Wow!! Just to let you guys know, today marks the end of my sequence of courses in the Honors in Nursing program! This is both a very happy and sad accomplishment! Happy in that I will officially graduate from nursing school with an Honors in Nursing diploma. Words cannot describe how proud I am of this and have worked very hard to attain it. However, it is also sad because I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience with my honors professors, Dr. McGuinness and Dr. Gakumo, my fellow classmates, and especially my community partner, Hand in Paw.
My experiences throughout the course of this semester have been wonderful and particularly gratifying to say the least. My love for animals will always be a part of who I am, and I see the services offered by Hand in Paw as being very near and dear to my heart. I have seen positive patient outcomes at many different facilities with a multitude of illnesses and complications of variable age groups.
I have reiterated Hand in Paw's mission statement many times throughout the semester, but would like to address it again because of the importance of the statement: "To improve the health and well-being of children and adults by serving those with physical, emotional, educational, or psychological needs through interactions with professionally-trained Animal-Assisted Therapy Teams." This is such a POWERFUL initiative and to think that it originated from one person's passion (Beth Franklin, founder of HIP) and love for animals and their affects on the human condition is breath taking. This, in itself, motivates me as a student nurse and supplies me with the confidence I need to know that NOTHING is impossible!!
Although the semester has come to a close, I am definitely going to continue my work with Hand in Paw and my contribution to the organization regarding the infection control rubric that I formulated. There is so much more for me to experience and lives to touch through the comfort of animals that one measly semester will not suffice. Honestly, I would not be satisfied if I stopped now. My goal as a registered nurse will be to effect a great change within the patient population and to improve their outcomes through care, love, and patient advocacy. So, to answer the question, NO! My journey is not over with Hand in Paw. As a matter of fact, it has just begun.....
"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it."
-Greg Anderson
No comments:
Post a Comment