Reflections from Nurse Interns
The following messages are reflections from nursing students from BIOLA University. Each student spent time at InJOY during their internship rotations.
#1
Interning at InJoy Life Resources for the last few months has been such a wonderful learning experience! I have a heart for this particular population and was so excited for the opportunity to do my community health rotation here. I was not sure what to expect before coming and was a little nervous. Soon, I could tell that this is not just a job for the Coaches here. It was so refreshing to come to InJoy and see the love and care that the entire team has for each and every person. Not only do they care about the members they work with, but they also deeply care for one another and are quick to support and give each other encouragement. I have never seen a team so closely knit and so unified to achieve the same goal. Their goal is to improve the quality of life for each member and to meet each one’s very unique needs. I can honestly say that I am leaving InJoy reluctantly but at the same time am moving on inspired and ready to make an impact for these precious people in the nursing field. Thank you InJoy, for your commitment to love and help those who cannot help themselves. You are impacting this community greatly and I am so privileged to have been a witness.
#2
I have learned so much during my time at InJoy! I had such a great time getting to know the members of InJoy as well as the life coaches and staff. I truly honor and respect all of the life coaches and staff. I have seen the depths of their hearts when I watch them interact with their group members and even when they talk about their members in meetings. They truly care about their members and are impacted when the members are either having a good day or a bad day. They never know what kind of day they are going to have but they always put their best foot forward and start their time with the members on a great note. It takes a lot of time, love, and patience to work with these members every day and for that they have my deepest respect. One of my favorite memories is when we were filling Easter Eggs with the members. They had such fun putting the candy in the egg, closing the egg, and putting tape on the eggs. They were working as a team and we got to be a part of that team which was really special. I was able to work closely with several of the members and I learned so much from each of them. They love helping others and doing projects for community service is a great way for them to be able to do that. I have grown in my own personal life through my time at InJoy. I have learned to have a deeper appreciation for those individuals who are disabled and to help show the world that they are just like us. God has placed them on this world for a specific purpose and I am honored that He designed my path to intersect with InJoy. God has shown me a new side of my heart in caring for this population. They need to be loved, protected, and cared for because they are still God’s children and we have a duty to fulfill His calling to care for them. I will never forget my time at InJoy and I am truly blessed to have been able to be a part of their lives!
#3
Throughout my whole experience at InJoy I have learned about humility and the greatness in humanity from people who have a heart and compassion to work with a population that is underrepresented. I was impressed by the professional-formal yet close-knit relationships the coaches shared with the members. Some of the coaches have interactions with the members outside of work which showed their genuine care and passion for getting to know their members. The coaches were insightful on behaviors that not even a clinical behaviorist would be keen to recognize. I learned from the members how much beauty there is in the simple things. My time at InJoy rejuvenated my spirit and urges me to share the same type of relationship with my patients in the hospital setting. From the administrative staff, I really enjoyed their supportive and team work focus. The administrative staff does a great job of balancing constructive criticism with highlighting coach/member strengths. Further, their friendly demeanor made it simple to approach them with questions and opportunities for knowledge.
Overall, InJoy is different! The organization’s care for it’s members and employees, their recognition for the need of self-care and promotion of individual strengths and fostering an environment where disability is merely a self-deception of the mind, provides for human flourishing and nurtures authentic client-staff relationships. Thanks InJoy for the opportunity to see what encouragement and patience look like in the community. God Bless your works and I hope everyone continues to empower and love others.
#4
Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your InJoy family. It was a pleasure being able to get to know and serve all of you. I purposely picked my placement here at your facility over other options I was given. I wanted to learn about this patient population; I have not had any interaction with it. I did not want to go into the medical field unequipped to care for those with special needs. Since being at InJoy I have come to understand what is required to properly care for this special people group—patience, caring, love, and understanding. I believe I am better equipped to help my future patients because of what you have shown me. Thank you and God Bless!
