Women’s health and healthcare rights are a hot topic of discussion at this moment in time. Although this biological concern has unfortunately become a political issue, it also potentially sheds light on the discrepancy of health equity for women throughout the health care system. Uterine fibroids are often only diagnosed due to chronic symptoms or infertility. It is a diagnosis that most women have heard of or received but have little knowledge of what it could mean. There is a lack of understanding and awareness while women are simply reassured and encouraged to just manage the symptoms. Healthcare providers are limited in providing education and information on the cause or prognosis with limited options for treatment. This provides a huge opportunity for growth that I hope to contribute to. As a labor and delivery nurse, I have seen and heard about fibroids frequently. They were often discussed by patients in their stories of infertility. They were frequently seen while in the operating room when an OB would take advantage of a moment to remove it post cesarean. They were also frequently blamed when there were issues within the uterus and yet our knowledge in providing treatment is so limited. Fibroids are known to range in size and, therefore, cause an array of symptoms. While they may be non-cancerous, they put women at risk for heavy or irregular bleeding, discomfort, infertility, GI issues, etc. This list of concerns are not small and deserve notice, yet women are frequently only reassured that they don’t have cancer. Our healthcare system lacks many options beyond birth control and surgery to deal with an issue posing concern in women’s everyday lives. I am thrilled about the opportunity to advance my nursing career, particularly in the field of women’s health. I have chosen Georgetown because I am attracted to the specialized approach offered by their MSN program. I believe that this program will better equip me to provide healthcare to women. I strive to be an advocate and expert to women and their families throughout their lives. Earning my WHNP will provide me with the knowledge and expertise necessary to deliver reliable and successful care to my patients. While a fibroid may present benign, the fact that women are having to supplement for anemia secondary to the heavy bleeding caused by fibroids should not be taken lightly. Discomfort should not be normalized due to a lack of research. The use of hormones to treat the growth of a mass cannot be the extent of our understanding. Women’s health deserves more attention and study. I take pride in my passion to align myself with women’s health with the goal of improving health equity and understanding of the female body.

I was working in labor and delivery in a hospital that specialized in high risk deliveries when covid first presented in the US. During my shift, a patient requested me to be their nurse. I learned that the patient was a fellow nurse that was pregnant with twins and very ill in addition to having lupus. When I entered the room, donned in full gown, mask, gloves and hat, she immediately apologized to me. She felt guilty for requesting me and further stated that she knew I had a baby but she trusted me the most to be her nurse. She told me that I could refuse the assignment and she wouldn't be offended since she was put on full precautions for an unknown illness. I reassured her that I am a nurse as well as a mother and I was incredibly touched that she had requested me. Caring for this woman was one of the scariest and most humbling experiences of my career. It was difficult to care for a friend when their diagnosis and prognosis were unknown. On my second day of caring for her she appeared to be declining. I was assigned a second nurse specialized in cardiology to assist in monitoring her. We took her to have imaging done on her heart and as we waited for transport to assist us, we decided to transport on our own because the patient quickly looked worse. We practiced autonomy in making these decisions for the patient’s well being and were praised by the medical team upon returning to the unit. It was decided that she would require a cesarean in the main hospital operating room the following day for safety purposes. Her heart was working too hard and appeared to be failing and it was assumed to be secondary to the pregnancy. Due to Covid, her husband was not allowed to be present at the delivery. On my day off I came in and stayed with her husband for 8 hours. I told the couple that I knew it was important to her that he feel supported in this as well, and I wanted to be there for both of them. I was able to sit with him throughout the surgery and wait time while updating him and answering questions. He was scared of losing both his wife and babies and felt comfort in having someone with him despite the limitations that covid presented. I was able to arrange a facetime call with a fellow colleague so he could be with his wife while she was in surgery. The staff in the operating room further assisted in showing him the babies being born and he was then able to accompany them to the NICU. This story is one that makes me proud to be a nurse. It is critical to be knowledgeable and aware as a nurse but it's the moments that you have the opportunity to care and share your heart that make nursing the most special career. Although I absolutely love high risk and opportunities to learn, it presents a unique challenge when your sick patient is a friend and colleague. Being able to be the nurse for someone that you care for while they are highly educated and aware of the seriousness of their condition was challenging but also rewarding. I am so appreciative of the outcome and proud of the selfless choices I made in supporting their family. I will forever be connected to the family and physicians involved in this case and I am deeply humbled by the whole experience.

I was working in labor and delivery in a hospital that specialized in high risk deliveries when covid first presented in the US. During my shift, I was informed that there was a patient that had requested me to be their nurse. I quickly learned that the patient was a fellow nurse that was pregnant with twins and very ill in addition to having lupus. When I entered the room, donned in full gown, mask, gloves and hat, she immediately apologized to me. She felt guilty for requesting me and further stated that she knew I had a baby but she trusted me the most to be her nurse. She told me that I could refuse the assignment and she wouldn't be offended since she was put on full precautions for an unknown illness. I reassured her that I am a nurse as well as a mother and I was incredibly touched that she had requested me. Caring for this woman was one of the scariest and most humbling experiences of my career. That being said, it was difficult to care for a friend when their diagnosis and prognosis were unknown. On my second day of caring for her she appeared to be declining. I was assigned a second nurse that specialized in cardiology to assist in monitoring her on labor and delivery. We took her to have imaging done on her heart and as we waited for transport to assist us, we decided to transport on our own because the patient quickly looked worse. We practiced autonomy in making these decisions for the patient’s well being and were praised by the medical team upon returning to the unit. It was decided that she would require a cesarean in the main hospital operating room the following day. Her heart was working too hard and appeared to be failing and it was assumed to be secondary to the pregnancy. She was considered too high risk to deliver her on the labor and delivery floor and needed to be closer to more resources for safety. Unfortunately, due to Covid, her husband was not allowed to be present at the delivery. On my day off I came in and stayed with her husband for 8 hours. I told the couple that I knew it was important to her that he feel supported in this as well, and I wanted to be there for both of them. I was able to sit with him throughout the surgery and wait time while updating him and answering questions. He was scared of losing both his wife and babies and felt comfort in having someone with him despite the limitations that covid presented. I was able to arrange a facetime call with a fellow colleague so he could be with his wife while she was in surgery. The staff in the operating room further assisted in showing him the babies being born and he was then able to accompany them to the NICU. This story is one that makes me proud to be a nurse. It is critical to be knowledgeable and aware as a nurse but it's the moments that you have the opportunity to care and share your heart that make nursing the most special career. Although I absolutely love high risk and opportunities to learn, it presents a unique challenge when your sick patient is a friend and colleague. Being able to be the nurse for someone that you care for while they are highly educated and aware of the seriousness of their condition was challenging but also rewarding. The family is thriving today. Every time I see a photo of them together I am reminded of this moment. I am so appreciative of the outcome and proud of the choices I made in supporting their family. I will forever be connected to the family and physicians involved in this case and I am deeply humbled by the whole experience.