It was kind of sad, really

Today was my last day of clinicals for the semester. On the one hand, it's a relief to have a break. On the other hand, it was kind of sad -- but I know I'll have many many many more hours of clinical experience in the hospital in the very near future.

I actually didn't give any patient care today. (And that wasn't just because I forgot my stethoscope at home.) Since it was our last day, we had the opportunity to spend the day observing nurses in different settings. One student went to the OR, two students spent time in the cath lab, another went to PACU, one to ICU, and I spent morning shadowing the palliative care nurse.

Palliative care is focused on caring for the patient and their family during the disease process. They're concerned with symptom management (like pain), comfort measures, spiritual and emotional needs -- it's all about a person's quality of life. At this particular hospital the palliative care team can get involved as soon as someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness, so it's not limited to patients who are close to death. It just so happened, though, that the families we met with were facing the imminent death of a loved one. That could be another reason why my day was kind of sad.

I loved watching this nurse at work. She had such balance and poise, but was still genuine and empathetic. She obviously cared for her patients and their families -- but even more importantly, the families seemed to really value her support. In the course of the morning, we did rounds on her patients in the hospital. I think that was the first time I've seen someone who is close to death.

We also spent a long time talking with a family whose loved one was dying. All I did was listen, but they still thanked me for being there when the conversation ended. In reality, I was the one who should have been saying thank you to them for letting me be there.