Final Analysis

There are so many emotions that come to mind when I reflect on all that I have learned

and accomplished over the last three years. When I was applying to nursing school I was

intimidated because everything I had read talked about how hard nursing school was and that it

would be difficult for me to continue working full time if I was going to be successful. I am a

few years older than a lot of my peers and I already had a bachelor’s degree in Biology from

Virginia Commonwealth University. I decided to push those fears to the side and told myself I

was going to do whatever it took to make it to the finish line. As I type this final reflection, I am

45 days away from graduating and I just accepted my first position as a nurse in the critical care

unit at Memorial Regional Medical Center. I was a college ambassador my entire junior and

senior year; I will be graduating with Latin honors and I was invited to be a member of the

College’s honor society. It has not been an easy road and I had to adapt to and overcome many

challenges as a result of COVID-19 but I have made it to the finish line.

When I first entered nursing school, I considered myself an expert student and a novice

nurse according to Benner’s nursing theory. In the beginning, I had no problems completing

assignments and studying for important tests but caring for someone at the beside was all new

territory. I can remember how terrified I was to perform a head-to-toe assessment on my lab

partner in that first health assessment lab. Now I am able to go into a patient’s room and do it

without thinking twice. I can interpret my findings and implement appropriate interventions

based on the data. In addition to improving my hands-on nursing skills, my critical thinking

skills have grown tremendously. I am better at therapeutic communication, active listening,

teamwork and time management as a result of my education over the last three years. I no longer
have to ask the nurse I am helping or my clinical instructor what to do in every situation and

believe I have progressed to an advanced beginner.

I believe my strong work ethic and desire to succeed so that I can care for others are

qualities that are going to make me a great nurse in the future. I entered nursing school with

several years of experience as a bartender in a fast-paced restaurant. I believe that position gave

me an advantage because I already had so much experience talking with people, working as a

team and multi-tasking. I know how important it is to be organized and work efficiently in a high

stress environment and these are qualities that I have been able to transition into my nursing

practice. In the hundreds of hours I have spent in the clinical setting I have seen how important

teamwork and communication are to nursing. In my clinical immersion on the telemetry unit at

St. Mary’s Hospital I have been able to put these qualities to use and improve on a variety of my

nursing skills. I now feel more confident in my ability to provide my patients with the care they

deserve as I transition into my role as a Registered Nurse.

As I finish my senior year of nursing I am aware there I still have a lot to learn. I know

that advancing through the stages of clinical competence happens in stages and takes time and

patience. I am nervous about starting my job as a critical care nurse, but I know I have the

foundation to be successful. I will have multiple opportunities to grow and improve and I am

going to make mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and as I enter my new career I have made a promise

to not be so hard on myself. My plan moving forward is to be a sponge and take in as much

information as possible and ask questions whenever I have the opportunity. I am going to ask for

help when I need it and say no when my workload is full. I am going to welcome any

constructive criticism I receive and use it to become a better nurse. I plan to stay on the critical

care unit and become a certified critical care nurse. I would like to become a preceptor one day
so that I can help students in the way my teachers and preceptor helped me. I would like to hold

a leadership position and become an educator in the future, and I feel confident that I can

accomplish that goal as a result of my hard work and the education that I have received.