The American Nurse Documentary: Advocacy Reflection Paper

'The need for justice is among the basic human needs and nurses, more than anyone else, are in contact with individuals and their problems; therefore, they can provide justice for them better than anyone else” (Davoodvand, Abbaszadeh, & Ahmadi, 2016, p. 2). One of the important responsibilities of nurses is advocacy. Nurses have a role to protect and defend the rights of those who cannot do so for themselves. This goes beyond the patient because nurses can also advocate for patients’ families, support systems, fellow nurses, co-workers or other people. In the documentary The American Nurse, five nurses in different nursing fields each told their personal stories about how they become a nurse and the challenges that they face every day to bring changes to the life of people they provide care.

As a nurse, it is hard to identify myself to one of the nurses in the film. Because, each nurse in the film showed a tremendous dedication in their respective specialties. For example, Naomi Cross, from the Labor and Delivery Unit, who suffered the loss of her child yet everyday she goes to work to care for mother who give birth or loose a child. Tonia Faust, the prison nurse who take cares of hospice patients in prison. Jason Short, the home health nurse who delivers care to a chemo patient. Sister Stephen who owns a nursing home and help trouble kids through animal therapy. Last, Brian McMillion, the military nurse, who takes care of our military men and women both in the war zone and back home for the homeless veterans. There is not one nurse in the film that did not show compassion and dedication. However, if I get to choose, I nurse Naomi Cross is someone that I can identify myself. I work in a cardiac unit because my grandfather passed away due to congestive heart failure (CHF). Seeing patients that has cardiac issues give me a better purpose as a nurse because I feel like I am taking care of my own grandfather.

Going to work every day, looking at cardiac patient, especially the one with CHF, I always see my grandfather. At times, it’s hard because the inevitable ending is not something you are ready to discuss and face with family. However, looking at Naomi Cross go to work every day and dedicate herself to other mothers in helping gives birth or showing compassion to the ones who lose a child is something I want to be as a nurse. I want to aspire every day ⁠—to not lose hope to, to openly care and give, and to persevere despite the challenges. Therefore, I would aspire to do what nurse Naomi is doing every day for her L&D patients.

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“You put yourself in their spot, what they went through: it just gives you a completely different perspective” (Jones, 2014). Personally and professionally, this movie empowered me to be a nurse that makes a difference every day. Each nurse in the film showed assertiveness in each human interaction action. They showed love and care by looking at solution in situation that they cannot change. For example, pooling resources to provide care for others. In case of Tonia Faust, having another inmate to help care for the hospice patients in prison. For Jason Short who travels in remote communities to reach patient and provide care. This type of human acts is very rewarding because it truly speak from the heart about what they do and what inspires them to make a difference in the lives of others.

The movie showed the life of the nurses and the personal or professional challenges they overcome to help take care of their patient. One concept, that I wanted the film to show is what do nurses do when there are shortage on staffing, limited resources, and dealing with ethical issues. Also, what do they do when they feel burnout? Who they turn to? This are some of the issues nursing faces in this time period. Overall, the film showed how diverse nurses because it shed a light of who nurses really are and what they can accomplish.

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