Carolina Medina

Professional Activity/Community Service

Serving the Tucson community has been a passion of mine since I was as young as the

age of 10. My dad was my role model and inspiration for giving back to our community by

taking me to pick out gifts for families in need during the holidays, pack thanksgiving dinners,

volunteer at Youth on Their Own, and many other experiences. For this activity I chose to reflect

upon my time at Casa Alitas during my participation in the Older Adult Summer Intensive

Scholar (OASIS). I volunteered at Casa Alitas for four hours and during this time I learned that it

is a program that offers aid for migrant families who had to escape their country due to violence

or poverty. The border patrol officials drop off the families at this facility and receive help to

navigate their way to loved ones who live in the United States.

I chose to participate in this activity because I come from a family of migrants who were

seeking for a chance to build a better future and have more opportunities. These families are

scared, and many of them did not know what state they were in. It saddened me to see that all of

their belongings that they brought from their home was all packed up into 1 backpack, no money,

and the amount of small children that arrived. Upon arrival we handed out food and water and

quickly escorted them inside the building to begin the check in process and repeat the process as

the buses arrived. This experience allowed me to meet people of all backgrounds and hear

languages that were not familiar to me.

This experience will impact my nursing career because it was an eye opening experience

to see the amount of people that are seeking refuge and through my initial assessment I was able

to see need for health care. I am fluent in Spanish which is ideal for the patient population that I

will be treating but I had not yet experienced trying to communicate with someone that spoke

French or a language from the middle east. As a nurse I will always use the translator services
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that are available for us to ensure both the patient and I are having a clear understanding. Being

near the border means I will have patients who are refugees and I will always reflect upon my

biases before any encounter and most importantly have compassion.

The next activity I participated in was a course offered by the American Nurses

Association, which focused on the importance of mental health for healthcare workers. I listened

to four podcasts which introduced methods to promote resiliency, knowing what resources are

available in the community, loving one another, and knowing when to ask for help. A method

that was discussed is called “pause for a moment” which entails taking the time to reflect and

show respect to a patient who has passed. By doing so it allows us to heal right then and there

and not take pain or sadness home. Additionally, they acknowledged that many individuals are

experiencing depression and anxiety and the recommendation is to be familiar with the various

free mental health services that may be available in the area. Not only is this helpful for oneself

but for our patients as well. We have the responsibility to care and love one another through

positive interactions because we never know what a person may be battling. Most importantly is

knowing when to seek help, and seek a workplace that supports its employees without

repercussions or judgment.

I enjoyed listening to the podcasts as they provided helpful information on a topic that is

becoming more common in healthcare workers, which is poor mental health and burnout. The

activity allowed me the chance to reflect after the podcast and assess where I am at. I chose this

activity because during the course of the program my mental health was in shambles and I

experienced some of the toughest times in my life. I am now on medication to manage my

anxiety and depression although it was hard to ask for help. This experience will impact my

nursing career because it helped me become resilient and I took care of myself before I could
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take care of others. I am now very open to talking about my experience and the long journey it

has taken me to get to where I am. I will put these methods into practice in my career and

advocate for my patients who are struggling in their everyday life.

Humanitarian work and mental health go hand in hand because as nurses we will see and

take care of patients who have gone through trauma, either mentally or physically. In order to

provide quality care we must take care of ourselves first and remember to check in with one

another.