During my first-ever year of doing clinical duties, I am proud to have achieved a higher self and impacted the lives of those I have had the opportunity to interact with. Five (5) instances that which helped me do these things..

First, I was able to do post-mortem care during my first week of clinical duty; second, I was able to reassure a patient for their pending medical procedures; third, I took on the role of scrub nurse without the presence of an actual scrub RN; fourth, I was able to do a full care of a chronically ill patient during a vital sign q1 frequency; and fifth, I was able to volunteer to teach high-school cadets of a school military organization some basic first-aid skill.

In the second instance, I was able to give another patient comfort during their pending procedures. This was during the same semester as the first instance, but I was under the care of a different clinical instructor (at the time, it was Prof. Lorena Escano). The patient that I had been assigned to was suspected to have a cancerous tumor in their body due to the presenting symptoms that they were experiencing. They had to undergo multiple diagnostic procedures to determine the size, the actual locations, and the prognosis of their tumors. They had been noted to have a history of being admitted to another hospital prior to Manila Doctors Hospital but had to be transferred due to the lack of advanced diagnostic facilities. I had entered the patient’s room to check on their vital signs. I noticed that the patient was becoming restless, so I asked the question, “How are you doing today?” That question became a gateway for the patient to relay their worries. Although I did not have the learnings of doing therapeutic communication at the time (because I had kept asking ‘why’ even though it should not have been phrased that way), I was able to explore what was making the patient feel worried and anxious. That exploration of emotion allowed for the patient to self-reflect on where that emotion was stemming from. That conversation that I have held with the patient had helped ease the “burden off [their] shoulders”, as they have said. I was standing for nearly an hour and a half staying and talking with the patient. The pain that I felt in my legs afterward was worth the smile and the laugh that I managed to elicit from the patient. Even though I was also due for a scolding from my clinical instructor for being gone that long, I was at ease knowing that my patient was safe and was ready to face their diagnostic procedures head-on. The lesson that I have learned in this instance was that a listening ear is just often what the patient needs.

For the fourth instance, I was able to diligently take care of another patient during a q1 VS frequency. This was during the second semester of SY 2022-2023, under the care of Prof. Andre Canaria. I had a patient whose admission date began three months before the start of this specific duty. He was on a mechanical ventilator, with his tracheotomy tube applied on his neck. I was doing my hourly vital signs checking when I had noticed that the patient’s respiratory rate was more than the optimal range, which was at 34 cpm. Their seizures were becoming more frequent, and thus, I notified the nurse-in-charge due to their companion being asleep and could not be awoken despite my attempts (and later on, the physician’s attempts).  The respiratory department was able to respond immediately, and suctioning and adjusting of the tracheotomy tube were done. I was able to assist with the suctioning by monitoring the amount of fluid that was obtained. However, I also saw that the patient was exhibiting a facial grimace, and tears started to fall from their eyes. Since the patient was not able to speak, I managed to point this out to the physician. I was given the time and space to be able to wipe the tears away. I was also able to give reassurance to the patient that suctioning needed to be done so that their breathing would be easier. After everything was done, the patient was now able to sleep in peace. The companion awoke and said that they heard everything that I said during the suctioning. They gave me their thanks. I continued to do my hourly visitations, in which I also raised multiple concerns to the nurse-in-charge to help with the management of the patient. In this instance, I have learned that it pays to do our job properly, even if we think that no one is watching. One way or another, the efforts that we show will be acknowledged in due time.

To conclude, it truly is fulfilling to be in the Nursing program. This one year of being able to do duties in the hospital gave me so many opportunities for the application of my learning. I hope that during my active years as a student nurse, I will be able to inspire and help more people to achieve their optimal selves, like what the course and the MDCON community have done for me as well. While I may not be at my fullest potential yet, I look forward to more moments that I could be molded into being the most effective and therapeutic registered nurse in the future.