Personal Narrative: A Personal Experience In A Hospital

Due to my father’s affiliation with the Department of Defense, my childhood was mainly spent living overseas in the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany. I spent the majority of my time volunteering on the Medical Surgical floor at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a hospital where military members and their families frequented. One instrumental event that led to my decision to become a primary health care physician involved interacting with a particular patient. That day I saw two blue buses parked outside of the emergency room entrance. The crew lifted out three individuals that were barely recognizable; they were all unconscious and hooked up to various machinery. They were quickly transported inside the hospital. At that moment, I had witnessed a transformation: men—who were once the epitome of justice and freedom—now twisted and grotesque victims suffering from various degrees of burns and other injuries from our occupation in the Middle East. This was a reality check for me. I was no longer watching news segments from the BBC or CNN on television in the comfort of my own home; I was seeing this in real time. I began to wonder if their families knew where they were or worse
That pit in my stomach was no longer noticeable. There were no feelings of disgust or of fear either. In its place was a newfound revelation—one that allowed me to picture myself working in a hospital setting with patients like him. That experience enabled me to feel compassion for other human beings besides my own family members or myself. I desired to learn more about him, specifically who he was before all the burns plagued his skin and ultimately who he will become throughout the healing process. In addition to that, I was able to maintain my composure throughout the procedure, even though I was initially stunned. It did not take me long to regain my focus in order to complete the task at