Personal Narrative: A Career As A Public Health Nurse

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I have learned that public health nurses work with diverse populations; individuals with different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, public health nursing uses a holistic approach to caring for their clients, which often includes incorporating the clients’ cultural beliefs. I find working with individuals from different backgrounds interesting. I also like using a holistic approach when taking care of clients because it is like a puzzle. Gathering information to find out each piece fits and how each factor affects the health of the client.
I had the opportunity to work in a community setting for my Reproductive Health clinical. I was placed at Sea Mar in Marysville, where I worked in maternal support services with a public health nurse.
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For example, I worked with a client who had an unplanned pregnancy in her late forties. She recently remarried and moved to the United States. She spoke minimal English and was socially isolated because her family and friends were in Mexico. The client expressed that she was embarrassed that she had become pregnant and was angry at her partner. The client stated to that her partner was supposed to “take care of her.” I was unaware of what this meant until the nurse explained to me that “to take care of” means the partner was supposed to use the withdrawal method for birth control. The client also stated she did not eat very much, and when she did, she only ate fruit. Learning about my client background and using a holistic approach helped me provide care and support to the client. I thought of the different challenges that could occur with this client and the cultural difference that can affect the practices of the client during her pregnancy. Additionally, even though I did not speak Spanish, I was still able to maintain a safe and open environment for the client. I spoke directly to the client when I asked questions while the nurse interpreted. Even when the client was not speaking to me, my focus was directly on her and I showed that I was listening (even if I did not fully