Throughout my five weeks in clinical I was able to meet many patients and help them out in any way I could. Although I wish our clinical experience this semester was longer and that we were able to do more, I still feel like I was able to make a difference. 

            The first week of clinical I was very nervous to do any type of patient care. We were given a patient that we had to go in and introduce ourselves to and then preform an assessment on them. The patient that was given to me had just been admitted into the facility, so he was new here. Thinking back on it, I did not realize that I was one of the first faces he actually saw when he got there, but I did everything I could to make sure he was comfortable with what I was doing. It seemed like he was excited that I had come in to do my assessment on him and talk to him because I do not think he had talked to many people since he had been in there. I first helped him unpack the rest of his things while he explained to me what had happen that got him in there in the first place. Then, I started preforming assessments on him while he was still talking to me, which made me feel even more comfortable. I learned that his daughter is a nurse, so it almost felt as if he was cheering me on as I was doing my assessment. He was telling me what to feel for when taking is pulse and he would help me out in any way I needed, which was very comforting. After I was done I needed to report back to my instructor, but he had asked me to come back in so I could talk to him.

            Eventually I went back into his room and asked if he needed anything. Even though I had just met this man I had already felt comfortable walking into his room and helping him out. I got him some water and I found his glasses, then I sat down to talk with him. He ended up telling me about his family, his life when he was younger, and how he was feeling in that moment. I could tell that he really just wanted to let all of this information out, so I just sat there and listened for the most part. I wanted him to feel like someone was there that actually wanted to give him their time of day and listen to everything he had to say. His life turned out to be very interesting and I genuinely enjoyed listening to him. When I was leaving he kept thanking me for talking to him and caring for him. He said I made his day and that he doesn’t really get the opportunity to talk to people like that very often. I could tell that I had made a difference in him, and I was the familiar face he knew from the first day. The weeks after that, while he was still there, I would go into his room and say hi to him and see how he was doing even when he was not my patient. I could also tell that meant a lot to him because his face would light up! I have had many great experiences with patients, but that one really stood out to me!