Nursing Students Explore Diversity and Compassion at the Hospital of Emotions
Publish Date: Nov. 3, 2026
On Wednesday, October 14, nursing students visited the Hospital of Emotions in Los Angeles for an immersive learning experience connecting art, emotions, and patient care. The visit was part of a 12-hour diversity skills day focused on implicit bias, diversity, and microaggressions. Students completed six hours through the field trip and an additional six-hour written reflection exploring how the experience could inform their nursing practice.
A central theme in students’ reflections was the importance of seeing the person behind the diagnosis. Exhibits exploring sadness, fear, anger, joy, and resilience prompted students to consider how patients’ outward behaviors may conceal grief, isolation, uncertainty, or emotional distress. Several students described the need to pause before labeling a patient as difficult or uncooperative and instead ask what that person might be experiencing.
Students also connected the artwork to the diversity of patients’ backgrounds and circumstances. Reflections addressed how language, culture, spiritual beliefs, immigration experiences, housing instability, and financial pressures can shape a person’s experience of healthcare. Students emphasized asking about individual needs rather than assuming that people with similar backgrounds share the same preferences or experiences.
The experience encouraged students to examine their own perspectives. One student reflected on the importance of not imposing personal beliefs about gratitude or resilience on patients. Others considered how easily someone’s emotional needs can be overlooked when attention centers on physical symptoms, procedures, or completing tasks. These observations connected the activity’s focus on bias and microaggressions to everyday choices in communication and care.
Students identified practical ways to carry these lessons into nursing: listening without judgment, explaining procedures before providing care, seeking interpreter services when needed, respecting individual coping styles, and helping patients connect with support. Across the reflections, students expressed a shared commitment to helping patients feel safe, heard, respected, and valued.
Faculty members Allie Montero, Anyssa Henrich, Erin Sam, and Program Director/Faculty John Cordova attended with the 12 students.
To learn more about CHC's nursing programs visit craftonhills.edu/nursing
