My Vision for my future in this profession is to obtain my Master’s in Public Health. I hope to help push for oral care in hospitals for long term care patients. While in this program I have had two people very close to me be admitted to the hospital for several months. One of my loved ones lost several teeth while hospitalized for more than 4 months. He was being hospitalized for congestive heart failure and was awaiting a kidney transplant. I know oral care was not a priority but he frequently complained of dry mouth and tooth aches. He could not and would not eat the food they provided him because of discomfort. His loss of appetite did not help his condition. I am convinced that he was given a weekly  or every 2-3 day checks of his oral cavity they could of given him some sort of medicament to alleviate his suffering. He unfortunately passed away in the hospital. It infuriated me that so little care was put into his oral health when he clearly needed it. The send person hospitalized went in for a sickle cell crisis and after being there for several months developed pneumonia. After learning about the different types of bacteria that cause pnuemonia I couldn’t help but think that her lack of oral care while hospitalized led to the development of pneumonia. I asked her how many times a week she brushed her teeth, she couldn’t remember the last time she or anyone brushed her teeth. She was confined to her bed because of her pain but they kept feeding her, never once  instructing her to rinse her mouth after eating. I was so angry when she told me she got pneumonia. After witnessing  both scenarios for several weeks the decision to pursue my currently goals basically manifested themselves without my notice. I am sure I am in for unexpected challenges to get these changes made but I am emboldened by my cause so I must see it come to fruition.