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Erika Bridges

2 May 2021

Senior Capstone Portfolio

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

journey at Bryant University would look like.

PAST – COURSE TAKEAWAYS

I took numerous Communication courses at Bryant, starting first semester of my

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

disciplines as well, such as Mass Communication and Interpersonal Communication.

My Intro to Health Communication course in my second semester at Bryant solidified my

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

speak to future colleagues about this.

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My Advanced Health Communication: Health Campaigns course opened my eyes to the

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

will be able to put these skills to the test in my career.

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

our own lives.

PA SHADOW EXPERIENCE

I had originally come to Bryant with a goal of moving on to the Physician Assistant

Program. In winter of 2019, I shadowed a physician assistant in the oncology department of

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

communicative tendencies in a doctors’ office.

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

the cost of never knowing them before they are gone.

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

my love of healthcare, biology and communication.

Nevertheless, communicating with kids is drastically different than communicating with

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

different ways of communicating to different age groups.

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

are serving the country.

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

to impact others for the better.

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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.