UA Little Rock Nursing Student Learns Value of Treating Patients Like Family During Summer in Spain

In the UA Little Rock School of Nursing, students are always taught that they should treat every patient like a family member because that patient is somebody’s family.

Vasti Hernandez, a junior nursing major from Glenwood, said she learned the true value of that lesson while interning at the neurology unit at MútuaTerrassa University Hospital this summer in Spain.

“Even if the patient had just been admitted, you could see the special care the nurses had for all the patients,” Hernandez said. “I also saw how devoted the patients’ family members were to their recovery. It changed the way I viewed my job. It helped me to remember that every patient is someone’s family member, and you need to treat everyone well. That’s a good lesson to remember outside of nursing as well.”

Hernandez chose to intern at a hospital near Barcelona because it gave her a chance to use her nursing skills in a clinical setting while also testing out her Spanish skills. In the neurology unit, she was busy caring for patients, giving medication, drawing blood, and communicating with patients and family members.

“The neurology section is the busiest in the hospital,” Hernandez said. “There are a lot of patients under chronic care in the neurology unit. Some patients had suffered a stroke or had a tumor or another condition. You also saw a lot of family members who were there every single day doing whatever they could. They wanted to make sure that their relatives were getting good care and would be fully recovered when they were ready to go back home.”

When she wasn’t working or exploring Barcelona, Hernandez visited other cities in Spain like Sitges, Costa Brava, Girona, and Montserrat. She said the skills she learned this summer will be useful in her future career as a nurse. After she graduates, Hernandez is planning to work in an oncology unit or gastroenterology clinic.