REFLECTIONS
One Simple Gesture
By Jessica Rohde
At each new step in my professional life, there have been times when I have had to start from square one. It can be disorienting, confidence shaking, and met with a constant stream of what-ifs. This is how it felt walking into my capstone rotation for the first time as a final semester nursing student. The first day jitters were real, and I took a deep breath as I took everything in. It was a completely new environment: a new supply layout, new teams, new routines and a new hospital. I had done clinicals before, but capstone was a whole other beast when it came to putting everything together. It felt bigger, as if it was the culmination of everything I had learned.
I questioned myself constantly. What was I supposed to know already? Were my questions too silly to ask? Would my patients sense my fear and distrust me? All of these things and more ran through my mind. Still, I put my bravest face on, and tried to get as many opportunities to practice hands-on skills as possible.
A patient needed a foley? I’ m on it. An IV bag of pitocin needed to be spiked and primed? I’ m already opening the new package of tubing up. But none of it came easily. The urinary foley took me what felt like ages to set up. I fumbled with attaching tubing to the primary IV. I struggled with threading the new IV tubing into the machine. I felt like when it really counted, I was not doing my best. This stung more than anything as I began to feel disheartened in my abilities. Was nursing really for me?
This all changed when toward the middle of my shift I went into my patient’ s room to get basic vitals. A temperature, a blood pressure, and a simple check-in. That’ s when I found it: a very sudden drop in vital signs. I dropped what I was doing and alerted the nurses. I knew that something was going on, and it was the first time I had that sinking gut feeling that my patient’ s status was changing. The next thing I knew, the patient was being wheeled out of the room and heading straight to the operating room with no time to waste. One of the nurses grabbed me some surgical scrubs and I was on my way to the operating theatre.
After the surgery, I made my way back out to the nursing station. A lady frantically ran up to the desk, tears in her eyes.“ Do you know what is going on with the emergency surgery? Please tell me anything you can, anything at all. I’ m a family member.” She waited with bated breath. It was with such a sense of relief that I was able to tell her I was there for the surgery and they were finishing up with suturing as we spoke. The new baby was born and mom was about to go to recovery. Her relief was palpable when I told her about how I got to hear the baby ' s first cries. I followed her to the waiting room and offered her a drink and a snack. We talked about how important family was to her, and how hard it is to wait alone during uncertain times. I reiterated that I was there for her and encouraged her to come to me if she needed anything at all.
I followed back up with my patient when she was about to relocate to another floor for recovery. When I saw her cradling her baby, I felt such a sense of peace and joy. I told her how natural she looked as a mother. The same lady I met in the hallway earlier was in the room and pulled me aside. She looked into my eyes and told me that she was extremely grateful that I showed her concern in that difficult moment. She asked if she could give me a hug, and that genuine embrace was a moment I will always carry with me.
Something I had done had truly impacted someone’ s experience in a positive way. I was the comforting presence and light in a dark situation. This was the reason I wanted to become a nurse in the first place, and now I know I am meant for this role. I can and will be the nurse that makes a difference in people’ s lives. The skills will come, but the heart is already there
Bio
Jessica Sarah Rohde earned an accelerated BSN at UNC Chapel Hill in August 2025 after obtaining her first degree in Psychology. She is currently an Emergency Department nurse in Greensboro, NC, in a new graduate residency program.
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