3 ARTIFACTS
Artifact 1
Stethoscope
My first artifact is my stethoscope. My stethoscope holds immense significance to me and my journey into becoming a nurse because my dad bought it for me this summer, just before I started my first semester of nursing school. He is a dentist, so being in the healthcare field, he understands a lot of what I will be going through. When he gave me the stethoscope, he told me that he bought a stethoscope from this brand in his first year of post-secondary education and still uses the same one in his practice today, and that he wanted me to have the same experience as he did. To me, this stethoscope is a symbol of support and empathy from my dad, and the encouragement and guidance I receive from him, as well as from my whole family is the reason I have gotten where I am today, which I will be forever grateful for.
Artifact 2
Co-op Placement
My next artifact is my co-op placement from my gap year between highschool and university. I was placed at a retirement home in the recreation department, and this is where I decided that I wanted to go into nursing. While recreation is different from nursing, they share a lot of the same values and goals, and we often worked closely with the nursing and PSW team, which allowed me to see into the career. Furthermore, I was inspired by the way the recreation team would welcome the residents and care for them in such a nurturing and fulfilling way, and saw how this treatment and these relationships could be endlessly effective in the nursing career, which is when I knew that I wanted to explore that idea further. I have so much love for the time I spent there and found myself excited to go every day, which was a huge contrast for me, as I was used to feeling anxious of attending most events or things in my life before this time.
Artifact 3
Trent BScN Scrub Patch
My First Year BScN Student scrub patch is my third artifact, because it reminds me of my excitement for what is to come. My mom bought it for me, along with my scrubs on the day I moved in to my residence, which was a very emotional time for me, but with that, it also marked a significant change and a world of new opportunities in my life. The patch makes me excited to progress on my journey to become a nurse, and I think it represents a milestone for my education, as it will be used in my first actual experience and step into the nursing world. In my opinion, I think is a really pivotal moment in my life, and one that I will remember throughout the course of my career in the future.
Artifact 4
Stickers from Nursing Orientation
This one may seem a little bit different, but these stickers do hold a lot of significance to me. There were various ones on all of the tables at the nursing orientation in September of this year, and this is when I began to see the welcoming community of the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing. I think an accepting and inviting community is so vital for student success, especially in nursing, as this program and career can come with a lot of stress. On this day, I saw what I continue to see from my professors and seminar leads every single day, which is a genuine care for our wellbeing, and this is why I respect this school and these people so much. These stickers remind me of the sense of acceptance that I felt that day, which is why I like to consider them an artifact of my journey.
Artifact 5
Offer of Admission Email
My fifth artifact is my offer of admission email that I received from Trent in March of 2024, which marks a very pivotal moment for me. It was the first university I had heard back from at this point, so it provided me with a lot of relief and a sense of pride for myself, as I no longer had to worry about not getting into any programs or not knowing if I would be in school or not the following year. I will remember this email for my whole life, as well as the moment in which I received it. I was sitting at my friend’s kitchen table early in the morning and we were discussing our university applications and I had just started talking about Trent a little bit, when her dad called her for help with something. The second she left the kitchen I received a notification on my phone. I looked closer and saw the title, and genuinely felt so happy and shocked at the coincidence of the timing of this moment, which is why it is so important in my nursing story.