After every new beginning is a reflective moment where one decides that either the thing just experienced was exactly as previously expected, amazingly above and beyond all expectations, or somewhere in the middle. My mind was completely blown after today, to say the least. Knowing that I was one of the few nursing students coming to the group had left me with mixed feelings; even after having read the required book that discusses how the field of patient safety should be unified from both sides, I was painfully aware that perhaps these feelings aren’t yet mutual (hence the need for these conferences). Human emotion though, and caring for others allows us to cross many bridges and separate boundaries which can help diminish the safety gap from all disciplines. It occurred to me several times today that not only am I not alone in my feelings about expectations and concerns, but I may have some advantages over others based on clinical experience. The more I listened to the thoughts and fears and processes of my newfound medical friends, the more I realized that they have the same (if not worse) challenges in dealing with attending physicians and protocols and cultural barriers for providing the best care possible for our patients. Although I have had many doctor friends or “buddies” over the years, nothing beats the bonding that occurred today as we all laughed and cried together today while discussing and experiencing painful and heart wrenching emotions relating back to patient safety issues. We truly do have the chance as a group to help change the face of patient safety together and to help advocate for one another’s professions having heard some of the challenges that each one faces. When we err on the side of the patient, we can begin to heal the families and the hurt that have mauled the face of our professional histories together. I am truly looking forward to continuing to learn together this week with my new found friends as we continue to bond and share our experiences. I can truly say that I haven’t felt this at home in a long time. I am super grateful and excited to be here and honored to learn from both the students and faculty alike. #ptsafety #nurse #GME #patientsafety
