Beliefs
Belief Statement
I believe all people deserve compassionate and empowering healthcare experiences, regardless of socio-economic conditions, considering identified social determinants of health (Astle et al., 2024 p.7). I believe that the conditions in which we live, work, and play impact our health and must be considered when connecting with patients, assessing and creating care plans. This resolve guides my education, and my future practice to be informed by systems and interactionist theories (Astle et al., 2024 p.80). Through compassion, empowerment, and theory-informed practice, I believe I will enter the nursing profession well-equipped and aligned to fulfill my goals.
Astle, B. J., Duggleby, W., Potter, P. A., Stockert, P. A., Perry, A. G., & Hall, A. M. (Eds.). (2024). Canadian fundamentals of nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier.
Values
Equity
To me this value means that all patients and persons have the right to care and deserving of compassion and empathic care. This highlights the special considerations that must be given to populations that may have historically had negative experiences with healthcare providers, such as people with disabilities, people who use drugs and people who are unhoused. This value was strengthened during my time in Reno, Nevada where I volunteered in harm reduction and street outreach.
Compassion
When I think of compassion as a nurse, I think of being able to connect with commitment to truly seeing and being with another person where they are at in that moment. As nurses, we are beside patients for some of the best and worst moments of their lives and have the privilege to not only witness these moments but support and provide compassion in these moments.
Commitment
This represents the steadfastness I feel towards achieving goals, not only personal or individual goals but also team and organizational goals. This means the drive and commitment I have had through my educational journey thus far, as well as the completion of this program. Beyond school commitment is important to me as a professional, it can be seen in the small acts, such as reliably showing up on time to shifts, or large acts such as working towards an organization’s goal towards infection control or prevention.
Advocacy
To a patient in some of their most vulnerable moments, they may need someone to be their champion or advocate. Once again, this can be as simple as listening when a patient says they think the wrong test is being run. Or, it could be working with community resources to help secure housing for that individual. Advocacy doesn’t stop at the beside either – it can mean going to Queen’s Park to testify and advocate on behalf of nurses and patients