My experience in Grenada is one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. This adventure helped shape me into the nursing student that I am today and has given me a strong foundation of the nurse I want to be in the future. I never knew I would leave the Isle of Spice with such an experienced mind and a changed heart. Immediately upon arrival to Grenada, I knew that it would be a change of pace towards the island way of life because I felt at ease. We were greeted with kindness and love immediately after we got off the plane. We met Ms. Hopkins, our in-country liaison, at our hotel where she had prepared food for us herself. From the moment I met Ms. Hopkins, her passion for patient care and nursing was infectious. This inspired me find my passion for nursing during this trip.
​
From the first day that I came in contact with patients at the home visits in Saint Marks, I noticed how gracious and open the people were to our company and care. This feeling of appreciation and interest was unlike anything I had ever felt before. To me it seemed that we were offering so little compared to what I was used to, but I came to realize that I could give much more to a patient, beyond basic care. Dedicating myself fully to a patient allowed me to get to know them and bond with them and this allowed me to give the best patient care possible. In the short amount of time that I spent in Grenada, I saw myself grow as a future nurse and gain skills that I did not have before . Some of the skills I learned was how to effectively converse with patients to get the health information needed and establish rapport and how to give and teach breast exams.
​
I gained perspective and insight on this trip that made me appreciate the amenities that nursing has in the United States, but also brought me to realize those amenities are not always needed. I found that taking manual blood pressure readings and physically counting someone’s pulse allowed me to feel more connected with them when providing care. This connection can be lost by all of the machines and monitors that are used in hospitals where I do my clinical rotations. This has a tendency of losing the meaning that accompanies the title of being a nurse, which is in interacting with the patient. This caused me to I gain a different view of nursing and also reminded me to reincorporate that close interaction while working in hospitals back at home. In the future when I am working as a nurse, I will keep in mind that it is important to get things done in a timely manner, but always remember that spending time with patients often gives them better satisfaction than if their medication was given on time.
​
Through all of the patient interaction and contact, I came realize that my role as a nurse is not just to do my assessments and give my medications, but to care for the patient as a whole. This includes talking to them about their family background and what they enjoy doing in their free time because this information can end up being equally important as something like their CBC results when providing them with care. This personal discovery is my nursing passion and what I have taken back with me to integrate into my personal nursing style.