Final Analysis

Nursing school has been perhaps the most formative experience of my life. I have learned

so much these past few years, both in and outside of the classroom. If I had to pinpoint the

biggest lesson I have learned thus far, it would be that nursing is unpredictable and that nurses

need to be flexible. There really is no such thing as a typical day when you are a nurse.

Another valuable lesson I have learned is that patients are much more than just their disease

processes, and should be treated as such. For example, I had a practicum experience in which the

patient felt no one was listening to her needs. She was being given the physical treatment her

body needed, but her emotional needs had gone neglected. As a student nurse, I had the time to

sit down with the patient, and address her non-medical needs. It turned out that all she wanted

was to wash her hair. Washing her hair had been a part of her daily routine since she was a child,

and going 3 full days without washing it left her feeling like she wasnt human. After I took the

time to wash her by hand (the patient could not shower independently), she felt much better, and

was more cooperative with the staff. This situation taught me that to be a true patient advocate,

you must stop and listen to all your patients needs.

In addition to learning about the importance of meeting my patients holistic needs, I also

feel that my actual nursing skills have greatly improved. Over the course of my clinicals, I have

had the opportunity to draw labs on multiple occasions, insert and remove foley catheters, insert

a flexi-seal, provide wound care, and of course, administer medications (PO, IM, IV, and G-

tube). While there is always room for improvement, I think I have come very far since my very

first semester in clinical. Furthermore, I have gained confidence in myself, and feel comfortable

asking questions to more experienced nurses, as well as to non-nursing health care providers.
While this might seem insignificant to some people, its not for me. I have always struggled with

social anxiety and shyness, so for me at least, this is a big deal.

Regarding my weaknesses or what I prefer to think of as chances for future growth and

improvement I would like more practice working with NG tubes, G-tubes, chest tubes, etc. I

was able to gain some much-needed experience with G-tubes during my pediatric rotation at

Childrens Hospital, but I am still not at the skill level I would like to be at. Also, while I have

seen NG tubes and chest tubes, I have never had a real opportunity to work with them. Although

I feel I have been making steady progress in this area, I would also like more practice reading

EKGs and recognizing dysrhythmias.

While I have come a long way since the start of nursing school, I do realize that I still

quite a way to go. As a novice nurse, I lack real world experience and the critical thinking skills

of a more experienced nurse. My knowledge and skills come solely from lecture material and

clinicals, and I have no real-world experiences to draw from. Furthermore, I have yet to develop

the time management and organizational skills that can only truly be learned while practicing as

a registered nurse. I am looking forward to my immersion experience, as I believe it will help me

in all the aforementioned areas, and propel me to the next level of nursing skill.

To conclude, nursing school has been a tremendous challenge, but I do not regret a single

moment of it. I feel proud of my accomplishments, and look forward to answering the call to

serve my community. After graduation in December of this year, I hope to work on a labor and

delivery unit. I also enjoyed my experiences on the mother infant unit, the neonatal intensive

care unit (NICU), and the pediatric unit, and would be happy to work on one of these units if I

am unable to find a job on a labor and delivery unit. After gaining at least five years of real
world, hands on experience, I would like to look into a nurse midwifery program, and become a

certified nurse midwife (CNM). After working as a CNM for some time (about 10 years or

more), I may consider returning to school to ultimately pursue a career as a nurse educator.