Grayson Nicol Final Analysis 4/6/2018

Reflecting on my time at Bon Secours College of Nursing, I remember all the struggles

and growing pains associated with becoming a competent nurse. Starting in the fall of 2015, I

had no idea the difficulty and intensity of the courses that were ahead. I appreciate the efforts of

the college's staff and nurses in the hospitals who took the time to teach me the necessary

information to be successful. I have learned copious amount of knowledge, skills, and attitudes

throughout the curriculum. Below are examples of these skills and the necessary steps to be

taken to further my growth as a nurse in the future.

Nurses are among the most knowledgeable professionals in healthcare. A nursing

program combined with years of experience contribute to the vast amount of knowledge they

have. I remember taking Health Assessment and learning about the normal values for vital signs

and warning signs to look for in a patient. Before this class, I did not know that shortness of

breath and pitting edema could indicate heart failure. Now I can recognize assessment findings

as normal or dangerous without hesitating. One of the most difficult classes of the program was

pharmacology. Learning the generic names, uses, side effects, and contraindications was a hard

task that I am still working on today. For example: Metoprolol is a Beta-Blocker that has a side

effect of orthostatic hypotension and in contraindicated in patients with a heartrate below 60

bpm. These are just a few examples of the knowledge I have gained in this program. My

knowledge will continue to grow but this school and given me a wonderful foundation.

The skills needed to be a competent nurse range from simple to extremely difficult.

Nurses are responsible for almost all interventions and must have the skills to perform several

tasks. The tasks can range for cleaning a patient effectively to inserting a peripheral central

catheter. In Nursing Competencies, I learned how to draw blood and insert an IV. This was brand
Grayson Nicol Final Analysis 4/6/2018

new to me because I had never worked in healthcare. I am still working on my perfect technique

and can struggle at times. Learning how to administer oral, injection, and IV has been one of the

most important skills I have learned. I have advanced my skills this semester in Immersion, but I

remember learning the "5 rights" back in Nursing Competencies. Time management is another

huge component to nursing and I have learned how to manage my time over the course of the

past three both in clinicals and in my spare time. In ANS I, I was doing assessment on one

patient with the help of another student. These patients were not in critical care of step down.

Now, I am assessing, giving meds, taking vitals, calling doctors, questioning orders for two

patients the are step down. I have learned several skills for nursing, but I have also molded a

better work ethic from this program.

The attitude of a nurse can impact their patients dramatically. Having a positive attitude

and behaving as a professional are two things I have learned from this program. Holistic nursing

was a concept I had never heard of before entering the college. The approach to caring for a

patient on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level is one that I will carry on throughout my

nursing career. In practicum, I was having a stressful day and was in a terrible mood. A patient

on hospice care asked me to pray with them. I completely dropped my obligations and prayed

with this patient. This experience taught me to slow down and to not forget that small things that

mean the world to patients. My attitude overall has changed over the course of the last three

years. I have become more understanding toward vulnerable populations and I have become

more empathetic to the less fortunate.

I have made great progress in my journey to becoming a registered nurse, but I still have

much more room to improve. In school we have been assigned patients while falling back on the

patient's assigned nurse. In employment, those patients will be my own and with that comes
Grayson Nicol Final Analysis 4/6/2018

more responsibility and accountability on my part. In my first job, I will work on better time

management skills to help my day flow as smoothly as possible. I will work on inter-professional

communication skills with doctors and other providers to ensure patient well-being. Another area

for growth will be to read and understand hospital policies and procedures. This is important

because it will allow me to be more autonomous and work within my scope of practice. To

conclude, this program has taught me many lessons; both about nursing and myself. I plan to

work hard in the future to master this craft and become an excellent nurse. Bon Secours

Memorial College of Nursing has given me a strong foundation to build my career upon.