Before I began writing this paper, it took me a long time to reflect on my past clinical experiences to pick out one significant moment during my time there. As I was thinking about it, I decided that there wasn’t one notable moment that made me feel like I was making a difference in a patient’s life but it was the little moments that made their day better! I remember one day during clinical, I was completing my assessment on an old man that had a hip replacement. He was supposed to stay less than a week or so but he had a hospital-acquired infection that caused a prolonged stay. As I was asking him about how he was doing he seemed very sad and fed up with being in this uncomfortable environment. I then stopped doing my assessment to ask him more questions about his life at home. I was genuinely interested in what he missed most about his household and he mentioned his bed. We continued our conversation and he started to open up and seemed a bit more relaxed than before I walked in. This patient then went to physical therapy in the late morning. As his room was empty, I made it a point to clean his room a little bit and make him a fresh bed with crisp clean sheets. Later that day, I went back into his room around lunchtime and asked him if he enjoyed his bed and he said “Yes, you know nothing is better than a fresh bed.” His entire demeanor had changed completely compared to the morning. Granted he may not have been a morning person but I feel like that little effort and extra thought I had to make remake his bed made a difference in his day! This act may not have been something that was life-changing for the patient, but I know that this patient had a better night’s sleep and day because of the neat bedding. I hope to keep having meaningful conversations with my patients and to hopefully someday make a life-changing difference in someone’s life!

I really enjoyed Polly Campbell’s presentation on Forensic Nursing. I’ve been interested in medical law and attended a class for Forensics and Introduction to Criminal Justice. My biggest takeaway from this presentation is the words of Edmond Locard. This man is named the “father of criminalistics” and he is known for his impactful words that “every contact leaves a trace.” This quote stood out to me because it can be interpreted in many different ways. For example, a patient will forever be changed mentally and emotionally by the traumatic events of abuse. On the other hand, the abuse can leave physical markings and evidence. The “traces” that Edmond Locard is referring to can be physical, mental, and emotional remnants of the many different types of interpersonal violence. A Forensic Nurse has the extremely important role of providing specialized care for the physical, mental, and emotional remains of these incidents. These types of nurses are in charge of providing a full head-to-toe assessment that is similar to what I have been learning in school. The major difference between the assessment I’ve learned in school and Forensic Nursing is that they are also collecting evidence that may be used for future prosecutions. These Nurses have the extraordinary ability to testify in the course as an expert witnesses or as fact, with the evidence being the nursing processes that they conducted in the hospital settings. This ability amazes me and sparks my interest in this specialty of the medical field. I hope to reach out to Professor Campbell to gather more information on this incredible field.

I learned a lot about how each profession works together and individually to help each patient. I was very interested in how Chelsea, the Respiratory Therapist, is involved in the health care team. I originally wanted to become a Respiratory Therapist and didn’t realize how important they are to a patient’s well-being. As I was listening to her point of view in the medical field, I learned how she is a major part of a patient’s recovery due to the priority assessment of the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation). Her job is to maintain a vital part of life by using medications, machinery, and knowledge to accurately care for each patient’s respiratory needs.