Reflection
After five years as a Registered Practical Nurse, I was excited to return to school and begin my journey as a Registered Nurse. I thought I was ready for anything and focused primarily on improving my clinical skills. However, I realized that nursing is more than just clinical skills. Around week 4, each course reminded me that nursing also involves empathy, resilience, and responsibility and so on. I believe that the journey to becoming a registered nurse is more than just a big step in my career; it will allow me to grow professionally and make me a better nurse.
One of the biggest changes I have noticed is my time management. Unlike other students who focus solely on academic study, I have to be very disciplined. I arrange my time for work, study, assignments, and leaving space for myself to avoid burnout. Prioritizing is the most important for me. I create a plan for myself about what tasks I need to accomplish, helping me to achieve realistic daily goals. Transitioning from working part time to being a full time student has taught me to manage my time more effectively. In addition, learning nursing courses enhances my empathy, compassion and accountability. Nowadays, I have more understanding of my colleagues since we are on the same page in hospital. Moreover, accountability not only means I need to take full responsibility for my academics but also for my patients. This transition is full of challenges, but it also pushes me out of my comfort zone. I believe this journey will help me grow into a more compassionate, resilient and professional nurse.
Nursing school undoubtedly brings a mix of stress, frustration and pride. For example, I felt so stressed when my first assignment grade of 1001H was released. I even started to worry that I might fail the whole course. After I talked to my friends, I felt a bit reassured. After that day, I spent 3 days making notes for every chapter before reading week and I spent 2 days doing practice quizzes and reviewing my notes in reading week. I wouldn’t say i get a good mark in midterm but at least see a hope to pass this course or even chase better marks on the final. I have learned that resilience is so significant especially when you feel you can’t keep up. Success comes from resilience and staying persevering during tough times(Fernández et al., 2021).
Each day’s lesson has given me a renewed perspective on teamwork and collaboration, respect and accountability.There values and reshaped my actions and thoughts. In my interactions with my classmates, I will remind them what details they may miss in assignments and will ask their advice for group work. The teamwork and collaboration makes it easier for me to feel like I belong in the group. Respecting others in the class allows me to make friends and I also believe effective communication is based on respect. Accountability to me means taking full responsibility for my schoolworks and patients while on the job.
Initially, I thought nursing was just a job to provide assistance to patients, but now I realize that the responsibility of nursing is not only to the patient, but also to colleagues, the healthcare system, and the professionals themselves. I have also noticed that nursing is emotionally and physically demanding for healthcare professionals. In addition, this transition has taught me the importance of resilience. Nursing is not easy, every step we take has a huge impact on our patients. All in all, these insights reminded me of the significance of nursing.
Overall, my goal is to keep improving my skills and become a well-rounded person who can make a meaningful difference in patient’s lives. I will continue to enhance my skills, embrace all challenges and develop critical thinking skills to view and solve problems. Because stress can lead to insomnia（Boren, J. P., & Veksler, A. E.,023)., which can further lead to a decrease in the quality of my studies, I will reach out to my friends and family for support more often when I feel stressed. It is also important to have an exercise routine for physical and mental health.
