Throughout this semester in clinical, I got to work with many different patients who came in for different reasons and came from different backgrounds. Through reading charts and communicating with the patients, I was able to see a bit into their life outside of the hospital. I feel that I grew up in a very stable place and never had to worry about health care, but for some people they are not as fortunate. I am so happy to be pursuing a career in which I get to care for those in need and be there for them in tough times. 

One patient that really impacted me was one of the last patients of the semester who came in going through what they thought was an alcohol withdrawal but it was unknown, as the patient couldn’t remember much from before being in the hospital. I immediately felt myself trying to find more about the patients safety prior to being admitted because I wanted to know whether the situation that brought the client in was safe. The client began telling stories that were hard to put together, but I felt that she had something to say. 

After caring for the client throughout the morning, we sat her up to move to the chair and realized that all of the hair on the back of her head was matted into a huge knot. We could tell that her hair had been like that for days, which made us wonder where she had come from. This created more worry because we were unable to communicate well with her and the notes in the chart also didn’t have much information. When we asked where she was from, she stated different places, which left us with an unknown because we were sure which place she stated was the right place. I felt that the nurse and I worked well together to try and understand the patient and make her comfortable. The nurse and a CNA worked to un-mat her hair while I stood in front of her holding her shoulders to keep her balanced because she was very weak and in pain. I feel that from the information I got from both the patient and the chart, the patient came from a hard demographic and spent much of her time drinking alcohol with her boyfriend. I feel that this patient may not have always put her health first, so she ended up in the hospital with a hard diagnosis. 

I think that the healthcare providers could’ve done better by working more quickly to get tests for the patient, like a CT scan and MRI or x-ray. This client came into the ED with barely any information. The providers tried to communicate what happened with the client, but the client was unable to provide correct information. It was later found after performing these tests that the client had a spinal fracture. The client had been in the hospital for about 4 days before getting the test to confirm this. Over these four days, the client had been moved from bed to chair which could’ve caused a lot of nerve damage, but luckily didn’t. Knowing this information sooner could’ve helped to provide the client with care she needed more immediately. I think that the providers didn’t get these tests sooner because they weren’t sure the clients story. I think that this is unfair because it was clear that the client didn’t know what had happened. This to me is even more of a reason to get as many tests done so that the root of the problem could’ve been discovered sooner in the clients stay. 

I worked with the client for a lot of the day, trying to connect pieces. It was challenging to work with this client because as much as I wanted to be able to immediately help her, it was hard for her to communicate her needs. I think that working with this client showed me how to be patient and work with the client and give them time to express their needs. Often times I feel that healthcare is rushed because there are so many patients that need help. I had the time to work with this patient, so I did my best to give my time to her so that she could feel heard. 

To end, I feel that the healthcare system could’ve done better to treat this client. I think that we are quick to judge clients and that is something that needs to change in healthcare. We unfortunately didn’t know her story, but that shouldn’t change how we cared for her. All clients deserve the treatment that they need. I wish that I had more time to work with this client and see her recovery. I think that this patient showed me that clients will come in for care and they may be from a hard demographic or not have insurance, but they will be sick and need someone to trust, and that should be me, the nurse.