​

Actor Denzel Washington once stated, "At the end of the day it is not about what you have or even what you have accomplished. It is about who you have lifted up, who you have made better." Giving back to the people in the community is a value that has been with me from my early upbringings. These teachings have followed me throughout all of my years of school and have played an important role in my decision to become a nurse. Although serving others has influenced my career choice as a nurse, I have found that implementing advocacy in addition to serving leaves greater impacts. 

​

During the spring 2017 semester, I completed SAEL 200: Social Advocacy & Ethical Life. SAEL 200 is a three-credit course that discusses topics in ethical theory and its relevance to socio-political expression. Students train in the principles and performance of ethical oral communication, with emphasis on debating and audience engagement through speeches. In this course, I was first introduced to the nature and relationship of ethics and oral forms of advocacy through a TED Talk. The TED Talk that was shown during one class period revealed to me that service can not coexist without advocacy. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). Julian Burnside, a practicing lawyer who is an advocate for human rights and refugees, spoke passionately on in a TED Talk entitled “What is fair and what is just.” From watching it, I understood exactly what it means to be an advocate and how to implement it in a nursing career. An advocate is someone who pleads the case of another. Nurses advocate for patient's rights ensuring that their human and legal rights are protected while assisting in asserting those rights if the need arises. Through various examples and scenarios, Burnside emphasizes the need to do something in the face of injustice not just acknowledging it. When you see something or someone that is in need, what will you do?  

Within the Volunteer Services Department of Palmetto Health Hospitals is the Personal Touch Program. Volunteers in the Personal Touch Program provide hands-on care and comfort to the patients throughout Palmetto Health hospitals in addition to assisting and supporting staff. As a volunteer, I am responsible for the emotional and physical support of patients who may need a little extra tender loving care. This link from the Palmetto Health webesite explains in detail the role and responsibility of a Personal Touch Volunteer. The presentation depicts the role of volunteers as not only a vessel for service, but as an advocate for patients within Palmetto Health hospitals. While serving as a Personal Touch Volunteer for Palmetto Health Richland, I was able to implement the practice of patient advocacy that I learned so much about from the TED Talk in SAEL 200.  

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

One Sunday, while volunteering, I met a patient who, at the time, was about to undergo heart surgery. Although the patient had already previously sat down and talked with the surgeon about the procedure and what would take place, she still had concerning questions. She did not know if she could eat the day of the surgery or if there was anything she must do to prepare herself for such a critical event. It was in that moment that I made the patient the number one priority. I spoke with the nurse about the patient's concerns, and she called the surgeon. Within minutes he was back at the patient's bedside answering all her unanswered questions. I was practicing patient advocacy without even realizing it. Being a volunteer and serving put me in the position to identify the patient's needs, but it was the act of advocating and reaching out to the patient’s nurse that ultimately resolved the patient’s issue.  

​

The same concept of advocacy introduced to me in SAEL 200 was the same concept I was putting into practice in the halls of Palmetto Health Hospitals. I made sure the patient undergoing the surgery had the necessary information needed to exercise her right to select values deemed essential to sustain her life. That Sunday, my role as a volunteer was to remain by the patient's side and ensure her physical wellness and wellbeing, but without the addition of advocacy, the needs concerning her surgery would have been left unmet. 

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

It was through Birthright of Columbia that I strengthened my practice of advocacy which began with what I learned in SAEL 200 and was brought to life through the Personal Touch Program. On one of the days that I was serving, we saw a total of four clients. Not only did each client that came in that day receive an abundance of items that they either lacked or could not afford, but I also personally went over a list of local resources and matched them to where the client expressed concerns. These resources ranged from food and diaper banks to churches and other entities that offered means of financial support for each client’s specific needs. Just as with the patient I cared for in the Personal Touch Program, individualizing the needs of each client to insure their respective needs were met, and taking the extra step to advocate for them increases the quality of their service.  

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nursing is just one of the numerous ways that the duty of giving back to the community is fulfilled. Every community, whether it is large or small, has people that can be reached by the love that nursing provides. As a volunteer with the Personal Touch Program and Birthright of Columbia, I learned that nursing is a profession that allows you to see people at their worst, while helping them to become their best. It is a humbling experience and shows what a blessing it is to have a life while aiding in the healing of  patients. My passion for medicine is matched only by my love for people, so my decision to specialize as a nurse comes from the heart. Although serving humanity plays a major role in a career as a nurse, without the addition of advocacy patient care is compromised.  

​

Artifacts 

WTC Artifact #1-  NURS 431 Wiki 

BTC Artifact #1- Personal Touch Volunteer Website

BTC Artifact #2- Birthright Statistics Table 

 

Citations

Poslusny, Susan. "Overview of Population Health Nursing." 2018. PowerPoint presentation

​