Leading the Way, Seeing
In middle school, I was often forgotten by teachers. I was quiet, did just enough to get by, and usually went unnoticed. I was the kid who fell between the cracks and it inspired me to become a teacher. I never wanted others to feel like they weren’t seen or heard. I think that’s why I felt it was so important to connect individually with each of my classmates in the nursing program. With so many moving parts, heightened stress, and the COVID-related isolation created a perfect storm for this to become a reality for any of us.
Healthcare has a revolving door. People come and go, and it’s an oddly lonely profession. I see nurses eating alone for lunch, they only communicate to ask work-related questions, and the travelers move on without getting contact information from the coworkers they just spent 13-26 weeks with. With typical EMT careers lasting 6-12 months, we see similar things in the prehospital environment. I wanted my coworkers to know that they were cared for. So while I was assigned to night shift, I learned about the people who were working day shift and I used that information to help them start their shift on the right foot. I found meaningful quotes that applies to the EMTs; if they just received a promotion to training officer they received a quote about leadership, and those who had trainees on the unit would get a quote about learning, growing, and making the most out of our mistakes. I placed their personalized quotations on their clipboard with the forms they’d need for the day. It was a small gesture that helped me to feel connected to the day shift. When I saw that my coworkers saved my little notes in their mailboxes, I felt seen, too!
I want all of my patients to feel seen, too. The fear of being locked away in a nursing home and forgotten about became a real concern for many older adults during this time. I came up with an idea to write cards to residents of these long term care facilities in my community. During my second semester, I learned that Jewish Family Services organized a card-writing campaign and I contributed to their campaign during my second semester of nursing school. My grandmother never left my grandpa’s side when he was in the nursing home; I know I can’t create that experience for everyone, but I hope that they feel the love and encouragement that I poured into each of those handwritten notes.
It’s important to me that my patients don’t feel invisible. There is still a stigma that the LGBTQ+ community faces when seeking out medical care. Decades ago, it was common for a member of the LGBTQ+ community to be given inadequate care or face scrutiny by nurses and doctors. This served as a barrier to quality care for members of the LGBTQ+ community who face their own unique health care and life challenges. It’s important for me to reassure them and to make sure that they feel comfortable fully participating in history and physical assessment — their safety and health depend on it!
UCSD was named a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.” Fewer than 500 hospitals were given this designation throughout the entire country. I’m proud to be an employee of an organization that ensures the LGBTQ community feels seen, heard, and included both as clients and as employees.
Author: Brittney Ahern
Brittney graduates from Southwestern college in May 2022, and anticipates earning a BSN from Grand Canyon University in August 2022. She is excited to bring her experience in EMS, heart for people, and love of learning to her first RN role.
