Values
The four core values I hold as a professional and emerging nurse are:
- Equity To me this value means that all patients and persons have the right to care and deserving of compassion and empathic care. This highlights the special considerations that must be given to populations that may have historically had negative experiences with healthcare providers, such as people with disabilities, people who use drugs and people who are unhoused. This value was strengthened during my time in Reno, Nevada where I volunteered in harm reduction and street outreach.
- Compassion When I think of compassion as a nurse, I think of being able to connect with commitment to truly seeing and being with another person where they are at in that moment. As nurses, we are beside patients for some of the best and worst moments of their lives and have the privilege to not only witness these moments but support and provide compassion in these moments.
- Commitment This represents the steadfastness I feel towards achieving goals, not only personal or individual goals but also team and organizational goals. This means the drive and commitment I have had through my educational journey thus far, as well as the completion of this program. Beyond school commitment is important to me as a professional, it can be seen in the small acts, such as reliably showing up on time to shifts, or large acts such as working towards an organization’s goal towards infection control or prevention.
- Advocacy To a patient in some of their most vulnerable moments, they may need someone to be their champion or advocate. Once again, this can be as simple as listening when a patient says they think the wrong test is being run. Or, it could be working with community resources to help secure housing for that individual. Advocacy doesn’t stop at the beside either – it can mean going to Queen’s Park to testify and advocate on behalf of nurses and patients.