Lindsay LaRoux

While in this position, I was able to provide expert care to an individual who had suffered a fall and no longer possessed mobility of her upper extremities. In providing this care, I was able to exercise skills such as assistance with activities of daily living, including dressing, toileting, and feeding. In addition, I was able to exercise compassion and therapeutic communication while assisting the patient with the adjustment to a temporary loss of independence.

Within this role, I have had the distinct pleasure of weekly volunteering in the two and three year old classroom at Calvary Chapel Santa Fe Springs (CCSFS). In this position, I have had the joy of getting to know and building relationships with each and every child that enters my classroom as well as develop vital skills, beneficial to my nursing career. For example, volunteering in this area has improved my interpersonal communication skills by providing me with opportunities to practice coordinating and communicating amongst other childrens ministry leaders, parents, and with the children themselves. In addition, I have gained invaluable experience simplifying major concepts in a fun, creative way that facilitates the understanding of a small child through assisting with the weekly bible lessons and activities. And finally, this position allows me to further develop important characteristics such as respect, empathy, and commitment as I faithfully encourage, care for, and serve these kids each week.

In this position, I was able to deliver specific patient care services to high acuity cancer patients while under the direction of the Registered Nurse. Within this role, I was able to demonstrate skills such as the delivery of services in a prompt, accurate, and courteous manner. In addition, I was able to consistently seek opportunities for performance improvement in order to increase patient safety and comfort. Also, this role required me to possess a certain knowledge of procedures and techniques necessary in providing routine bedside patient care. Furthermore, this position allowed me to demonstrate teamwork through participation in a collaborative, empowered work environment while operating with compassion and integrity. And finally, specific responsibilities involved with this position included bathing, dressing, and feeding patients as well as taking vital signs, ensuring the safety and orderliness of patient rooms, and answering calls for help and observing changes in a patient's condition or behavior and reporting to the Registered Nurse.

This project was a group effort that sought to promote patient safety and utilize evidence-based practice through the implementation of barcode scanning in preventing adverse drug events. Throughout this project, our group researched the need for such a policy and then created a plan in which to implement this change. The plan included educating nurses and all necessary staff as to the benefit of this policy, providing the technology needed as well as the skills sessions to familiarize the staff with the equipment, in addition to an evaluation of the success of the new policy. And finally, a theoretical framework was also utilized to support the need of this policy in following best practice.

Following my global learning term in South Africa, myself and a partner completed an in-depth study on the discrepancy between women's health empowerment in South Africa versus the United States. Within this study, we were able to take a look at the gender roles within each society and the genesis of these health beliefs/practices. As a result of this study, I gained invaluable first-hand knowledge of what it looks like to lack the necessary knowledge regarding your own health rights as well as inspiration to educate and spread awareness about the various different aspects of women's health, such as pregnancy and protection against sexually transmitted infections.