Nurse Camp Research Paper

The best decision I ever made was going out of my comfort-zone to apply for nurse camp at the University of Washington. Out of 150 applicants, I had the privileged to be 1 out of the 22 selected. Nurse camp was a tremendous enrichment experience that I never thought imaginable. I never thought at 17 years old, I would get the opportunity to save a simulated patient from dying of a heart attack in the UW Medicine’s wish lab. The adrenaline rush I got from doing compressions, trying to save a mannequin's life was incomparable. In that moment, I realized that becoming a nurse was possible. That I, an aspiring nurse gained the confidence that I’m capable of saving lives one day. I believe it’s a privileged to be a nurse, to keep people’s loved ones alive through treatment at your own hands.
In the oncology unit, what amazed me was when I saw a patient who was cheerful, capable of telling jokes and stories despite their pain from the cancer treatment. When I was talking to my nurse’s patient, I couldn’t help but hope I’ll gain the trust of my future patients. I want my future patients to remember that they’re a respected human being, instead of just a sick patient in a hospital. When I tell others I want to be a nurse, the most common response is, “Why don’t you want to be a doctor?” Nurses aren’t doctors for a reason. Nurses are healers who don’t get enough credit in the medical field. Instead of diagnosing a patient and moving on to the next, nurses get to directly protect protect their patients from illness, injuries, and sufferings. Without my experience with nurse camp, I wouldn’t understand the beauty of nursing. Nurse camp makes me look forward to nursing school, passing the NCLEX, and becoming a registered