Senior Capstone Reflective Essay
Senior Capstone Reflective Essay
Senior Capstone Reflective Essay
Erika Bridges
2 May 2021
Communication Reflection
INTRODUCTION
Many people worry about what they will do with their Communication degrees once they
leave college. I do not. I would never have applied to a school without a major in mind and an
idea of how I could build a career from it. I did not know, however, what my Communication
freshman year. If I had not enjoyed Introduction to Communication so much, who knows if I
would have stuck with the major? My whole time at Bryant could have been completely
different. In that one course, I learned the various fields of study in Communication, which
sparked my interest in not only my specialized Health Communication major, but other
decision to study Health Communication for the remainder of my three years here. My favorite
takeaway from this course was the new idea of narrative medicine. This form of healthcare
believes that when physicians sit with their patients and truly listen to their concerns, the patients
will feel more comfortable and divulge more information about their condition. This attention to
detail will even improve a physician’s diagnosis. I find this extremely important and plan to
world that I could immerse myself in one day. The class focused on our own research projects
where we designed a health campaign on an issue of our choosing. My partner and I built a
campaign around the effects of social anxiety on Bryant students through the use of an instant
messaging system. We built prototypes, used several relevant Communication theories and
embraced faculty feedback to enhance the campaign. It was a gratifying experience that I will
never forget and always cherish. It made me feel like I can make a difference, and that one day I
Crisis and Risk Communication was extremely timely in the spring of 2020. We applied
the various techniques of crisis protocols to the pandemic and analyzed how past terrorist events
such as the Boston Marathon Bombing could have been handled better. I believe that had it not
been for the pandemic, this class would not have ingrained itself in my mind as much as it did in
real time during the spread of COVID-19. We learned how social media can be used as a positive
and negative way for qualified spokespeople and the general public to communicate a crisis
situation to others through either safety tips and caution, or false information and poor advice.
Media Literacy was a very enjoyable class. The whole semester was focused on the
different stages of writing our final essays. My essay described the effects of current music on
teenagers. Seeking to understand hidden or unintended messages in songs and how they can
affect the mental and emotional growth of a child is important, especially for parents monitoring
their child’s content. Being able to speak freely while also expressing yourself through music can
be challenging. It must be said that not everyone agrees with song messages, but that does not
mean someone has the right to restrict listening content for others, as some universities have
done.
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Now, Senior Seminar in Communication Theory has been unexpected. Sitting in class
each day and listening to others’ perspectives on various issues on the Communication spectrum
could be frustrating if you do not agree with their views. However, I felt free to share my
opinions with others when I felt it would bring a sense of clarity to the group, or if I felt it was
important to note. It let me express myself in a welcoming environment and better communicate
physically, rather than just learning various textbook theories and their unrealistic applications to
PA SHADOW EXPERIENCE
I had originally come to Bryant with a goal of moving on to the Physician Assistant
Dana-Farber Brigham and Women’s Hospital near my hometown. Although it was only for one
day, as they have a high demand for shadowing, it was a day I will never forget. I was able to sit
in on appointments with cancer patients and learn their interactions, nonverbals and
As the PA and I entered the exam room, I could immediately tell the type of person the
patient was based on their greeting. Some patients were very light-hearted and happy to see us
while others did not so much as acknowledge us. As I leaned against the wall on one side of the
room, I remember some patients looking at me as they answered the PA’s routine questions of
how they were feeling or if they had any new symptoms. I think they were looking for some
happy reassurance from me that it was all okay, as they did not get that warm feeling from the
PA. Of course, I smiled for them. Some patients made jokes about their terminal illnesses while
some laughed it off, not wanting to think about how it would end. Just looking at patients who I
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knew only had six months to live was difficult. It felt surreal to me, being with these patients and
seeing a ghost at the same time. Even as I write this paper right now, I am getting choked up.
On the other hand, some patients were very rude and stern as they answered the PA’s
questions about their medications or their side effects. I stood there and tried not to feel offended,
just as I hoped my PA felt as well. I realized at the end of the day that day that everyone deals
with their illness differently and you cannot necessarily fault them for acting a certain way. After
all, how would you feel if you knew exactly when your time would come?
As we walked back to the office where the other young PA women worked to update
patient records, the women began to gossip about relationships and supposed pregnancies around
the hospital. But all of a sudden, the air in the room changed when my PA said that she lost a
patient the night before and cried her eyes out. Medical providers are taught to not get attached to
patients because it may affect their treatment. But how could anyone who is human who has
been with a patient from the start not start to feel a connection with them?
As I was driving home later that day, I could not help but think about the connection
between that death and the concept of narrative medicine I had learned about my freshman year.
If we teach providers to empathize and become a part of the patient’s emotional process
throughout their illness by spending time and listening to them, we are permitting them to cry
when their care just is not enough. The rewards of feeling a closeness to a patient far outweigh
PRESENT
I am thinking about the near future at this time in my life. I am in the process of
interviewing for a Research Assistant position at Boston Children’s Hospital where I would be
interacting with patients and families after cardiac surgeries by distributing and explaining post-
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op surveys, noticing trends in the data, reporting to my two pediatric surgeon supervisors, and
also working on my own research projects. This job is my dream start-up job. It would combine
adults. Learning communication in college allows for more mature communication. If I were to
be offered this job, I would have to significantly lower the complexity of the communication I
have learned to effectively communicate with the sick children, while simultaneously making
sure the parents understand. I would then have to report back to the surgeons with mature
language. I find this process fascinating and hope that I get this interesting opportunity to juggle
FUTURE
Down the line I would like to attend nursing school (not PA school). I would particularly
like to join the US Army Nurse Corps. This is a stretch of a dream, but I hope I have the courage
to do this one day. I am interested in the various ways of life overseas, and if medicine is
communicated and taught differently near Army bases. I know that I will take this idea of
narrative medicine with me from the start of my nursing career, as I believe it will benefit
soldiers especially to feel they have as many people looking out for them as possible while they
CONCLUSION
I have realized that adept communication can help in any career, as all careers require
interacting with others in some way. Communication can open the door to various opportunities
My time here at Bryant University has been an abundance of different choices that have
shaped my interest in Communication in the health field. I am eager to step off campus and begin
helping others by using my proud degree to brighten the day of even one child in a hospital.