Patient Advocacy Thoughts Pt. 2

This is my last post in regards to “Patient Advocacy Q&A”, I promise! I separated this commentary from Pt. 1 because I felt that it was just too unique to include in conjunction with the hospital thoughts. This reflection will mainly focus on the school nursing aspect of the interview.

As a little bit of personal background, I spent much of my childhood in the nurses office. Especially in the colder months (although, also in the spring/summer), my nose bled quite often. I recall being in the nurses office at least once a week, sometimes more often. I’ve had my nose cauterized twice; the first time (age 4) had little to no impact on the frequency of my nosebleeds, but the second time (age 14) worked better. Therefore, the nurses were very familiar with not only me but also my family, having called home so many times. 

This patient reminded me of the nurses that used to care for me, not simply because she used to be one but because of the dedication she clearly exhibited for her students. I thought that it was inspiring how she emphasized not only advocating for her students within the office, but also among the teachers and administration. While I didn’t include this part in the conversation, I felt that it was particularly impactful when she described her own personal experience with a teacher who had observed a vision impairment in her that made it difficult for her to read. She still remembers the name of that teacher. Perhaps that is why she dedicated herself so wholly to her jobs regardless of the pay: she truly understands the impact of an advocate.

She continued to bring up a very interesting point which I did not include in the Q&A but have been pondering about since. She explained that vision was important because it is necessary to read and therefore learn. If you lack the ability to do so, you are no longer able to grow through the intake of new information and thus increase one’s probability of turning to crime. 

Personally, I feel that this assessment makes an unreasonably large leap in logic. I do not believe that the inability to read will make someone a criminal. However, I do understand her line of reasoning. The ability to learn is augmented through reading. Literature, whether through books or just in everyday life, has the power to change your mind or even shift your entire perspective. At a young age, the books you read and the characters you empathize with may shape your whole outlook on the world. I cannot imagine a world without books. Perhaps, in the situation that a person is highly influenced by factors that may drive them towards crime and lacks the ability to be shaped by books because they can’t see properly, then criminality may be more likely. However, that emphasizes the fact that there must be outside factors. Still, I do follow her sentiment that books and literature are essential to opening one’s perspective.