Nursing Personal Statement

This author’s personal perceptions concerning patients facing a lingering terminal illness, have been shaped by over 20 years of critical care nursing experience. Facing death and illness on a daily basis requires self-examination and a high degree of comfort with one’s own mortality, limits and values. Constant exposure to the fragility of life forces respect for the whole person and the people who love them. A general approach to patients who are actively dying is to allow them to define what they want and need during this time. The nurse’s role

When I became a nurse I knew I wanted to work in medicine dealing with patients suffering with chronic illness; I suffer from my own chronic illness known as Beta Sickle Thalassemia. Throughout the years my interaction with the Nurse practitioner in my Hematology/ Oncology has been enlightening. It has allowed me to see how I can be the driving force and a change agent for patients that suffer from chronic illness just like my own. For as long as I can remember I have always had a natural compassion for anyone in pain or discomfort whether physically or mentally. This empathy and compassion has trickled into the care I provide for my own patients and allows me to provide the best patient centered care I possibly can.

He was doing well, but lost his battle when he contracted a fungal infection and died of respiratory failure, even though the leukemia was in remission. During this sad episode, I further realized the crucial role of nurses in providing care and supporting patients in such situations. In my professional life as a nursing assistant, I have the opportunity to work with many nurses and witness how nurses work alongside their patients observing, assessing and caring for their needs. I find this dedication to the people in need very admirable and this creates in me a desire to perform professionally at this level.

Growing up I did not dream about becoming a nurse. I graduated from high school with honors and was planning to go to law school. However, several months later, my life drastically changed. Unexpectedly, my beloved mother was diagnosed with stage II ovarian cancer. Spending countless days and nights by her side at the hospital made me recognize how significant and life-saving her care was. Nurses were highly skilled professionals who worked together to provide essential care for my mother, give immense support and encouragement, ensure that her treatment would be delivered timely, promptly assess and address her physical and emotional needs and manage her distressing symptoms.

At times the dying patient’s loved ones become the nurse’s patients. As stated in End-of-Life Care: Caring for the Dying Patient and Family of the Dying Patient, “End-of-life (EOL) care of the dying patient and the patient’s family encompasses a variety of interventions that meet the physical needs of the patient and the emotional/psychosocial needs of the patient and the family. The rationale for EOL care is to provide physical comfort for the patient by managing pain and reducing emotional stress, and to promote effective coping and spiritual comfort for the patient and family” (Woten and Schub, 2016). As future nurses, it is critical that we acknowledge the potential we hold, we treasure the gift we have been given and we take our responsibilities

Eight years ago, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was receiving chemotherapy not too long before he passed away. When he got admitted into the hospital for the last time, my family and I took turn to be with him throughout the day. I remember the kind nurses that genuinely took care of us for the time that we stayed. They made sure we had a comfortable place to sleep and that we fed ourselves even though we had no appetite to eat at the moment. Until my dad's last breath, they were there to comfort and shared prayers with us. It was comforting to know that the nurses were there for us because my family and I had no one else besides each other since none of our relatives live in the States.

Working with the nurse who cared for my ailing grand-aunt, was a life changing experience. I would assist with bathing, grooming and toileting as well as reading to my aunt a couple of her favorite mystery novels. Evening though my grand-aunt 's condition was irreversible, I felt at peace because her nurse made sure she was comfortable and her needs were met. The compassion, empathy, work ethics and support the nurse provided for my family and grand-aunt during this difficult time resonated with me, the nurse inspired me in so many ways and even encouraged me to pursue a profession in nursing.

I also learned how stressful it could be for Mrs.B’s daughter as a caregiver and appreciated her effort in taking care of Mrs. B, in addition to the burdens she’s experiencing with her illnesses. Overall, I’m confident that my experiences with these hospice patients would benefit my future patients and mold me into a more empathetic and compassionate

Without the kind help of her nurses and other medical professionals, it would have been a much more sorrowful experience. This interaction made me want to become a nurse and create a positive and warmhearted environment to patients in need of support.

