This
semester has been very different from my others at TCU. As my first semester
with clinical days in the hospital, it has been my most applicable learning
experience yet. When I decided to change my major from pre-med to nursing
freshman year, I was very excited that the nursing track was filled with
hands-on and practical learning.
I have learned the basic skills of
nursing care in my fundamentals class and practiced them for hours on end in
the lab. But then I was able to go even further and put these skills to the
test in the hospital and perform them in real situations. This has been the
most rewarding and beneficial experience for me in many ways. First of all, it
has put some of my anxiety and nervousness to rest. Thinking about how you are
going to take care of real patients can be very nerve-racking, especially for
new students. Being able to gain experience with patients while following a
nurse was the perfect first step towards doing this on my own.
My clinical experience has also
helped me improve my interpersonal skills, which is something I never expected
to gain from it. I am a pretty introverted person to begin with, but it isn’t
easy for anyone to just walk into a room and strike up a conversation with a
stranger. By watching my nurses do it in every room they enter, I have picked
up on some of the things they do to establish a connection with their patients
almost instantly. It’s important to me to form relationships with patients so
this is something that I need to continue to improve upon.
The teachers told us in August that
this would be the most transformational semester for us and they were right.
Looking back on the first time we stepped foot in the hospital I don’t even
recognize myself. I have gained confidence in simply being in the room with a
patient. I have also improved my knowledge in both drug administration and how
to take care of the daily needs of a patient.
The most important thing I learned
this semester did not come from my clinical experience, however. It came from a
5-hour shadowing experience in the neonatal intensive care unit at Cook
Children’s Hospital. Since before coming to TCU I have been inclined towards
working with babies in some sort of health care profession. Though that has
changed from being a doctor to being a nurse practitioner, the desire to work
in the neonatal field has been the same. Prior to this semester I had never
actually stepped foot in a neonatal unit before, so when I did I was pleased to
find that I instantly fell in love. Part of it was the hospital itself, but I
knew after being there for only a few minutes that that was where I was meant
to me. It sounds cliché but if you have ever had one of those same moments, you
know what I am talking about. Being there gave me the motivation I needed to
get me through the final month of this semester.
Although it has been a very
challenging semester in every way, it has been enjoyable and I look forward to
the rest of my time at TCU. Beyond my nursing classes, this Lit & Civ class
has given me the opportunity to reflect on my learning as a student. Before
this class I never took the time to reflect on each semester and how it
affected and changed me. This was a good time to start, as I feel like I grew
tremendously over the past several months.
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