Summative Service-Learning Reflection

Reading through my old reflections from my service learning projects, I had high

expectations for the service-learning projects that I was involved with. I wanted to be involved

with the community, help represent my nursing school and nurses in a positive light, and help

people in all different age groups and situations. These expectations were met, because I got to

be involved in numerous different projects to help others in the community and I got a chance to

continually explore what it meant to be a servant-leader. I had really good experiences during all

of my service-learning projects and felt like I represented myself well as a member of my

nursing school. I have gotten the opportunity to work with children, their parents, and geriatric

patients from all different backgrounds.

I saw many strengths in the community throughout my experiences. Even though some

people had gone through a lot, there were still positive and really motivational to me. The staff

and volunteers from the community were amazing too, and knew how to be a good support

system for those who needed it. Some problems that I saw were that there were so many people

who needed help. I did not realize that there were so many people who were going through

rough times, and were on disability, had chronic mental illnesses, lacked a job, and did not have

family and friends to help them. Many of the places I did my service-learning projects had

amazing people working there, but was always a short of volunteers or employees. If some of

the organizations hired more nurses, counselors, and recruited more volunteers from different

groups, I feel like the community would gain so much from it.

My dad came from Korea, and worked day and night in an area of Richmond where there

were shootings and robberies in the community. When I was little I used to always go to his

store to help out, and my dad would tell me how lucky I was and how I should always be

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td

appreciative of where I lived, the school I went to, and the community I grew up in because some

of the kids he saw at his store did not have that. He always donated money to childrens

organizations around Fulton Hill and always encouraged me to give back to the community. I

was raised to be humble and to respect my elders. As an Asian-American, I knew what it felt

like to be different, and I always have tried to treat everyone with respect. Whenever I was in a

needy community I tried to be as helpful, respectful, and friendly as I could. I grew up

knowing that some people got stuck in unfortunate situations, and we all needed to come

together as a community to help out.

I have learned that many different communities need different resources for help. The

thing that everyone is in the most need of is support. There are so many people going through

hard times, and they all need different types of help. Some people need emotional help, others

need monetary help, and some people need physical help. I have found the service-learning

activities to be truly relevant to the community because we based many of the activities we

planned, based on where the service-learning opportunity was and geared it towards a specific

demographic. If we were going to a nursing home, we made sure that the activities were

appropriate for seniors who had difficulty moving.

My service learning experiences has influenced my perception of my call to serve. I got

the chance to help different types of populations and people through nursing school, but I really

like helping the underserved populations the most because they need the most help. One of my

favorite experiences was with seniors in the nursing home setting because they have

accomplished so much and they have so much knowledge to share. I also really liked working

with mental health patients because I feel like they just needed more supportive people in their

lives. I also liked helping with children too, because they have so much energy and I know that

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td

when I help, I am making a difference in their future. I love the variety that nursing has to offer,

and after I get some experience in the hospital, I would love to become a community health

nurse.

My concept of service-learning has evolved a little bit since I started my career as a

nursing student. At the beginning of nursing school, when we learned about service-learning, I

had a really abstract idea of what service-learning was. I initially only knew about service-

learning from our PowerPoints and our readings in our textbooks. After the multitude of

learning opportunities that I have had, I have a much more concrete idea of what service-learning

means. For me personally, service-learning means going out to communities in need of help, and

being able to jump in without hesitation. It means dealing with unexpected situations, and acting

as a support system for whoever needs it. It means helping a community by helping individual

members of that community. It means educating others as well as educating yourself. It means

being a good listener and learning about different mental health issues, physical problems, pain,

and emotional issues that people experience first-hand.

At the very beginning of nursing school my first service learning project in NUR 1100

was volunteering at the Monument 10K. I remember it being so cold outside, and having to fill

water cups and hand out water to runners. There were some girls who came out from our school

who complained of the cold, and they would leave intermittently to go get warm and then come

back. I remember passing out water the whole time, even though it was freezing cold, and

cheering for everyone. After hearing thank you, and seeing smiling faces, and giving runners

some encouragement, I remember loving the feeling I got from helping all those strangers. That

was my very first experience with service-learning.

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td

 In NUR 3113, I did my service-learning project at Sitter & Barfoot, which was a nursing

home for veterans. I remember playing Bingo with the veterans, and they were so excited to

play. There were some people just sitting in the halls by themselves, and I took the time to try to

speak to people who looked lonely. Many of the veterans shared stories from their past with me,

and I was able to thank them for their service. Many of those veterans wished me luck in my

journey through nursing school, and told me what a great nurse I would make one day. I learned

that service-learning is a reciprocal process where you help others, and others help you too.

In NUR 3114, I remember doing a service-learning project where our group talked about

stress, and discussed negative and positive ways to cope with stress. I remember listening to the

different things that the participants said and being stunned by the different and shocking things

people said. This service-learning experience really helped me practice empathy and

compassion for people who had been dealt a bad hand and did not have people in their lives to

help them.

In NUR 4144, I got to register numerous families for the Angel Tree. I never knew there

were so many people who truly struggled to get presents for their children. It was really

surprising that parents were asking for things like blankets, pillows, and winter clothes too. This

experience really helped me learn about being humble, grateful, and practicing empathy. All of

these servant-learning experiences helped me learn about all the different roles that nurses

assume regularly while providing care.

The American Psychological Association defines civic engagement as, individual and

collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern (Civic Engagement,

n.d.). Civic actions are things that anyone can participate in, as part of the community that they

want to take part of. The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program is a great example of service-

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td

learning, and civic engagement from the community. People who volunteer get to learn about

the population in need, help others, and give back to their community. People who buy gifts are

participating in civic engagement because they are concerned for children who may not have a

good Christmas and want to make a difference in their community. Even though I am finishing

up my last semester in nursing school, I plan to stay engaged with my community by continuing

to volunteer for the Salvation Army and bringing my kids as well. I asked the leader about

volunteer opportunities for my children, and she told me that I was welcome to bring my family.

I have learned that there is a great need for help in our community and there are opportunities

everywhere to get involved. I plan on continuing to engage in my community and modeling

good service-learning and civic engagement to my children.

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td

 Reference

Civic Engaement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from

http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/civic-engagement.aspx

NUR 4144 Summative Reflection 8-7-14 td