Impact of helping others by Graciela

Impact of helping others by Graciela - July 2023 Scholarship Essay

As a child I have always had the passion to help others in need, whether it was with a simple task of borrowing them a pencil or translating for the non-English speaking children in my class to help them succeed. I did everything possible in my power to make someone not feel left out. As I also had experienced and understood what it was like to once have been the outcast that was overlooked by many teachers. They did not take the time to try to help me because it was too challenging communicating with a child that did not understand the language. The inconvenience caused me to fail and fall behind, but my determination helped me develop the devotion to help others. I continued with the journey of helping others all through my school years, helping them in any way I could. I took health science classes to obtain my CNA license to help more people. I immediately fell in love with nursing as a career. I knew this was the path that I wanted to pursue. I had the opportunity of helping others, to make a positive change to their life. I became pregnant in my high school junior year as a teen parent. I had struggled to keep up with my school grades, and work to the point where I would not be able to graduate. I was determined to make something of myself for my child's sake. I vowed to graduate high school with my CNA license so I could start a job in the career field I wanted to pursue.

I worked in a pediatric office for almost 6 years. Throughout those years I was rewarded employee of the month on several occasions and was employee of the year back in 2018 but nothing felt much better than having the pleasure of having helped a patient heal. Knowing that I was part of making a difference was rewarding enough to make me happy. I heard a story once about a patient getting prescribed lice medication. The parent unknowingly gave the child the medication orally instead of placing it on the patient's head, as it was directed on the medication label. The child had severe complications and developed major health issues that were irreversible. This is a testimony of what could go wrong affecting someone's life forever if medication is not given properly. No one should have to go through something like this because every patient deserves to have the best health care that they need. The reality is that not everyone has the same knowledge of medical terminology, on how a medication may work or what route It should be given. Many patients do not know how to read or write, some have language barriers. They depend on people to guide them through the progress of how they need to care for themselves and what types of measures they need to take for their health.

I had the pleasure of meeting many people in those six years of working and I established a great rapport with them as they shared some of their stories. I realized that not everyone has the resources to receive the care they need. Many families lack transportation or have insufficient funds to pay for medication plus a doctor's office visit. This is important to note because patients miss their appointments, for lacking a resource that could have been provided to them to help them have the mental comfort to go to the doctor and prevent worsening their condition. Many people did not know who to ask for help or felt embarrassed to ask for assistance. I would always help the patients find any resources they need such as transportation to specialist's visit, mental health information, provide details where they can apply for insurance to even making calls for them to set up an appointment for the non-English speaking patients. I witness that going the extra mile genuinely made the difference, of them receiving the care they needed.

This job allowed me to grow professionally and personally. I now can share my knowledge and experience with others. The nursing career I am pursuing will guide me to help many more patients throughout the community. For me to continue my path I need to challenge myself to reopen an old chapter in my life and take the risk to proceed with my education. To me this was a full circle moment from a child that feared that I would not be able to accomplish anything in life to now believing that a minor change can make a difference to the world. Helping the patient is the most important thing, and I want to be able to assist them by any means, by obtaining the resources to get the help they need without patients feeling embarrassed to ask for help. I want to contribute to my community so they feel supported and can thrive. I want to be able to help prevent mistakes that could negatively alter the patient's life. Leaving someone behind because they do not have the ability or resources to move forward is not an option. I understand it is a big responsibility, and I am committed. I truly believe that the challenging time I had as a child prepared me to have the courage to be the person I am today and help the people that are overlocked.