The movie Nurses: If Florence Could See Us Now was truly inspiring. It was a privilege to hear their stories about the care and journeys that they have been on while being a nurse. One story that really impacted me was of the care and support that Laurie Mathers, an oncology nurse provided to one of her patients. Laurie was taking care of a gentlemen who was recently diagnoses with stage four testicular cancer who also tested HIV positive two years before. She could tell that something was bothering him, and she learned that he had been struggling to tell his family of his diagnosis. Laurie gave him her bracelet and told him to wear it when he feels that it’s time to tell his family to remind him of the strength, support, and love that she has for him. And he did. Laurie had developed cancer 5 years later, and during her treatment she was presented the same bracelet that she had given to him years back. He had dropped it off and left a note to her to tell her of how much her care had impacted him. Stories like this show the impact that nurses make. I hope that one day I will be able to do the same for my patients as these nurses did for theirs. 

While watching the movie, it helped me understand more about everything that goes on outside of the hospital in nursing. It raised my awareness on the political aspect and how we can make a difference in Washington to advocate for our patients. Donna Zazworksy, a nurse in the movie discussed how there are so many different fields to explore as a nurse, that you really can explore who you are. At the center of it all is always the patient. This part of the movie really resonated with me. I’m currently trying to figure out what I want to peruse in nursing and where I want to end up, but it’s okay to not know. I have an idea, but what she said reminded me that the journey never ends. When preparing for upcoming interviews, I’m going to make sure to overall be myself to make a good first impression. It’s important to be honest so they know who you are outside of being a student. Whitney Duchaine’s presentation helped me understand to ask my interviewer’s questions about their mission, and even to ask the nurses what they like about working where they work. UNE’s Nursing Program has helped me not only grow so much as a nursing student, but as a person as well. Strength wise, this program has allowed me to be able to become a fast and safe learner. This will definitely help me as a grow as a nurse. The program has helped me identify my strengths, and my weakness that I will work on. I feel that I will face many challenges as a new grad, however UNE’s program has prepared me to face them head on.