Anna Hubbard '24 | Nursing Internship with Kline Hospice House

Nursing hasn’t necessarily been a lifelong dream of mine, but I’ve always been interested in medicine. I realized that nursing was a good fit for me because of its holistic nature. Taking care of people shouldn’t just be about the wellbeing of the body, but also the mind and spirit. I was drawn to Hood by the small class sizes and how it’s incorporated into the Frederick community. I love how tight-knit our cohort is and that we’ve grown more comfortable together over the past few years.

At the end of the spring 2023 semester, everyone in my cohort signed up for a clinical site for our community health nursing class, which we completed in the fall. There were many different options, such as forensics, school nursing, vaccine clinics, etc. The opportunity to work at Kline Hospice House stood out to me because I had experienced caring for my great-grandmother at the end of her life just a few months prior. While it was difficult, it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. She helped care for me and my sisters all of our lives, so it was the least I could do. During that time, I knew I wanted to keep pursuing nursing, but I felt stuck because there weren’t any specialties that stood out to me. Working in hospice certainly isn’t for everyone, but I figured I should try it for clinical.

As one can imagine, the most difficult part of working at Kline House was seeing family members who were having trouble coping with their situation. Conversely, it was rewarding to provide patients and their families with comfort during the end of their lives. I’m very grateful for the time I spent there because it helped me realize that I’d like to work in hospice care in the future. Outside of Kline House, I did a few research projects for my classes last semester that focused on hospice care. I learned a lot about the benefits of it and how, unfortunately, many people don’t consider it until it is too late. Death can be uncomfortable to experience and talk about, and I definitely became more comfortable with it after having this clinical rotation. This is important to me not only as a future nurse, but just as a person in general.

After graduating, I plan on moving back to the Eastern Shore and pursuing a career in either hospice or mental health nursing. My biggest piece of advice to future nursing students is to strike a balance between your different obligations. I’ve stayed busy during college between classes, clinical and work, but I still make time to see my friends and pursue my hobbies. It really does improve your mental health and helps you to see the bigger picture.

Learn more about the Hood nursing program here.