My First Home Visit at CCBH

     To be completely honest, when I first started my capstone at CCBH, I had no idea how many diverse roles that nurses held within the agency. I knew that nurses worked with the community; I mean, I had worked with school nurses before; I had done screenings. What more could there be? Well apparently a lot more. A major portion of the nurses' responsibilities at CCBH entail home visits. These visits are usually for a disadvantaged family who have children with major medical illnesses. The nurses provide a holistic educational experience for the family as well as emotional and psychosocial support.
     One home visit that especially touched me occurred roughly half way through my capstone experience. I was told by the visiting nurse that we were going to see a one year old who was born with some major birth defects. These birth defects required major abdominal surgery to shift around the contents of her gut, which had been organized improperly and open heart surgery, which resulted in her arresting... Twice.
My nurse had told me that three months ago this little girl, who we will call Sarah, could not crawl and could not turn over. A major developmental delay. Therefore, I was expecting to see a dreadful sight upon my arrival at this poor family's home.
     I braced for the worst as I entered the door, expecting to see a very sick, inactive child. Fortunately, I was far from right. What I saw when I entered the living room, was incredibly uplifting. Sarah, was far from "very sick" and "inactive"; as a matter of fact, she was giggling and playing with toys. My mind blown, I stared at this little girl in amazement as she proceeded to stand up and walk, using the couch as a guide, towards me to say hi. I usually try to stay rational in thought and not emotionally guided, but this sight was emotionally overwhelming. After watching the home nurse interact with Sarah and her mother, I realized how much of an impact my nurse had on their lives. Of all my experiences at CCBH, this one made me proudest to call myself a nurse.