I then offered to sit with her as she was waiting alone for bilirubin and other diagnostic results for her baby. During that time, I made an effort to get to know her while answering any questions she had about her stay at the hospital. She later thanked me for keeping me company and for the reassurance I provided. Though the interaction was brief, it taught me that presence can be a form of care too. The absence of “nursing tasks” didn’t mean there wasn’t therapeutic value in just being there for the patient. Using my personal way of knowing, I communicated with my patient using therapeutic communication techniques and was able to exercise a therapeutic way of relational caring through connection.

This experience reminded me that relational caring means suspending judgment and staying curious. It's not about getting a task done, it's about understanding what safety, dignity, and compassion look like for each unique person. Using Pepsi as a positive motivator is client-centred because we are offering her a sense of purpose and motivation by meeting her where she is comfortable.

That moment opened my eyes to the silent language of touch. I now understand touch not as something invasive or uncomfortable, but as a form of presence, grounding, and healing.

Later in my mental health placement, I carried this lesson with me when caring for a patient struggling with severe OCD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. They were often restless and guarded. I noticed that she rarely makes eye contact and is hesitant to engage with anyone. One particularly difficult day, I sat beside her, not pushing conversation, just quietly present. When the moment felt right, I gently placed a hand on their shoulder during a moment of deep distress. I wasn’t sure how it would be received, but their response was immediate: they looked at me, their breathing slowed, and their shoulders softened. It wasn’t magic, and it didn’t cure anything, but in that moment, I think it helped them feel seen and safe. That quiet, therapeutic touch became a bridge for trust. It reminded me that connection doesn’t always require words; sometimes, presence alone is powerful enough to be healing.

In that moment, I realized how quickly my own biases had surfaced and how I had allowed a narrow snapshot of her life to shape a narrative in my mind. It was a humbling experience because we learn in school and in class that as healthcare workers, we are to use relational practice and cultural safety as core values to carry in order to deliver patient-centred care. I admit that in that moment, I was not able to apply some very important learned values into my practice. This was the moment I realized that culturally affirming care isn't only about race.

After some deeper reflection, I recognize that it takes a conscious effort to reshape preconceived biases. This moment made me reflect on the quiet power of presence. Even when I say nothing, how I think can affect how I care. My role as a nurse is not to impose my values, but to meet people where they are. My judgments should never overshadow the dignity, resilience, or agency of the patient in front of me. My 19-year-old patient wasn’t asking for pity; she was preparing to go home and take care of herself and her children. That, in itself, deserves recognition and respect.

To be relational is to constantly check in with myself and to to choose compassion over assumption and curiosity over judgment. Moving forward, I vow to wipe away and reframe any biases and preconceived notions I have about single motherhood by dedicating time to research, learn, and speak to mothers to gain a deeper, more authentic sense of aesthetic knowledge so that I can deliver culturally sensitive care.

Weberg, D. R., & Mangold, K. (2023). Leadership in nursing practice : the intersection of innovation and teamwork in healthcare systems (Fourth edition.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

My patient had magical thinking, flight of ideas, and pressured speech when she spoke. I have never seen anything like it before. This video was the first video I watched the day I got home from my first placement to learn more about the disorder. This youtube channel has a lot of easily digestible content that's backed by scholarly research.

This TED talk spoke to me and gave me insight to reflect and reframe my way of thinking. In nursing, we must be mindful of the language we use when labelling our clients to prevent unintentionally marginalizing them. We must also reframe the way we view the word "single" and let go of any preconceived narrative that comes along with the label. Cara emphasizes understanding the lived experiences of said single mothers by asking questions and listening to their unique stories. She states "there was this loom of shame at the back of my for being a single mother, just for living existing while doing my best".

This video stands out to me and is included in my artifacts because it was the first film that moved me to tears. In different parts of this film, the medical professionals mention "seeing the name of this patient before" and "what is the patients name?". To me, it described the importance of relational caring in a way where we see patients as a human being with their own name and their own story rather than just another body to take care of in the hospital.

Including this in my artifacts is a milestone for me as I felt that I was able to relay my empirical way of knowing to perform holistic and relational caring into my practice during my clinical placement by taking the time to know my patient by name and listen to their story.

This quote makes me think about the patients I’ve met, like the mother who teared up when I simply remembered her and her baby's name. These weren’t huge “medical wins" by any means, but I see them as human wins. In those moments, I wasn’t treating a diagnosis. I was caring for a whole person. A person with fears, hopes, and stories I couldn’t always see in the chart.

This quote reminds me that nursing is not just about clinical outcomes; it’s about presence, dignity, and connection. Moving forward, I want to ground my practice in that truth. I want to listen more closely, ask with curiosity, and care without assumption. Whether someone is healing, grieving, recovering, or letting go, if I can make them feel heard, respected, and human, then I’ve done something that matters.

As I continue my journey, I hope to be the kind of nurse who remembers that winning doesn’t always look like a solved problem. Sometimes, it looks like simply being there for them when no one else is.

To the left, is my school of nursing badge. Where I practice my skills and attended labs to prepare for my very first placement at Centennial Place Long Term Care Home, which I am now working in as a Personal Support Worker following my successful student placement there! Interacting with the multidisciplinary team at that comprised of nurses, nursing aids, PSW's, nursing management, and recreational activities staff gave me such a fresh perspective and a true realization for my love of care taking.

In the centre is my PRHC student badge for my maternal/child placement, where I got to experience my first time working in a hospital setting. I never had much exposure to the hospital before then. My family did not have much trust in the Canadian medical system after some very personal and traumatic experiences we experienced back in the 2010's, so my exposure to the hospital thereafter was limited (which may be a good thing, as nothing that warranted another mandatory long term hospital stay ensued). It was refreshing for me to be able to learn and experience what it was like in the postpartum floor. I've never experienced anything like it before!

Lastly, to the right is my current placement badge from Ontario Shores for my mental health placement. Another unique experience! I have never been in close proximity with folks that possess mind altering mental illnesses before, so learning how to interact with them the first few weeks was a challenge, but I was always determined to learn as much as I can by stepping out of my comfort zone.

This dynamic fostered a spirit of mutual respect and trust, teaching me that effective nursing goes beyond clinical competence; it is deeply rooted in human connection. These experiences solidified my belief that teamwork is not simply about task-sharing, but about cultivating relationships that enhance our capacity to care, reflect, and growing together.

I find this type of practice very intriguing because my family has visited this type of holistic healing before. This is something that I've come across in my youth but never got the chance to fully explore until I've recently come across it again. I think its important to recognize that there are alternative healing therapies that exist that work hand in hand with traditional scientific medicine. If a patient presents with beliefs in this practice, as nurses, we should keep an open mind and opt to learn about alternative ways of healing that suit the client. Not only would we be able to deliver client centred care, but my practice can grow as I meet and unlock more therapeutic ways of knowing.