Allison Brown

NUR 4140
Nursing Final Analysis
04/10/19
When I first got my acceptance letter into nursing school, I was filled with emotions. It was the
most exciting moment of my life, but also the scariest as I had no idea what to expect in nursing school. I
had heard from so many people that it was really hard and that the class size would drop as we went
throughout the program. While it was exciting and scary at the same time, I was more than happy to
accept the challenge. I picked nursing because my mother is a nurse and because I have always found joy
in helping others. Without a doubt, I knew that this profession was the one I wanted to go with. Fast
forward to our health assessment class where we were learning how to take manual blood pressures and
heart rates and I thought I was going to fail out the program. I remember going from teacher to teacher
taking their blood pressure. Thankfully when it was my turn for check offs I nailed it and it boosted my
confidence. We learned so much in health assessment class, which was important because everything else
we have learned built off of it. The final head to toe video for the class was also a crucial part of that
semester. I practiced for hours on both my parents, my brother, and my friends to get it perfect. When it
came time for the video, my partner and I got it perfect on our very first try. It seems silly looking back on
it and thinking it was hard, because it is second nature now.
Then we had our first semester of clinical at the hospital where we would check vitals and give
baths to our patients. We started out in pairs which made it a little less intimidating for everyone. Once
we got towards the end of the semester we started having our own patients. I had never worked with
patients before or sick people so I had no idea what to say to them or how to start conversation. As time
went on you knew how to pick out certain things to talk about, such as something they were watching on
tv or if they had pictures of their grandchildren on their table.
Junior year we started the task of pre-assessing our patients, which include making drug cards. I
was excited for these clinical experiences because we started giving medications. You learn so much
about the medications and how it relate to the disease process that the client is experiencing. Medications
are something that I do need to work on as I transition into the profession nursing field. There are so
many side effects and important facts to know about every medication and it is hard to keep it all straight.
Some medications you take with food, others you don’t, and some you have to follow certain dietary
restrictions. There are medications that I give so infrequently that it is hard to remember what they do. As
I transition into a nurse I am going to work harder on knowing more information about my drugs and I
know some of this will come with experience.
We also had our emergency department clinical our junior year. We were able to put in IVs and
we were always on the go. I learned so much from those clinicals, even though the day was over before
you even knew it. You use a lot of critical thinking skills in nursing, it’s almost like building a puzzle and
seeing where the pieces fit together. I think this is why I liked the ED so much because you never knew
what was going to walk through the door, or what was going to be wrong with them.
We had our pediatric and OB clinical our first semester of senior year and they were nothing like
the ones we had before. When taking care of these patient populations you have to keep an extra eye out,
because they can be more fragile. Even the lecture material was different than other things we had learned
and more in depth. I enjoyed both classes so the information stuck with me very well.
 Our last semester we had clinical immersion which consisted of 215 hours on an acute unit in the
hospital. Fortunately I was placed in endoscopy, which is where I wanted to work at. I had worked in
endoscopy as a technician, but I didn’t know anything about the nursing side of it. This semester we
worked one on one with a nurse to get a feel of how it will be working as an actual nurse. I was able to
perform various nursing tasks with limited help. Through this experience I was able to solidify my
thoughts of wanting to work there after I graduate and become a nurse. I was offered a job in the
department, and took the offer.
I’m still working on my communication skills such as when calling to get or give reports to the
nurses. Sometimes I will forget information that I should have included. I know this will come with
experience as well. I can also be hard on myself when I make mistakes and I have a hard time letting it
go. As a new nurse, I know that I am going to make mistakes here and there, which is part of becoming a
better nurse. When I do make that transition into a professional nurse role, I need to work on letting things
go after they are fixed. Being a type A person, I know this will be hard for me, but I know it can be done.
I have enjoyed my time as Bon Secours College of Nursing. I have made friendships that will last
a lifetime, and skills that I will build upon for years to come. I can’t not wait to see what else the future
has in store for me and to continue my education.