Throughout my college career I have been faced with exciting experiences and intimidating experiences. I have learned a great deal through my clinicals. Each semester pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together a little better. I still have a lot to learn, if anything I learned that nursing is constant learning as technology changes. My clinicals have prepared me to take care of patients effectively and realize when I have not and change it. I have a lot of skills to take with me to my first registered nursing job. There have been clinicals I love and some that were not my favorite but I am more knowledgeable because of those experiences. Hands on experience has been very beneficial. Once I have performed a skill I am more likely to remember the steps to perform it again when I am own my own.
This last semester has been very overwhelming to say the least.I did my best to prepare but some things you just can’t prepare for.I have learned a lot and learning has never been more fun.As I recall my first semester of nursing school I loved health assessment lab and liked to practice all the techniques that I would use the following semester. I also learned how to manage time effectively.That is very important in nursing school.I learned that there are lots of decisions to be made when assessing patients, do your best, and you will learn from your mistakes.
During my fundamentals clinical at the nursing home, I remember being so scared to touch the patients. The first day it seemed as if the patient knew more than I did. It was extremely intimidating and there were times I felt I was not cut out for the role of a nurse. After getting passed the first day I felt more confident and was able to apply the skills I learned in class to actual patients. By the next semester I gained much more confidence and could slowly see myself playing the role of the nurse. During my critical care clinical I could easily take care of two or three patients. I have made a lot of progress since the first day of orientation.
The Experiential learning program has allowed me to gain more hands own experience and knowledge in my field of study. I plan to continue to achieve my masters degree and believe EXL has helped prepare me to accomplish goals I have set for myself. It has been very fulfilling to give back to the community and I had a chance to expand my knowledge while serving several different cultures and work through barriers that were presented with each. Evidence based practice is extremely important in nursing and I am now competent in locating research based studies and implementing it into current practice. EXL has allowed me to broaden my career opportunities and increase my confidence of acquiring my first full time job.
