Personal Experience: Describing One Transformational Experience

Describing one transformational experience is a deceptively simple request. I contemplated many experiences that have transformed me in some way, before deciding on an encounter that ultimately altered my perspective and how I view my nursing practice. I began my work in Maine at a FQHC. The county had not had a psychiatric provider for over seven years. Frankly, this was a shock to me. Anxious to move things forward, the clinic scheduled a long list of patients, weeks before the state board approved me to practice. It was the initial words of a female Vietnam veteran that helped to change the course of my professional focus. Her words propelled me to re-think what I would be able to accomplish as only one practitioner. Consequently,