Since the beginning of my journey as a nursing student, many things have changed in me. Under the nurturance of our college, I started to see myself as a nurse who continues to grow in knowledge, skills, and attitude. But there is something I realized as I continue to embark on this nursing journey – if there is one thing that is more important than personal growth, that would be the ability to put these nursing competencies into service to others with care and compassion, may it be in the clinical setting or community. I call it “caring as a way of life.” With that, I would like to share five (5) instances of how I lived with this principle as a nursing student. The first three instances occurred in the clinical area, and the other two happened in my community. First, I was able to provide emotional support to a post-partum mother; second, I was able to provide care to a patient experiencing chronic illness; third, I was able to care for a geriatric patient in a public hospital who was already confined for a month; fourth, I was able to take care of an ill neighbor who was also an older adult; and fifth, I was able to help a woman in our barangay who was having a hypertensive crisis.

For the first one, I was able to provide emotional support to a 4-day postpartum mother. She was taking care of her post-term baby boy with multiple congenital anomalies confined to the NICU ward in National Children’s Hospital, Quezon City. This was during our first clinical rotation in the 2nd semester, A.Y. 2022-2023. After we were assigned to our patients by our clinical instructor, I visited my patient to take his vital signs but I found him sleeping alone in his crib. Minutes later, I came back and finally found his mother. I approached and asked how she was doing, then I interviewed her about the status of breastfeeding her son. Before our conversation ended, she asked me if she could share something with me. I willingly lent her a listening ear. She opened up that she was feeling weak and hopeless for her son. She was feeling exhausted because she never had enough rest since her cesarian operation that happened four days ago. Her baby was admitted to the NICU after delivery and she had to stay and take care of him. She even shared that she accidentally slipped in the comfort room because of fatigue (the reason why it took so long for her to return). At that point, she started to cry. I rubbed her back and comforted her. I was not that good at giving emotional comfort, but all I did was to listen, acknowledge her feelings and weakness, and encourage her to be strong. I assessed her to see if she felt any pain or had obtained a fracture. I also assured her that I would relay the incident to the staff nurses and would include her and her son in my prayers. Before I left, she thanked me with a smile, saying, “Salamat sa pakikinig” (Thank you for listening). Right there, I learned that as a nursing student, I may not have all the answers to their problems but giving them my time, understanding and listening ears are enough to somehow lessen the burden they feel inside.

For the second instance, I was able to provide care for a teenage patient with leukemia in the Oncology Ward of the same hospital under the same clinical instructor. This was during our second rotation this 1st semester of A.Y. 2023-2024. After we were assigned, I went to my patient to conduct an assessment. I found out that he was having a high fever. I immediately reported this to the bedside nurse so that antipyretic medications could be administered. I observed that the patient was having discomfort due to high body temperature. I decided to provide him with a tepid sponge bath (TSB). After my patient provided his consent, I started to do TSB from his forehead down to his extremities. While I was doing this, one of my classmates called out for me, saying that I had to leave the patient’s room now because they were about to leave for dinner and they had been waiting for me. But I refused to leave. So they went ahead and had their dinner while I was left in the area doing TSB to my patient. I chose to stay and finish rendering care because I wanted my patient to rest comfortably for the night. From that situation, I have come to realize that even if I have to sacrifice little things like dinner, it will always be worth it because I was able to provide my patients with the comfort they need.

For the third instance, I was able to take care of a geriatric patient confined in the Ospital ng Muntinlupa. This was also during the 1st semester of the same school year. After chart reading and assessment, I found out that she had a wound on her right foot that had not been healing due to diabetes mellitus. Because of that, she was confined in the hospital for a month already and was bedridden. One time, I assisted her to a sitting position before giving her oral medicines. Because the back lace of her dress was not well-tied, I observed that the skin of her back began to redden. Given her age and being in bed for a month already, I could imply that she was at risk of a pressure ulcer. So I made her and her companion aware what a pressure ulcer is in the simplest terms possible. I taught the companion how to assist this patient in repositioning every 2 hours to prevent such injury. On our last day in this rotation, my patient expressed a feeling of discomfort. After asking her some questions, I found out that she had not been taking a bath for a month already since the time she was confined. Because of this, I planned to perform a bed bath and asked her companion for a wet-soaped cloth. I was able to vividly recall how our clinical instructors in Fundamentals in Nursing demonstrated this skill during our online class in my first year. As I was doing this, I also demonstrated such skill to her companion. After I finished doing bed bath, I bid my goodbye. Before I left her room, she uttered to me this phrase with a smile, “Salamat sa pag-alaga” (Thank you for taking care of me). Though hidden behind a mask, I smiled back. From this instance, I felt a sense of fulfillment knowing that I was able to transform the lessons I learned during our online class into actual nursing interventions for a real patient. Her words filled my heart with joy knowing that I was able to make my patient feel that she was being cared for. Truly, small gestures of care and comfort mean a lot to our patients.

