Throughout my first semester of clinicals I was able to see many different patients, and I learned a lot through each interaction. Many of these patients I only worked with once, but one patient I was able to work with multiple times while I was on the floor. I often helped this patient with eating or kept her company before she got ready for bed. I really enjoyed talking with this patient and spending time with her. As I often helped this patient eat, we talked about her favorite foods and meals she liked to cook. This patient had some trouble eating independently so I would also help get her meal ready and get her cleaned up afterwards.

            Something that really stuck out to me was when I worked with this patient the first time.  I helped her eat in the hallway and talked with her for a while. Afterwards the patient thanked me for doing that and said that she didn’t usually have company when eating so it was nice to talk to someone. This really enforced to me how important using therapeutic communication with your patients is, and how even the smallest things can have an impact on the patient. I got to work with this patient again on my last day of clinical. She was usually a bit confused so I wasn’t sure if she remembered me at first, but she mentioned the last time I had helped her eat, and how that was fun for her. On this day there were a few more patients eating in the hallway, so we moved the tables to face each other so they could all talk to each other, and it seemed to lift up the mood of these patients. The patient that I usually worked with was very happy about eating near the other patients, was very talkative, and seemed to be having one of her best days since I had first seen her. 

            I really enjoyed working with this patient as she taught me a lot. This experience made me realize how being in the hospital can be very isolating for the patient, and it is so important as nurses to do our best to make our patients comfortable and happy in a time that can be scary for them. I’m very happy that I was able to bring some positive moments to this patient’s stay in the facility, and I will not forget the kindness that she showed me as well.