"I was a student at the church serving the community fresh meals for those who wouldn鈥檛 normally be able to afford dinner, as well as serving them physically in the clinic providing routine care such as blood sugar checks, blood pressure checks, and offering vaccinations (flu and COVID). My favorite part about working with NACU was that I was able to interact with all different backgrounds of people and just listen to their stories. A few of them had recent deaths in their family, some were overcoming a drug addiction, and some just needed a place to eat. I loved being able to just be an ear and to listen to what they had to say because sometimes people don鈥檛 need physical tangible items, most of the time they just need a community or an individual to sit and listen to them. In addition, I enjoyed watching the community come and sit together and just meet through a safe and healthy environment where they can all meet and become their own family. I am currently a nurse assistant at St. Elizabeth Edgewood and this clinical benefited me, because I was able to interact with people of all different ethnic, financial, and social backgrounds. In the hospital you can get anyone and everyone no matter where they come from, so it was beneficial to be in the Covington area and to learn about all the different kinds of resources that are available, so I can then in turn be knowledgeable about what is around for people who may need somewhere to go in walking distance, or who lives near that community. My advice for nursing students going into the community clinical would be to not be afraid to talk to the community members/patients. Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask them questions and to listen to what they have to say. You can learn a lot from someone without having to ask too much."
