Artefact #1: Volunteering
Volunteer Work – Sept 2023
In September of 2023 I started volunteering at the Ross Memorial Hospital in their emergency department and day surgery.
A bit about the work I did includes:
– Showing visitor’s to rooms
– Seating patients in the waiting room
– Grabbing snacks, drinks, and warm blankets
– Socializing with patients
– Refilling ice bags
– Sanitizing wheel chairs after use
Working in both departments has helped me gain critical experience and has taught
me about the strength and courage nurses must have when working with patients
who are ill. Besides doing my own duties I would make sure to ask the nurses if
they needed a hand with anything that I as a volunteer could perform safely.
Nurses do their best to provide holistic care to their patients and I believe helping
the nurses with even the smallest tasks such as restocking medical carts from the
supply room was making a difference because it was allowing the nurse to have
more time with the patients or charting.
Artefact #2: High School Diploma
I graduated high school with all the pre-requisite courses mandatory to be accepted into the Trent/Fleming school of nursing. The mandatory courses I completed included:
- Grade 12 Biology
- Grade 12 Chemistry
- Grade 12 English
- Grade 12 Math
I am proud of my academic ability to maintain the average grade necessary to be accepted into the program.
Artefact #3: Who I look up to – My Grandma
One of the reasons I decided to go to nursing school was because of my Grandma. My Grandma graduated from the Durham College school of nursing and proceeded to become a registered nurse at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Obstetrics. In high school I made a visit to her place undecided of what my career would be and while we were conversing on the sofa she had begun telling me about the profession of a nurse. She informed me of the many roles of a nurse as well as handing me a box where she had kept all her nursing pins, awards, newsletters, her nursing cap and cape, college diploma, and pictures of her with the friends she made in her nursing program. She truly inspired me with all her amazing stories but the most impactful thing she had told me was that because she had helped deliver so many babies, it is an everyday occurrence for her to run into the parents and being apart of so many peoples lives in such a positive way is what had the greatest influence on me!
Artefact #4: Caring & Compassionate
Before I wanted to become a nurse I was passionate about becoming a Veterinarian. Growing up I watched “Hope for Wildlife” as entertainment because I wanted to make a difference by caring for injured animals and nursing them back to vital health. I love all animals and have always been fascinated by their unique qualities. One time, on my way home from school I saw a cat wandering the street that looked as if it had been starved and I brought her home to feed her. My parents agreed to keeping her and I did all I could to give her a better life than she had previously. I know I’m a caring and compassionate person because I believe in helping others in difficult circumstances with an open mind and a whole heart.
Artefact #5: The Nurses
While I spent some time in the Sick Kids Hospital I discovered a huge appreciation for nurses. The nurses who were part of my care team were all amazing at their job and always made sure to give me the best care possible. I recall the floor I had been on being chaotic but the nurses were able to get to each patient and provide care under increased levels of stress. The levels of stress that nurses are under can lead to changes in psychological and physiological status and can affect normal performance (Babapour, 2022). Even while these nurses were put into a high stress environment they were able to provide me with care in a kind and compassionate manner. Nurses have inspired me because they have selflessly cared for me in past experiences and I wish to give back to the community by providing the same care to others.