The Honor of Patient Care by Jessica

The Honor of Patient Care by Jessica - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Several years ago, I had the privilege of working as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) in a dialysis center. A unique element of in-center hemodialysis is that patients routinely spend anywhere from nine to fifteen hours each week in the clinic receiving their treatment. Spending long hours in close proximity to the same patients week after week facilitates a level of familiarity between patients and staff. Patient care quickly became my favorite part of the job. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with and caring for patients, and I was honored by the trust they put in me.

As I look back on my experience working there, there are many meaningful experiences that fostered my love for patient care. One of these experiences involves a patient who was exceptionally witty. I thoroughly enjoyed bantering back and forth with him during quiet times in the clinic. Not all days were lighthearted, though. In addition to often not feeling well, kidney patients are also experiencing many life changes to manage their condition. These changes can be very hard for patients to adjust to. One thing that troubled my witty patient was that he liked his cannulation site numbed prior to treatment. He expressed embarrassment over feeling “weak”. I assured him there was no shame in wanting a more comfortable treatment, and that no one thought twice about his receiving the numbing medication. He seemed less embarrassed requiring the numbing agent after our chat. He often experienced anxiety during his treatments. Some days he seemed to want to vent, so I would just listen. Most days he seemed to want distraction, so I would engage in banter with him. It was rewarding to recognize that my efforts had an impact on my patient.

After several months of consistently working with him, he unfortunately received some bad news about his health. As a knee-jerk reaction to the news, he refused to come in for his treatment, stating that he intended to let nature take its course. The nurse on duty attempted to persuade him to get his treatment, and eventually the patient begrudgingly agreed to come into the clinic, but for the sole purpose of speaking with the nurse in person. He adamantly insisted he was finished with his dialysis treatments. He arrived defiantly carrying a large soda and eating a hamburger. As a patient in late-stage kidney failure, either of these food items could be dangerous, if not life threatening.
I was not privy to the conversation between the nurse and the patient, but in a matter of a few minutes, the patient surprised me by sitting in his treatment chair and asking me to initiate his treatment. He told me that if any other PCT had been assigned to him that day, he would have walked out. However, because it was me, he was willing to have his treatment. I will never know exactly why he chose to let me run his treatment that day, and for many days after that. I can speculate that it was because over the course of several months of caring for him, I had consistently treated him with respect, kindness, and dignity.

This patient trusting me to care for him while in such a vulnerable headspace is an honor I will never forget. Seeing my efforts make a difference in someone else’s life fanned my passion for patient care. Over the years, my innate desire to nurture has become an increasingly large part of who I am. I believe a profession in nursing will allow me to use my skill of caring for others in a fulfilling and meaningful way.