During our last week at the health department, Melissa and I spent a morning working in the HIV clinic that occurs on Thursdays. It was a very educational experience, and as I listened to the stories the patients had to tell, I was reminded about how much prejudice still exists surrounding HIV/AIDS. All of the patients were told that we were nursing students who were observing in the clinic, and many seemed apprehensive to have us in the room with them. While as nursing students we are extensively trained in the importance of patient confidentiality and not taking what we saw in the hospital and spreading it as community rumor, the patients were not convinced of our trustworthiness.
It makes me sad to see people living in such fear of judgement; it is impossible to tell if the patients were more afraid of us carrying news of their diagnosis back into the community or if they were afraid of judgement coming from us as medical professionals, but I don't like it either way. This fear really reminded me that we are dealing with people and their emotions. Nursing is not all about the physical skills like putting in IV's; it's about not judging the people you care for, it's about taking them where they are, and helping them get to a healthier place.
And while most of our experience down here was spent working with migrant farm workers who had no history of HIV, the same thoughts apply. People do not seek medical care because they want to be judged--as health professionals we are quick to tell obese patients they need to lose weight, tell smokers they need to stop smoking, and tell patients who regularly consume alcohol that they should stop. And while all these things are true, it is important to do so in a kind way, because I don't know about you, but I'm much less likely to listen to someone who is judging me than someone who genuinely seems concerned.
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