In the year of 2014, it was a hard time for my family and me. Throughout the whole year of 2014, my grandpa was in and out of the hospital weeks turning into months at a time. He was the healthiest man, but that year really took a toll on him, which resulted in him extended hospital stays. Throughout the whole year, the nurses became so close with the family seeing how they would conversate with our family so much. The nurses provided so much security and assurance within their scope of practice within my grandpa’s hospital stays. It was the nurses in the room late nights and early mornings keeping my grandma and family company, displaying their empathy and treating us like their very own family. We all shared laughs, prayers, hugs, and cries all while concluding their job duties. The words spoken by Maya Angelou, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but will never forget how you made them feel.” From every doctor, nurse to janitorial staff that had an encounter with my grandpa and my

Consequently, in 2002, she was admitted to the hospital. The nursing staff supported my family and mum through the difficult time with much empathy and care. This experience helped me to realise the impact such illness might have on the patient and their relatives as well as appreciate how fulfilling being a nurse would be in such circumstances. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 44, however, I had the desire to make a more positive impact on the lives of people with poor health and disability.

In the last few months, I have been blessed with the opportunity of working as a hospice nurse delivering the utmost care to those who are terminally ill with weeks to hours to live. Working here I have found myself filled with many emotions of sadness, anger, love, compassion, empathy, happiness, and the list goes on. My goal and mission is to deliver the core values of AR Hospice and bring compassion that will allow my patients to die with ease, peacefulness, and freedom. I have learned to love and appreciate what this job has encircled me with. This profession has taught me to appreciate every moment in life and love those today who are dear to you. Just recently a coworker stopped me, pulled me into a room and said, “Don’t wait till I’m at my funeral, to hand me flowers,” (meaning to show appreciation now and not at my funeral). I looked in disarray. She wanted to show her appreciation to me, acknowledging how great of a nurse I was to our patients and families and how I show true compassion. On an evening in July, I had the opportunity to take care of Mrs. X who was minimally responsive the time she made it to my unit. She had been battling an illness for years and it had begun to take her to her final destination. Mrs. X was transferred from an ICU unit where her liver had begun to fail, her abdomen was tight, distended and filled with fluid; her skin and sclera was jaundice and it was evident that her kidney was failing too. Mrs. X had a loving large family and a

All patients in the hospital have a story behind them that brought them to the hospital. Being a nurse for nine months, some patients have left a footprint in my mind and heart. One such patient was Mrs. R. She was diagnosed with a tumor in her abdomen which then metastasized to her lungs. It was a weekend morning, in which I was getting reports on my patients. The previous shift nurse gave the report on Mrs. R and told me that she was forty-six-year-old Hispanic woman with metastasized cancer to the lungs. Patient recently came to know about the diagnosis and never had any symptoms or pain, but the patient was in the last stage. When I went into the patient room to introduce myself, I found that the patient had been crying for whole night.

Looking back through my journey in becoming a nurse, I have a great appreciation for the significant growth and understanding that I have achieved both personally and professionally. From my earliest years, I have experienced a profound satisfaction in helping others; the love and compassion that motivates my efforts in providing care to patients have been strengthened by many experiences. I could write endless stories of the experiences that I have encountered with individuals that I am honored to have cared for throughout my 15 years plus in the medical field. Not only could I identify the manner in which these patients touched my life, but also the manner in which my life was forever changed. I will never forget those patients who I nursed from birth until they became young adults, also the patients that I am proud to have met,

Throughout the 5 weeks of my first clinical rotation on 1-4 I had an assortment of patients, some with higher needs than others. There were a few patients I was assigned to that influenced my nursing care but one particular incident stuck with me. My first patient I was assigned to on the unit 1-4 was a 77 year old man who had been admitted with cellulitis of his left foot, and due to the infection, had to get his first two toes amputated a few days after he was admitted. Due to the surgery, he had significant pain in his lower left extremity and because of that, he had not gotten out of bed in days.