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Lauren Wilcox

May 8, 2022

Delaware Technical Community College

NUR 460 PGC Reflection Paper

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Program Graduate Competencies (PGCs)

Through NUR 330 and NUR 460, I believe I have accomplished and strengthened my

skills of the Program Graduate Competencies (PGCs). Both of these classes have given me the

opportunity to see other sides of the nursing field and not just the Med-Surg floor that I am on.

PGC #1 is “Integrate general education knowledge, skills, and aptitudes to advance nursing

education and growth in professional practice” (DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). This

PGC was met taking the general education classes required by DelTech and using those skills in

the nursing classes I took after. From taking the general education classes, they prepared me for

the nursing classes I would have to take after. PGC #2 is “Demonstrate leadership skills to

promote patient safety and the delivery of high quality healthcare” (DelTech NUR 460 syllabus,

para. 10). Leadership is a skill every nurse needs to have. I personally saw leadership in both of

my clinicals. In NUR 330, my preceptor showed leadership by figuring out issues patients had

with needing necessary supplies, such as food, transportation, wheelchairs, oxygen, etc., in their

homes and contacting the social worker and other members of the patient’s healthcare team to

get the patient what they need to live at home safely. PGC #3 is “Apply skills of inquiry,

analysis, and information literacy to support evidence-based professional nursing practice”

(DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). This was met in both of my clinical experiences. In both

experiences, the nurses and I looked through the patient’s charts, read through notes, and did

proper assessments before interacting with the patient. Looking at the charts before speaking

with a patient or interacting with them helps with getting background information and making

sure the nurse knows why the patient is here and what their plan of care is. In the hospital

specifically, when nurses give handoff report that is an example of this as well because the other

nurse is telling information that is important in the patient’s care and helps them understand the
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patient better and be able to be asked about the patient and know enough to answer the questions.

PGC #4 is “Integrate information management technology to improve patient outcomes”

(DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). NUR 330 and NUR 460 both used computer systems for

patient’s charts and information. Since I already worked at Bayhealth and have used Epic, it was

easy to use in my NUR 460 clinical because I was used to it. My preceptor and I used Epic to

chart, look up information on the patients, write notes, etc. to provide proper patient care and

keep track of patient assessments, hourly rounding, and care plans. NUR 330 clinical was a little

more difficult as far as the charting system the company used because it was Cerner and I had

not used that system since I was in clinical, but after a few days I got the hang of navigating

through the system and my preceptor was showing me how she charts in the system. PGC #5 is

“Advocate for patients and the nursing profession with regard to healthcare policy at the local,

state, national, and global levels” (DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). Advocating for

patients is something every nurse should do on a daily basis to make sure patients have

everything they need and are being well taken care of. My NUR 460 preceptor advocated for her

patients specifically when we were doing rounds with the intensivist on the floor. She would go

through the patient’s condition and why they were in the hospital and then ask for anything the

patient needed or was requesting. She would make sure the patients came first and if their status

changed, she would do what she could to get them better. In my 330 clinical, my preceptor did

something similar. If a patient was sent home from the hospital without the supplies they need or

they could not afford food when they got home, she called them to check in on them and would

find resources for food banks or would reach out to social workers to contact the medical

supplier to get them proper equipment. PGC #6 is “Direct patient-centered care through

advocacy, interprofessional communication, collaboration, and delegation” (DelTech NUR 460

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syllabus, para. 10). This PGC is used in every kind of nursing. Collaborating with other

members of the medical team is extremely important because it makes sure everyone is on the

same page and all of the care provided is what is best for the patient. In both of my clinicals we

worked as a team to better patient outcomes. Whenever we would do rounds in NUR 460

clinical, members from multiple areas of the medical team were included in rounding and they

went through the patient’s current condition, their medications, respiratory therapy (if

applicable), and other areas of the patients care that needed to be monitored. From the

information obtained in rounds, the nurse would then administer care based on the doctor’s

orders or anything they talked about. PGC #7 is “Integrate health promotion and disease

prevention practices to positively impact the delivery of healthcare to diverse populations”

(DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). This was more pertaining to my clinical in NUR 460

because I was in the hospital. Making sure to wash hands/use hand sanitizer, use proper PPE

when going into an isolation room, and making sure not to share medical supplies between

patients that are on isolation precautions/properly wiping down the machines after going into

non-isolation rooms all help prevent the spread of the germs that are in the hospital to other

patients and also the nurses. PGC #8 is “Practice professional nursing within an ethical

framework” (DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). Every nurse should practice this PGC any

time they are working with a patient, another nurse, a member of the healthcare team, etc. A

nurse should be professional at all times and always practice as a nurse ethically. Both of my

preceptors were professional whenever it came to dealing with a patient or talking to their family

members or interacting with doctors. PGC #9 is “Demonstrate lifelong learning that empowers

personal and professional growth” (DelTech NUR 460 syllabus, para. 10). Working with a nurse

who does not work in the hospital as a way of seeing that there is more to nursing than just
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working in a hospital. Working with patients, even if it is just calling them daily and making

sure they have what they need, is very important because sometimes patients need care even

when they are not at a hospital or medical facility. Working with patients outside of the hospital

is just as important as working with patients in the hospital and these clinical experiences have

taught me that.

Nursing Philosophy

My nursing philosophy is there is always something new to learn. No matter if it was at

my current job or during my clinical experience, I learn something new every day. In clinical, I

definitely learned many new things I did not know, new ways of doing things, and just better

ways to be a nurse. I learned about other aspects of nursing and how they all are just as

important as the other one. Being open to learning can open up many possibilities for nurses. I

learn something new on daily basis at my job. Whether it is a new way of how to do something

or something I did not know how to do, I learn something new every day. My willingness and

openness to learn, I believe, helped me in clinical to go out of my comfort zone and ask

questions when I was not sure what was going on or why something was being done. I think

being open and learning new things helped me achieve the PGCs because I had to be willing to

grow in order to achieve the PGCs. Without growing as a nurse through this program, I would

not have been able to achieve the PGCs.

Throughout this program, I have learned many new things about nursing that is not

physical. The BSN program teaches nurses how to think about the patient as more than just a

person who is sick. It teaches to see the patient emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well. It

has also showed how nurses should also take care of themselves outside of work. Overall, this

program as a whole, not just the clinical experiences, has helped me achieve the PGCs. It has
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taught me the importance of being an ethical nurse and how all patients should receive the same

quality of care. This program has taught me things that I will us throughout the rest of my

nursing career and will help me be a better nurse. I have learned how to better advocate for my

patients, communicate better with members of the interprofessional team, and how to work better

with other members of the patient medical team. Through this BSN program, I am a better nurse

and have better, more up-to-date knowledge that will help me better take care of my patients.

SWOT Analysis Course Goals

In my SWOT analysis, I came up with things that I believe I was good at and could work

on. During my clinicals, I believe I improved on my strengths. I was able to learn more things

that I did not know, I asked questions when I was not sure of why something was being done or

was not being done, and I came across as willing to learn and see as many skills and patient care

as I could. I do also think these clinical experiences have strengthened my weaknesses a little bit

as well. Since doing my clinicals, I have seen different styles of doing things and different

critical thinking skills that I did not have before. For my NUR 330 clinical, that taught me to

talk to the patient and from that conversation think of things they could need when they leave the

hospital. When I am doing their admission questions, asking follow up questions for each

question that is answered different from a “normal” answer. From my NUR 460 clinical, it

taught me how to critically think a little better. In the ICU, nurses have to be able to think

critically every shift. Doing clinicals in the ICU showed me how those nurses think, the

interventions they put into place, and the reasons why certain things are done the way they are.

From these clinical experiences, I believe I have definitely expanded my education and these

experiences will help me with my current nursing job. Furthering my education by getting my
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BSN will help me get more responsibility, possibly move to a higher position, and open up

opportunities to jobs in other areas of nursing.

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References

NUR 460 - Nursing Capstone | Delaware Technical Community College. (n.d.). Delaware Tech –

Syllabi. Retrieved May 8, 2022, from https://syllabi.dtcc.edu/syllabus/nur-460