Heart of Compassion

By Matt Hawkins

A summer of 12-hour shifts in the hospital left Bradley nursing major Bryn Gunby ’17 energized for her future. Gunby, a Ballwin, Missouri, native, explored nursing at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis this summer.

She navigated the challenges of her chosen profession under the guidance of a mentor who progressively let her handle more duties throughout the summer. As a result, Gunby discovered the joy of helping patients move through the health care system to recovery.

“The internship fueled my passion for my future because I was able to see how my care impacted patients as I helped and advocated for them,” she said. “I’ve seen patients in incredible pain walk out of the hospital with smiles on their faces. Knowing I have played a part in their recoveries strengthened my drive to be a good nurse.”

Gunby’s internship exposed her to a wide scope of hospital care beyond general bedside duties often given to patient care technicians. She learned patient assessment, data collection, and patient-family education skills valuable to the profession.

As she embraced her progressively challenging duties, she developed trusted relationships with hospital staff on her shifts. Those relationships, in turn, gave her a professional boost of confidence she showed on the floor as she assisted co-workers, patients and patients’ families.

“Nothing can fully prepare you for graduating nursing school, but experiences like this ease the transition to the day you’re officially an RN,” Gunby said. “I was part of an excellent team approach to patient care that allowed me to actively assist many patients and make a positive impact on their lives. Now, I have the confidence I can work through almost any situation, especially when I’m surrounded by a good team of co-workers.”

As hospital floors bustled with activity, Gunby discovered the value of seemingly unimportant tasks. Though her care-focused duties improved patients’ wellbeing, the simple gift of her presence often made the most difference.

“I didn’t realize the littlest gestures would mean more to a patient than things that physically made them better,” she said. “A smile, hug, hand to hold or just my presence often meant more to them than many of my tasks.”