Reflection
I have always had a passion for healthcare. When I was in elementary school I watched health care shows: Private Practice, House, TLC’s “Bringing Home Baby” and more. I took health classes in high school to get the high-skills major designation. It was in my second-year health class that my teacher brought in two Durham College nursing students to speak about their experience in the nursing program. I remember listening to them describe their placements and sitting in the back of the class having what I remember as an epiphany moment. I went home that night and told my parents I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up: a nurse. My mom hugged me and from then on I met with my guidance counselor to make sure my academic stream got me there. Through this reflection, you’ll see it has been a long and winding road for this goal of mine. I struggled with the sciences, just never fully grasping at these concepts; and statistics? Forget about it. Anyone knows that getting into university nursing programs is HARD (rightly so). I was accepted to Trent in 2015 for honours science in hopes of transitioning into the nursing program, however, self-doubt kicked in (remember, I wasn’t grasping science in high school). I came up with plan B.
Plan B: I started my schooling journey in September 2015 when I began my bachelor’s degree at Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy for Health Administration. Moving two hours away to complete this degree came with a load of firsts. It was my first time living by myself, my first time cooking, my first time making friends in years, and my first time doing university-level essays. I thrived socially, making friends on the first day that are still in my life nine years later. However, what I did not necessarily thrive in was my education. Going to university for the first time while balancing all of these things is a struggle for many. Why sit around and study when there are parties and friends to hang out with? I also struggled with some aspects of the course. In my second year, I was on the verge of dropping out. I was making grades, however, my interest was at an all-time low. I was struggling with the lack of hands-on learning material and the courses were (in my opinion) boring. Regardless, I powered through knowing that my final goal was to be in the healthcare field and make lots of money. Boy was I wrong. I graduated still having that urge to be a nurse and also realized on my job hunt that it’s not as simple as graduating and making lots of money. Master’s degrees and entry-level jobs are indeed a thing.
I worked for a year before applying to Durham College’s pre-health sciences, determined to do this so I could enter into the PN program. I completed this program online, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Hey, at least it gave me something to do. I managed to attain stellar grades and applied to the program. Finally, I was in. Nursing school during a pandemic is an interesting environment to be in. Online classes, which honestly I did not mind, placements cut short or not happening at all. Conducting head-to-toe assessments on peers while both were fully covered in PPE did cause some hardships. Regardless, I learned a lot and had a great time in labs. During my time at Durham College, I started a job on a memory-care floor in a retirement home where I learned medication administration, leadership duties, and providing personal care… Oh, and lots of patience. After a few months of this, I received a job offer with Lakeridge Health as a clinical extern where I worked on a geriatric rehab unit. I developed a lot of time management, became efficient at taking vital signs, and practiced hands-on skills. I eventually moved to the emergency department where I further developed my knowledge. I was practicing EKGs, attempting to read telemetry strips, and practicing more head-to-toes.
Upon completion of school, I landed my first job as an RPN on the medical-surgical floor. I have been working as an RPN for almost two years now. In this job, I have been constantly learning new things. This has been great because it helps meet the quality assurance program with the CNO as I am continuing competence and quality improvement in both knowledge and skill (CNO, 2023). While working as an RPN, I have realized that there is advocacy needed for both patient care, as well as nurses. Going back to school to transition to RN is a decision I have not made lightly. Ultimately my goal is to apply both my Health Administration degree and my Nursing education to help advocate, influence policy making, and provide leadership to nursing to better care for patients in a safe, inclusive environment. According to the RNAO (2013), nursing leadership is a vital component in the delivery of patient care as it helps shape the profession, helps navigate change in challenging times, and facilitates learning and mentoring on evidence-based practice.