I got engaged in community service by helping a single mother of five children with her bi-weekly grocery shopping. As a developing nurse, my role in the community service is to help improve people's lives and wellbeing. Participation in this exercise was a rewarding experience for me, both personally and professionally. Besides, it helped me receive a real-life experience of the challenges that the community face and how I can play a significant role in helping the situation. The focus of the nursing roles are not only limited to the healthcare services but also goes beyond the home settings. While the role of a nurse is to promote the wellbeing and health of the patients, examining the environmental factors that affect wellbeing is also essential ( Salmond & Echevarria, 2017 ). Environmental factors such as freshwater and enough food supplies are important in improving the patients' health and wellbeing. By helping the single mother with her weekly grocery shopping, I created a conducive environment that promotes wellbeing and health. While I was able to provide useful help to the mother, I also enhanced my development as a nurse in many aspects. First, I was able to provide support to the client while still maintaining professional boundaries. Secondly, I was able to understand my community's social and health issues, all of which will help in the development of my nursing career. Such engagement helped build my experience as a nurse and broaden my understanding of problems affecting the community where I will practice as a nurse.
Involvement in this assistance program means a lot not only to my profession but also for personal growth. Engagement in the community service helps in the development of a sense of social responsibility. It creates in me a global view of the community and the heart of giving back and helping others in the community ( McCollum et al., 2017 ). It allows one to apply what has been learned in class into a real-life situation. All this will positively impact my professional development and experience as a growing nurse. It develops in me a sense of empathy and a heart of caring for those who need it in society. This sense of social responsibility and empathy increasing my ability to understand the problems others undergo.
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This experience has greatly strengthened my professional skills as a nurse. The role of a nurse is to enhance the health outcome and wellbeing of the patients ( Communications, 2020 ). The wellbeing entails a range of factors, including access to food. I have built my understanding of the nursing profession and my role as a nurse. It has allowed me the chance to practice the professional responsibilities of a nurse at the community level. As a graduating nurse, I have the responsibility to care for the community's well-being through support services. I have a role in working with the community to identify issues that affect their wellbeing and health and provide assistance where necessary.
This experience has also enhanced my engagement with my community. As I got engaged in the exercise, I understood a wide range of problems faced by the community members. The experience offered an opportunity to connect with the client and other community members in a way that builds a strong rapport. I now have a deeper understanding and connection with the community than before engagement in this exercise. During this experience, I interacted with the client and understood issues affecting the community's wellbeing.
The community service learning opportunity made me understand many things that I initially did not know. I did not understand many aspects of the community and issues faced by people from this community. However, the community service allowed me an opportunity to understand the many factors affecting the health wellbeing and health of the members. In particular, I had no understanding of the problem faced by single mothers and how this impact their health. However, I now understand environmental factors that affect mothers' and the entire community's welfare. This understanding will positively impact my role as a nurse in any society where I will practice as a nurse. As a nurse, I will be sensitive to the issues affecting the wellbeing and health of the community members I serve. I will work to help the clients solve these problems to ensure they maintain positive health and wellbeing.
References
Communications, N. (2020). Nurse Volunteer Activities Improve the Health of their Communities, Workforce Study Says . Nyu.edu. Retrieved 7 July 2020, from https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2017/march/nurse-volunteer-activities-improve-the-health-of-their-communiti.html .
McCollum, M., Kovner, C. T., Ojemeni, M. T., Brewer, C., & Cohen, S. (2017). Nurses improve their communities’ health where they live, learn, work, and play. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice , 18 (1), 7-16.
Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic nursing , 36 (1), 12.
