For as long as I can remember I always wanted to help people in any way. At a young age, I was helping my friends, family and siblings. When I got older I knew I wanted to be something in the medical field because I enjoyed science and wanted to help people. When it came to deciding post secondary options I knew nursing was the path I wanted to take so that’s what I did. Currently I’m in my first semester of the BSN program at Trent University and I’ve learned a lot. I know there is a long way to go but I’m loving what I’m learning and find it so incredibly interesting. Learning everything from patient care, anatomy, nutrition, and myself. I’m excited to go to my first clinical placement at a long-term care facility and get to help patients. I know that I will learn a lot being in this clinic placement but I’m extremely excited to get the opportunity to learn.
I have no one in my family who works in healthcare so this is new to me and to my family. Despite this I have gained many friends from this program who have the same interest. These friends and my whole family are super supportive and are significantly helping me through this time of change and new experiences. A study has shown that nursing students in their first year who have a support system at school and outside of school reported that their stress levels within clinical placement decreases (Aslan., 2021). I can already tell within my first semester that this support system has helped my anxiety greatly.
I want to learn more about patient care and how my care can impact their lives. I’ve learned that my own values and beliefs have shaped my relationships, personal needs and how I see the world (Astle et al., 2024). Knowing this I have examined my values and I know that reading about the impact of this is one thing but, actually being in practice and helping patients is another. I’m excited to use what I’ve learned and learn so much more in my first clinical placement and in the rest of my nursing career.