Chrystal Armstead

April 20, 2019

Final Analysis

As I sit at my kitchen table writing this analysis, I cannot believe that I am finally living

in this moment. The moment that I have prayed over for many years is finally here. I am about to

be a nursing school graduate and I am one step closer to becoming a Registered Nurse. Wow,

that is extremely surreal to even type out. This journey has been one of the most humbling,

challenging, exhausting, yet rewarding journeys upon which I have ever embarked. To this day, I

still remember when I found out that my dreams were beginning to come true. On April 6, 2016,

I received an email from the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing (BSMCON) admissions

committee that began with “it is our pleasure to offer you acceptance…”. I immediately stopped

reading the email because I was overwhelmed with emotions, ranging from pure excitement to

bawling with happy tears. If I had to name my top five moments in my life so far, being accepted

into nursing school would be on that list.

I was finishing up my senior year at Virginia Commonwealth University when I learned

of my acceptance into the BSMCON program. As I was finishing up an important chapter of my

life, another extremely important chapter was just beginning. When I walked into my first

nursing class in August of 2016, I was very excited but nervous because I did not know what to

expect. When we began taking NCLEX-style exams in the Foundations for Nursing course, I

began to doubt myself because the questions required me to think in a different way than when I

was completing my first undergraduate degree. I thought that material was difficult, but little did

I know, I was in for a rollercoaster ride because Health Assessment really humbled me. I was

discouraged most of that semester because I was not getting the grades that I wanted and I felt
that I was doomed. I began to speak negatively to myself and say things like, “if you think this

stuff is hard, how are you going to survive the rest of the program?” and “you’re never going to

graduate from this program because you can’t even grasp this content”. Although those thoughts

began to consume me, I remembered who I am and whose I am. I realized that God would not

bring me that far to only go that far. I continued to pray my way through the semester and before

I knew it, it was junior year.

I’m pretty sure that everyone in my cohort can agree that junior year was the most

challenging and stressful year in the entire program. We had a full class load and we began our

adults clinical. Adult Nursing Science was probably the most difficult class for me in nursing

school because the course load mixed with the material was overwhelming. I loved

Pathopharmacology, so that was my saving-grace. During my junior year, I really began

developing into the student nurse that I am today. I started to figure out how to incorporate my

personality and experience into my nursing practice and I can honestly say that I experienced

growth each time I went to clinical.

Junior year was all about development and learning, so I knew that senior year had to be

all about continued growth and confidence. The first semester of senior year was very busy for

me because aside from working my normal 24 hours a week at my job, I was taking three classes

at a time with two different practicums. The Nursing Care of Families course was the most

challenging course of that semester, especially the pediatrics section. My dream is to become a

neonatal ICU nurse someday, so being able to shadow in the NICU during my maternity rotation

was such a great experience. During my current and last semester of the program, I had my

immersion on the mother-infant unit at St. Francis Medical Center. I learned so much during the

215 hours that I spent with my preceptor on that unit. Although I was always exhausted, I looked
forward to going to clinical because I was working with a population that I want to work with as

a nurse.

As this crazy journey comes to an end, I cannot believe that I am almost finished. Even

though I feel that this program has greatly prepared me to enter the nursing profession, I know

that I still have much more to learn and I have a substantial amount of growth coming within

these next few months. A few areas that I specifically want to enhance would be with my

confidence because I sometimes doubt myself and my abilities. I have to stand strong in the fact

that I have gotten this far for a reason and that I know what I am doing. Also, I would like to

continue to develop my SBAR skills as I enter my nursing career because it is a tool that is used

every day. I have to be able to effectively communicate with members of the health care team, so

I would like to become proficient in my SBAR skills.

Overall, I am so excited that this journey is almost over. Although there is still some

uncertainty as to where I’ll begin my nursing career, I can rest assured knowing that God has a

plan designed just for me. He has brought me through this program and I know that He will

continue to take me wherever I desire to go. I just have to remember that I am working on His

timing, not my own. These past three years have been life-changing and I am so grateful to have

had this opportunity. With graduation just a few weeks away, I am counting down the days until

I can continue giving good help to those in need! 