The following is an essay I wrote expressing my feelings and reflections about the experiential learning scholars program.

Experiential learning scholars program has provided to me the opportunity to become more readily prepared for my future career in nursing. I have acquired the basic nursing skills and knowledge that I need to become a safe practicing Registered Nurse. The clinical rotation experiences that I was able to participate in helped me use the knowledge that I learned from my classes that taught me the theory portion of nursing, and apply the theory to real life situations where I was able to expand my critical thinking skills, as well as the knowledge I gained from attending class.

 The clinical rotations that I was able to participate in include: fundamentals of nursing clinical at NHC in Murfreesboro, TN, critical care clinical at Centennial Medical Center, Nashville, TN, pediatric clinical at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Nashville, TN, community clinical, Rutherford County Health Department, Murfreesboro, TN, leadership and management clinical, StoneCrest Medical Center, Smyrna, TN, medical-surgical clinical at Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Murfreesboro, TN, mental health clinical, Centennial Medical Center, Nashville, TN. I have gained hands on experience in many fields of nursing. All of the experience that I have obtained from the different clinical rotations has allowed for me to be a more well rounded nurse.

Experiential learning has also offered me the opportunity to learn about nursing opportunities in the community, and resources that are available in the community. I was able to volunteer and attend numerous places such as the Dispensary of Hope in Murfreesboro. Being able to volunteer and help clients in the community is a very important concept for nurses to learn and be apart of in the community. I was also able to participate in the Middle Tennessee State University School of Nursing annual flu clinic where I administered the flu vaccination to students and faculty at the University. I was able to help the members of my community through primary prevention, as well as improve my skills as a nurse by administering intramuscular (IM) flu vaccinations with the supervision of nursing instructors. Another community experience experiential learning scholars program has enabled me to be apart of is volunteering at the Middle Tennessee State University blood drive held by American Red Cross. Although I was unable to practice nursing skills during my volunteer hours, I was able to help the community by providing information and answering questions about blood donations. I also learned that the there is a huge blood shortage across the nation and I was able to teach clients the importance of being a part of donating blood to the American Red Cross. The last community volunteer activity that I am going to discuss is the numerous walks and runs for certain causes that I was able to participate in and provide donations to, such as the Breast Cancer walk/run in Nashville and the Alzheimer walk held in Murfreesboro. 

Overall, I think that the experiential learning scholars program has provided to me great opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills in nursing to practice with a more advanced level in which enables me to be better prepared to enter the workforce. As a graduate nurse about to begin a career in the critical care field, I am very thankful that I was provided the opportunity to advance my skills in nursing with the critical care clinical that was provided to me by the School of Nursing. I believe that every major at the University should offer experiential learning opportunities for every student. I believe that personal experience in the field that students are interested in provides the students with the knowledge he or she needs to begin a career prepared to be successful.