Final Analysis

As my time in nursing school quickly draws to an end, I am amazed at how far I have come.

Reflecting on the past three years, I realize how much I have learned and grown. I can remember

my first day in the clinical setting. During those early days, I was relieved to have a partner to work

alongside. I had absolutely no clinical experience so having a partner was just the support I needed

to enter a patients room, let alone make it through the day. Today, I am able to juggle up to four

patients care nearly independently. To say Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing (BSMCON)

prepared me for my career as a registered nurse is an understatement.

The nursing program has helped me to develop into a well-rounded nurse generalist. The

extensive clinical experience gained during my time at BSMCON is invaluable. These clinical

experiences have reinforced the knowledge gained in the classroom and equipped me the practical

and technical skills needed to become a nurse. My clinical experiences occurred on many different

units including: medical-surgical, renal, orthopedics, neuroscience telemetry, oncology, behavioral

health, emergency department, intensive care unit, labor and delivery, mother/infant, NICU, and

pediatrics.

Having the opportunity to explore so many facets of nursing sparked my interest in critical

care early on. However, I was not sure if I was ready to surrender to the idea of committing myself

to a specialty. Before I even had time to reconsider, it was senior year and time to fill out my

clinical immersion request form. I could list my unit preference as well as my availability to work

various shifts. But what I could not figure out was where I wanted to spend these crucial moments.

These moments would ultimately shape me as a nurse.

As my final semester began, I was nervously excited as I awaited my clinical immersion

assignment. I wondered if I would be in a busy emergency room or on an all-consuming ICU.

Although I did not know where I would end up, one thing was for certain. I would be completing
this clinical experience all by myself. This was not my first day. My friends were not going be by

side, encouraging me to have the confidence to try new skills. They would not be there to greet me

as I rubbed the sleep from eyes when I arrived to the hospital for clinical. But my nervousness

would have to go on another day as the first day of school was delayed due to snow. This meant we

would not be going to immersion orientation for another full week.

News quickly spread when clinical immersion assignments were posted the following week.

I thought back to Senior 1 semester when I was filling out my form based on my availability and

unit preferences. It was too late to turn back now. I pulled up the list and was excited to see my

name listed next to the oncology unit at Memorial Regional Medical Center. Oncology, meaning

cancer, was going to be my new home for the next 202 hours. The anxiety that once filled my chest

was replaced by sheer terror. I was not expecting this and questioned my readiness to work with

such intense patients. I was humbled yet ready to take on the new challenge.

Day 1 was intense, but each day improved. I felt more capable handling a higher patient

load. Before I knew it, my preceptor was assigning me more and more patients. Just as I felt at

midpoint, my confidence and comfortability blossomed. Now after completing my clinical

immersion I can say that I had the chance to touch lives. Working on an oncology unit, I was

blessed with the opportunity to care for individuals in their dying days. The amount of humility I

feel is indescribable. Now when I hear every clinical experience is a good experience, I have no

choice but to agree. With each experience you grow, learn, and change.

At this point in my nursing career, I am working on continuing to become more competent

in my skills. Nursing is a lifelong learning profession, so my education will not stop after

graduation. I plan on becoming a certified critical care nurse in an intensive care unit within the

next 3 years. I will gain skills by working under the preceptorship of a more experienced nurse.
Working on a unit will enable me to further develop critical thinking and time management skills

needed to be successful in caring for clients.