Final Analysis

Jessica Tharp

My Final Analysis will be very parallel to my Personal Philosophy assignment. As I

spoke about as a part of my personal philosophy, I believe I have remained generally consistent

in my nursing practice since the beginning of the program but the complexity of knowledge and

skills have been enhanced over time by personal experience. My level of compassion remains

the same; however, my experience has enhanced my complexity and comprehension of the multi-

facets that compassion encompasses. I have experienced birth, death, and everything in between.

Compassion includes happiness, sadness, and all emotions in between. The largest change I have

experienced from the beginning of the program is individualization and quality of care that is

exerted in the care I provide.

I have continually invested in my own personal growth to utilize patient experiences,

whether they have been failed or successful experiences, and incorporated that into examples to

learn and improve upon. In recent semesters, I have identified that I can improve on my non-

judgmental care. I have never been judgmental to a patient, however, I do not think I realized

how difficult it would be to face many different lifestyles and cultures that I may not have the

capacity to understand and relate to just yet. I have dedicated most of my time in this program

towards self-tolerance and understanding of all the differences in patients and how I can improve

their care by providing them care on an individualized basis and will continue to do so

throughout my nursing career.

An encounter that I reflect upon very frequently exemplifies a nurse to patient encounter

that demonstrates application of my personal philosophy of nursing. This encounter occurred my

junior semester in the nursing program and involved an older woman who was admitted to the
hospital for pulmonary exacerbations following a bilateral lung transplant. I took thirty minutes

out of my day to sit with this patient and share stories. She told me all about her family, their

holiday traditions, her hobbies, and her journey with the lung transplant that began in 2000

which included moving, hospitalization, disappointments, and personal strength. She gave me

insight into her journey thus far and how all her experiences have impacted her perspective and

outlook on life. Later that evening as I was headed to her room to say goodbye, hospice care met

with her and her family.

I had such a special and un-forgettable day with this patient and I did not want to leave

without saying goodbye, so I wrote a letter thanking her for the blessing she had given me. A

week later the manager of the unit called me into his office, apparently he had visited with that

patient to inquire about her stay and she took the, very carefully stored, letter out of her suitcase

and began to share how that 30 minutes of conversation and heart felt note I had provided her

with will be a constant reminder to her of my compassion and presence. That was the realization

that even the smallest gesture can completely transform a patients experience. It is hard for me

to fully describe the impact that experience has on me; words cannot describe.

I believe that because of the experiences I have had the opportunity to be a part of, due to Bon

Secours Memorial College of Nursing, as exemplified above, I will be the best nurse I can be. I

have been provided with the tools and the resources to be successful.

One of the most useful tools that I have been provided with, that I did not realize was a

privilege, is a true clinical setting. I have just recently learned that some colleges, especially

those that do not have affiliating health systems, do not experience clinical at all or very little.

Some of that little clinical experience may also be in a doctors office and not a hospital setting.

Therefore, the Bon Secours prepared students are at such an advantage moving forward in their
careers, especially in the new grad period. We experience three-hundred plus hours of clinical in

multiple different facilities, including acute, chronic, and specialty facilities.

I have the will and the drive to utilize all that I have been provided with and transform

that into a successful career. I have life-long friends and mentors, such as, Mrs. Ann Pryor, to

fall back on if I ever lose sight of my goals or need guidance through difficult or un-certain

times. My four, hectic years here at the college has shaped me into the well-rounded individual I

am today and I will be standing at graduation a changed woman. I have grown so much since

my first day at this college and will continue to revert back to my roots and to lead with the core

values instilled in me through the Catholic Health Ministry.