After the presentation we received on trauma-informed care, I feel like I came away with a lot of useful information on how to help patients that may have experienced trauma. I learned that trauma exposure will impact psychological, physical, spiritual, environmental, and social well-being of the individual. The trauma can cause them to be on high alert, experience a range of different emotions, they can forget what happened, they can be withdrawn, and can be at higher risk for some chronic diseases.

If a child is to experience adverse childhood experiences or ACES, they could have some long-term impacts. These include lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, and opportunity of the child. They can increase the risks of injury, STIs, maternal and child health problems, teen pregnancy, a variety of chronic diseases, involvement in sex trafficking, and leading causes of death, like cancer, diabetes, and suicide. Children may also have a a tough time forming healthy and stable relationships and could have unstable work histories as adults where they struggle with finances, jobs, and depression.

I will apply the trauma-informed care principles to my future nursing practice by using the tips we learned during the presentation. I will be able to talk to a trauma patient and figure out what happened by starting with easy questions and working my way to the harder ones. I will be able to help the patient recall what happened and I will be able to communicate with them in a way that will be beneficial for them, along with using forms of therapeutic communication. I think this will help my future nursing practice immensely as I would like to work in the Emergency Department after I am done with school.