For the fourth instance, I was able to take care of an ill neighbor in our community who also happened to be an older adult. This was during our vacation break last June. One night, while I was doing household chores, I suddenly heard my mother shouting from outside, asking me to go out and help her. She saw our neighbor, an old woman, who fell on the ground near our gate. We immediately helped her, brought her inside our home, and asked what happened. She reported that she felt dizzy after taking her anti-hypertensive medication and was looking for someone who could check her blood pressure. I immediately took my sphygmomanometer to check for her BP. She was hypotensive. After I checked her vital signs, she also had a fever and was warm to touch. After she recovered, I assisted her on her way home, knowing that she was still at risk of falling for the second time. Right after we reached her bedroom, I asked her if she was okay to take paracetamol for her fever and if she had eaten her dinner. After knowing that she missed her dinner, I went back to our house and cooked a rice porridge or “lugaw” for her. Then, I went back and assisted her in eating and taking her medicine. On the next day, she passed by our house. I was very happy that she was feeling a lot better than yesterday night. I rechecked her blood pressure and I let her know that I’m very willing to monitor it regularly. It came to her knowledge that I am a nursing student and she was so happy about this. She told me that she finally had someone nearby who could monitor her blood pressure. She uttered, “Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa akin kung wala kayo.” (I do not know what might have happened to me if you were not there). I was able to realize from this instance that being a nursing student, you can be a blessing to someone else’s life even in small ways that you are capable of doing. Also, I learned how important it is to take care of the older adults in our society and to always show them respect and compassion because they have contributed to society throughout their lives. Thus, they deserve to be treated with care, dignity and respect.

For the last instance, I was able to help another neighbor who suffered from a hypertensive crisis which happened last November 2023. Most of the people in our community were aware that I regularly monitor the blood pressure of the older woman that I mentioned earlier. As a result, some people in our barangay would come to me to have their BP checked. Last November, while I was studying for our midterm exam, a woman was looking for me and asked if I could take her BP. I noticed that her skin was flushing, her gait was unstable and she seemed to be anxious. When I checked her BP, it was 220/120 mmHg. She also was having tachycardia and a low oxygen level. I knew that this was an emergency so I encouraged her to immediately seek medical attention to the nearest hospital. At this point, she started to cry because she was scared that no one would accompany her to the hospital and was very worried about the hospital bills. During that time, I was also hesitant to accompany because I was left with a very limited time to study for my three quizzes and two major midterm exams the next day. But, as a nursing student, I knew that part of responding to this calling of being a nurse is self-sacrifice to save someone’s life. So I decided to set aside my studies and accompanied her to Pasay City General Hospital. After we arrived, I endorsed her vital signs to the nurse on duty in the emergency room. As she was being reassessed and hooked to an ECG device and IV, she was still crying and nervous. I stayed by her side to comfort and calm her down and to constantly remind her that this was the only way to control her hypertension. Gladly, her hospitalization and medicines were free. She was confined. I revisited her the next day after I took my quizzes and major exams. Since it was also my birthday, I brought her a meal, and I stayed for a while to check how she was doing physically and emotionally. Her blood pressure began to normalize, and she was feeling better than yesterday. My quizzes and examinations went well despite the time constraints I faced in reviewing. I was very happy that, in spite of the challenge, I was able to help someone in their time of need. I entrusted my examinations to God because I realized that someone’s life is much more important than the grades on my examination paper. Being a nurse is truly a noble and sacred profession because it is a calling to selfless service. We are called to put others first before ourselves. And at some point, it takes courage to do this but we just need to remind ourselves that there is Someone Greater who will not forsake us if we choose to serve others with care, compassion, and selflessness.

In conclusion, being in a nursing program has truly changed me into an individual who is capable of creating a positive impact in the lives of others. I never thought that those small gestures of care would mean so much to them. Indeed, the greatest realization of our capabilities as nurses is when we can put these into service of care to others. These stories that I shared truly motivated me to do better in my nursing education as I further enhanced my knowledge and skills under the guidance of Manila Doctors College of Nursing. I hope that in the coming years, I may continue to make a positive impact and inspire other nursing students to not be afraid to commit themselves to selfless service and to be the most caring nurses they can be, for caring should be our way of life.