Being a student of Community Health was a lesson in hometown education. Learning what my community healthcare needs are and how important my time and energy are in improving the welfare of the people that live in and comprise my community has been a journey of both self and community discovery. This course helped me to learn how to navigate the archival, contemporary, and seemingly enigmatic databases of both local, governmental, and national data bases detailing the healthcare trends affecting my community. By actively participating in the healthcare promotion of the people in my community, I have been witness to what the needs of my local community are. Moreover, this course has taught me that being a community nurse means serving the community beyond bedside nursing; it means understanding the patterns, behaviors, and specific health care needs of a community; it means being a voice of reason, insight, education, research, and comprehensive knowledge; it means being a presence in the community so that one can make a change by being a positive role model and respected professional. One thing that I was not aware of prior to enrolling in this course was that community nurses are, or can be and should be, integral to policy and legislative decision making; they are the advisors to those that do not know the community’s needs.

     More importantly, community nurses educate people on healthcare trends; they are integral to the face of healthcare change in that they pursue, understand, and translate esoteric research in real life meaning by immersing and making relevant the issues impacting their community. Prior to taking this course, I did not know that community nursing even existed. Being a community nurse means that you are serving the community both locally and at large. Community nurse strives to understand the healthcare needs of the community, find solutions and share this with the people who have the ability to make the changes that are necessary to meet the needs of the community.

      The Map-It project that I chose to be involved with had a strong correlation with the 2020 Healthy People Goals of improving the life of the elderly. I chose to work in a lockdown memory care unit dedicated to dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. Being a ray of energy and sunshine is exactly what this population needs. They need somebody to talk to them about their lives, or even those things that we can all find happiness in, such as puppies, kittens, flowers, colors, or whatever they wish to talk about. As a nurse working on a busy telemetry floor, I often do not get the time to spend with patients learning about their most intimate likes and dislikes; but as a volunteer, I only have the time to engage people in their lives and what makes them the happiest. Moreover, the time that I have spent getting to know these people has further fortified my drive to be a nurse that is not only genuine in what I say and do but also compassionate in my words and actions. These traits are undoubtedly an asset to my current position in telemetry and will aid me in my transition to an ICU nurse position.

            Community nursing has not only opened my eyes to the resources that are available in this community, but it has also given me a voice to share the available help for people that need it. For example, at my facility there is an elusive community guide that has the contact information for the local businesses, charities, and churches that offer assistant to people in their times of need. One would think that this would be included in every patient's admission packet, however it is only available upon request. I regularly give this to my patients. I promote it and encourage them to use the resources that are available in this community for it is their community and if they need additional help then they should use the resources. This is exactly what a community nurse should do: promote, connect, benefit, and promote the wellbeing of the community.