddenly reminded that this fascinating wound was part of a leg that was attached to a person, a real person. That leg was attached to someone who needed more than just wound care. It was at that moment that I realized how quickly I forgot to see the whole picture, and how easily a nurse, or any member of the healthcare profession, could forget. I realized how common it could be to go to work each day and take care of a body, without giving the necessary attention to the whole person.
In nursing school, we study and perform many skills that will become part of our daily routine. These skills must be performed correctly, safely, timely, and thoroughly documented. Many days a nurse feels short on help, short on rest, and short on time! How easily we can miss building a therapeutic relationship with our patients as we strive to be prudent!
In my Oprah moment and my ignorance in acknowledging the person attached to that leg, I knew I had made the right decision to become a nurse. I recognized the great importance of becoming a nurse that sees the patient as a whole, not just parts, and that provides quality care to the body, the mind, and the spirit. It will be important to recall my own experiences as a patient and to remember the fears and anxieties that accompany hospitalization. I truly believe that "The body follows where the mind goes", and the actions of a positive, compassionate nurse play a major role in healing the patient.
As I left the room that day, the patient still lying in the bed partially dressed and exhibiting signs of pain, I wanted to apologize for being that nurse that only sees the patient in parts. I wanted to apologize for everyone who had come into his room and not seen the whole person, or had observed him only as "the large wound in room 202." I didn't explain or apologize, but I did go to the head of his bed, smile and make eye contact, and thank him for allowing me to observe his medical care. He doesn't know what a difference he made in my life that day, but I hope that by speaking to him and showing genuine concern that maybe I made just a small difference in his.
