Nursing Experience: A Journey Of The Caring Practicum Immersion Experience

Caring Practicum Immersion Experience I believe the Caring Practicum Immersion experience has been a journey of social awakening, self-awareness, and self-discovery. This trip afforded the opportunity to apply all the principles of leadership, evidence-based practice, ways of knowing, self-care, and holistic nursing that I have learned throughout my courses. Being immersed in the Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band (UKB) of Cherokee Indians’ culture impacted me on a both a personal and professional level. The Cherokee people of the UKB were so gracious, kind, and welcoming. I fell in love with their traditions and beliefs centered in mutual respect, balance, harmony, and connectedness with all living things, the earth, and spirit world.

Becoming is a whole process that is neither static nor achieved as an end goal in itself. (2002, p.6)

Every single encounter I had, including those with my peers and facilitators have left me a better nurse and person than when I arrived. It truly has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of this experience as it motivates me to seek out new experience and research to facilitate my continued growth both personally and as a nurse partaking in the process of my cleints’ “becomings”. Wado udohiyu

Leininger was the first nursing theorist to focus on the fact that different cultures have different caring behaviors and thus require different treatment and coined the term “culturally congruent care.” Leininger’s was a true visionary and her work developed into a movement called Transcultural Nursing. Her revolutionary work embodies the essence of holistic caring in the nursing profession and she changed the paradigm of nursing at a time when society did not celebrate cultural differences to include care that is individualized to the patient. This has influenced my personal philosophy and assisted me to be authentically present, more able to be empathetic, and considerate of my patients in order to create a healing environment, and better outcomes for the