Caroline Dos Santos

NUR2811C Leadership
Miami Dade College
Dr. Annette Brown PhD and Takenya Mcdonald MSN

Journal Entry

My journey in nursing school has been a challenge. I have had to overcome personal and

educational obstacles and prepare myself mentally in a way I had not experienced yet. I have

noticed the evolvement of my character throughout the program and have transformed into

someone that I can now say I am very proud of. In my first day of nursing school, I recall my

Fundamentals professor saying to “throw away” everything I have learned and everything I knew

about critical thinking because we were going to embark on a completely new journey. And she

was right. My whole mindset has changed, my ability to think critically in any situation even

unrelated to nursing has changed, and I believe my perseverance has changed as well. This

program has changed me for the better. I am looking forward to graduation because I have

wanted this for myself for as long as I can remember. I am eager to share this moment with my

loved ones and to be the first (future) Registered Nurse in the family. Upon graduation, I want to

master several skills. However, for now I want to focus on basic skills that I need to freshen up

on such as inserting an IV, Foley catheter, feeding tubes, etc. I want to find a nursing residency

program in order to help me achieve this. Regarding the NCLEX, I feel both eager and terrified

to be preparing for licensure. After graduation, I plan to create a study plan for the NCLEX and

adhere to it strictly until the test day arrives. Once I become licensed, my dream job would be to

work either in the Emergency Room or in the Intensive Care Unit at Jackson West Memorial

Hospital. Overall, one of the most important things I have learned during my journey to become

a Registered Nurse is the power of perseverance. I have yet to experience this as a nurse on the

floor, but I have experienced it with myself and my peers. We have all worked incredibly hard
and put all other matters to the side in order to achieve our goal. I believe this is a fundamental

aspect of being a great nurse and I am grateful that we were able to experience this as we prepare

for the journey to come.