A paper I wrote in nursing school…

When I was twelve years old, I volunteered as a candystriper in a local hospital and I found my new home. I soon became friends with one of the patients, Mr. Gillespie. He was in a coma, but I still sat by his side and held his hand and talked with him. I went on vacation and when I got back, he was gone. I didn’t have the nerve to ask anyone where he had gone for the fear they would tell me that he had died.

Five years later I was at a gas station and I saw a familiar face. It was Mr. Gillespie! I went up and asked him if he had been in a coma five years ago and he said yes. I told him how I knew and his eyes filled with tears. He told me that he had heard me taking and felt me holding his hand, but when he woke up there was no one like that. He thought I was an angel.

Mr. Gillespie made me an angel.

This story is why I am pursuing a career in nursing. I realized that day at the gas station that I can make a difference and I need to make a difference. This story also exhibits some of the values that I believe will make me a good nurse. These values also similar to those important in the nursing profession and those of Regis University.

My idea of health is to be free of disease in all aspects of life. I believe to be truly healthy, one must be physically strong, emotionally strong and spiritually strong. Many people suffer from physical disease, a compulsion or a mood disorder, or from lack of direction or purpose in their life. In today’s society, there are very few people that are truly healthy in my definition. Health care environments are places where all types of healing take place. This may be a hospital, doctor’s office, a place of relaxation or a church. All places are important depending on the person’s state of health, and which aspects need healing.

Patients are people needing assistance in some way. Most in the hospital will definitely need some sort of physical attention, but many also need emotional support and someone to talk to. Patient’s are vulnerable in various ways and need to be assured and validated as humans. Nurses are important health care providers necessary to carry out successful treatment plans. They also play patient advocates with the doctor and doctor’s advocate with the patient and their family. Many times, nurses are emotional support and teachers for their patients and their families. Patients and nurses are very intimately connected.

I am excited to be on this path at Regis University, and I feel my personal values run along the same line as the missions and values of the nursing program as well as the university.

Most of my personal beliefs have been strong since I was very young, but have been more directed in the recent years. I strongly believe in giving back to my community, and make a concerted effort to be involved in a volunteer organization at all times. Currently, I am working for Camp Wapiyapi, a camp for kids with cancer. I believe that in order to live my full life I must give back to others. This personal belief is directly related to the mission statement of Regis University, “Leadership in the service of others.” I will be in service to others until the day I die, for it is my calling in this life.

I believe integrity is important in all aspects of life. I have a tough time respecting people who lack integrity and therefore I couldn’t respect myself if I didn’t possess this trait. Without integrity, one’s life is lie. Integrity breeds honesty and honesty breeds trust. Truth and integrity are essential to live one’s full life.

My biggest belief in life is trying to make a difference. When anyone asks me why I think I was put on this earth I answer, “to make a difference in as many lives as I can.” I believe you should leave this world better than when you entered it, leaving footprints in as many hearts as you can. I believe as a nurse I will have ample opportunity to make a difference both in the lives of my patients and in the nursing community as a whole.

Another one of my biggest values is caring and compassion. I believe that every one of us is fighting a huge battle everyday and that we should understand that when encountering all our fellow people. I try to see everything from the other person’s perspective. For instance, if a patient were treating me with hesitation or rudeness, I would put myself in their shoes and try to understand why they might be treating me this way. If they had just received bad news or if they had a negative hospital experience previously. All these things contribute to our moods and demeanors.

Some of the things I have been struggling with that might interfere with my decision to become a nurse are my empathy and depth of involvement. I tend to get too involved emotionally with the patient and their family. I feel I’ve gotten a lot better since I have rediscovered my spiritual beliefs and my belief in an afterlife. However, it doesn’t make it any easier to let go.

I hope that this will make me a better and more caring nurse, but my fear is that I will burn out.

I am also a little scared of my ego. I have a lot of friends in medical school and have grown up with the brainwashed notion that nurses are not as important as doctors are. Although I don’t logically conform to this belief, it is hard to extinguish old thoughts and habits. I had wanted to go to medical school almost my whole life and then one day it was clear that I wanted something else…to be a nurse. But my ego keeps getting in the way. I actually feel ashamed admitting this misnomer to a staff of professional nurses, but I was asked to examine my thoughts and values. I realized that I valued human life and that every health care professional who values human life is important…not one profession over another.

My whole life has shaped my value system and all my experiences have led me to the career path that I have chosen…nursing. I believe that I have made that right choice and that my beliefs will make me a good nurse. I also believe that I chose the right program to learn the art of nursing. Regis believes in teaching me as a whole individual and I have hungered for this type of learning my whole life. I also appreciate the service learning projects for they get right at the heart of my belief about community. I hope to thrive here and soak up everything the Regis staff has to teach. I am excited to be here at long last after my journey of discovering my calling…to be a nurse.