Reflection
In 2015, I became a caregiver for my 90 year old grandmother. As I cared for her, my eyes were opened to the challenges of our health systems — the nursing shortage, wage suppression, and the aging population. As I helped my grandmother manage her many complex health issues (multiple hip fractures, hearing loss, vision loss, catheterization, loneliness, depression and anxiety), medications, and appointments with specialists, I was struck by how involved the role of a caregiver can be. I was happy to do this work, but remarked that many older adults have no one but staff to help them manage their care. I will never forget that time as a caregiver and all I learned. As my career in the film and television industry took off, I continued to research health systems improvement, the most effective strategies to age in place, interdisciplinary care teams, and more.
In 2020 I began volunteering at Toronto’s Kensington Hospice, where I learned even more about nursing, caregiving, and providing end of life care. Our training covered many topics including cultural sensitivity, how to cope with death and the dying process, and how to facilitate spiritual practice in a medical setting. I began to understand the scope of nursing practice and that it is not just limited to nursing science but also is an art form. Over time, I began to understand that my skills of caring, empathy, and hard work would be best utilized as a nurse, and worked over a few years to gain entry to a compressed nursing program. I was successful and began full-time study in September 2023 at Trent University.
In my former career, I worked long hours (up to 18 hours a day), often without warning and with no schedule. As a freelancer, I managed my own business and finances and often worked over 80 hours a week. I have experience managing complex, multi-faceted digital projects and diverse teams of individuals working under extremely stressful conditions. Bullying, harassment, and violence at work was common in my experience. I worked various overlapping long and short term contracts, and struggled to find full-time employment. To non-nurses each of these experiences may seem irrelevant, however the work conditions of nurses are not all that different from what I endured. 12 hour shifts are the norm, and nurses often work overtime. It is common as a nurse to manage additional certification and continued learning while working full time. Nurses work as members of diverse, multidisciplinary teams and require top-tier communication and interpersonal skills. Workplace violence is a common occurrence in nursing (Kafle, 2022). I value working hard and devoting myself to the service of others. I was happy (to a degree) to suffer in my former field. However I could not forget my experience with my grandmother and how fulfilled I felt in that work. The key difference for me between my former career and my current pursuit of nursing is in fulfillment — I will no longer be merely producing entertainment, but saving and improving lives.
Many people, including nurses, have been critical of my choice to transition into the field at this time. I am aware of many of the challenges for nurses today. Health systems have made great strides but are still recovering from the experience of the pandemic. Nursing is a notoriously difficult profession, and burnout among nurses is common (36% during the pandemic), as is post-traumatic stress disorder (88% in Chinese nurses post-pandemic) (Nantsupawat et al., 2023; Jiang et al., 2021). The nursing workforce in Canada is short about 50,000 nurses (Ariste, 2019), and health systems are struggling to meet the complex needs of the aging population (Gibbard, 2018). The provincial government did not help matters and devalued nurses by their inclusion in Bill C124 (ONA). My insight into these challenges as a caregiver and volunteer may have deterred some, but my values of hard work and service have motivated me to pursue my goal of becoming a nurse. I am confident that my former work experience and my passion for caring for others have uniquely prepared to handle the challenges I will face as a nurse.
Sources:
Ariste, R., Béjaoui, A., & Dauphin, A. (2019). Critical analysis of nurses’ labour market effectiveness in Canada: The hidden aspects of the shortage. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 34(4), 1144–1154. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2772
Gibbard, R. (2018). Meeting the Care Needs of Canada’s Aging Population. Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, 2018. https://www.cma.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Media-Releases/Conference%20Board%20of%20Canada%20-%20Meeting%20the%20Care%20Needs%20of%20Canada's%20Aging%20Population.PDF
Jiang, Y., Bowen, H., Tu, B., & Zhuang, Q. (2021). Late-onset PTSD and coping strategies for frontline nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Nursing Open. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1018
Kafle, S., Paudel, S., Thapaliya, A., & Acharya, R. (2022). Workplace violence against nurses: a narrative review. Journal of clinical and translational research, 8(5), 421–424.
Nantsupawat, Wichaikhum, O., Abhicharttibutra, K., Sadarangani, T., & Poghosyan, L. (2023). The relationship between nurse burnout, missed nursing care, and care quality following COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(15-16), 5076–5083. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16761
ONA. About Bill 124 and Actions. https://www.ona.org/about-bill-124/
Beliefs and Values
As a nurse, I am committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered care through therapeutic relationships with both patients and their families. I strive to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct, maintain confidentiality, and advocate for the well-being and autonomy of those in my care. Continuous learning and evidence-based practice will allow me to provide safe and effective care to patients. My practice is guided by my personal values of respect, integrity, compassion, and service, treating others with dignity and value.
Respect: I demonstrate respect for others by building a sense of trust, wellbeing and safety in my relationships. I aim to accept others for who they are and foster inclusivity. In nursing I plan to continue to conduct myself with respect through attentiveness and mindfulness in communications with patients as well as asking incorporating their opinions, personal values, and priorities into treatment (James, 2018).
Integrity: It is important to me to live my life with integrity and authenticity, in acceptance of my true personality and values regardless of external pressure. I am honest with myself and with others, and take accountability for my mistakes. As a nurse, integrity means showing up as yourself, acknowledging the limits to your knowledge, and promoting honest and realistic interactions with patients (Richmond, 2022).
Compassion: It is necessary to navigate the world with a sense of caring towards others. Compassion helps humans to emotionally connect and build relationships with each other, fostering well-being. The nurse demonstrates compassion through consideration for a patient’s problems and commitment to both acknowledging and easing a patient’s pain (Dalvandi et al; 2019).
Service: The most rewarding actions in my life are those I take while helping, assisting or supporting others. Providing for and easing the pain of others is incredibly enriching. I plan to serve others by offering physical care and emotional support in my career as a nurse.
Current Professional Goals
In winter 2024, I will develop the skill of professional reflection by reflecting on my performance each shift. After each placement shift I will write a short summary of the actions I took at work, what went well, and how I may have improved or alternative actions to be taken. By the end of the semester I will have a weekly reflection record that demonstrates my growth and learning in practice.
In winter 2024, I will improve on my networking skills by cultivating deeper relationships with my faculty members. I will send an introductory email to each of my professors at the beginning of the semester, attend office hours at least twice, and keep open communication around challenges via email and in person communications. I will know I have met this goal when I am recognizable to each of my professors, and feel comfortable reaching out to them for assistance.