Reflection Statement
My initial passion for nursing sparked in the human body. I was fascinated learning about the digestive system throughout my high school courses. I enjoyed learning the effects on the body due to certain ingredients in foods. I also enjoy helping and caring for others. I thought of professions that include both science along with assisting others. Due to my experience in a nursing home as a dietary aide, my desire evolved into becoming a geriatric nurse. I enjoyed caring and assisting the residents. A goal I have when working in first year clinical placements with geriatric patients is to make well defined goals that provide a special path to be achievable, along with creating goals specific to the patient I am working with. Focusing on achieving my goals rather than fearing evaluation is crucial. Creating an effective nursing plan with my nursing team can ensure we meet our goal of patient assessment (Mjanger, 2020). These goals highlight the importance of collaborating with a team. They are also essential to obtain during clinical placements with geriatric patients to help ensure a safe and productive care plan, along with a holistic approach. My passion for nursing is gaining the ability to work as a team and be included in a community. I am always looking to further educate myself along with improving my skills by learning from others.
A major concept I have learned throughout my nursing courses thus far has been the importance of providing holistic care. Holistic care is addressing a patient or situation with an open mindset and a whole person approach. It does not focus on one aspect of a person or situation, but addresses all components that contribute to the reasoning behind a challenge. For example, approaching a patient’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being can contribute to a holistic approach rather than focusing on one component. Providing holistic care is important throughout clinical placements to ensure all factors contributing to a patient are acknowledged and considered.
A worry I have during first year clinical placements is feeling unprepared for patient care. I am intimidated by the responsibility of caring for patients. However, I feel as a nursing student it is essential to collaborate with peers and work together as this is a new experience for everyone. We all have different strengths and weaknesses that can be collaborated to create a highly effective team and community. I feel myself and others can benefit from learning how to collaborate productively and respectfully with one another.
A challenge I had not thought about when becoming a nursing student was managing my time effectively surrounding my heavy course load. It becomes a challenging balance to prioritize tasks and assignments without feeling overwhelmed and stressed. As a nursing student, it is critical to maintain control over my course load and seek strategies that help manage my stress. There are two general coping skills that are provided for first year nursing students who are dealing with stress. These coping skills include managing exceptions and learning to cope (Dias et al., 2024). Managing expectations refers to a realistic goal that is easily achievable to manage the feeling of being overwhelmed. This can help with my time management by allowing myself to set small realistic goals to prevent feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Learning to cope is by adapting to difficult situations that can cause stress and anxiety. It is important as a nursing student to be able to adapt to any environment and strive for success. A benefit I am obtaining from my heavy course load is improving my time management skills and learning to manage my emotions. I feel this is a crucial skill to gain before clinical practice, as I will feel overwhelmed and stressed, but ultimately it is how I can adapt and respond to those emotions that matters. As I stated in my physiology statement, my goal is to be a friendly nurse who shows compassion and empathy for others. Learning how to manage my overwhelming emotions will help me in difficult situations moving forward in my clinical practice.
References
Dias, J. M., Subu, M. A., Al-Yateem, N., Ahmed, F. R., Rahman, S. A., Abraham, M. S., Forootan, S. M., Sarkhosh, F. A., & Javanbakh, F. (2024, May 11). Nursing students’ stressors and coping strategies during their first clinical training: A qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates – BMC Nursing. BioMed Central. https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-024-01962-5
Fontinelle, A. (2024, May). Things nursing homes are not allowed to do. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/082015/things-nursing-homes-are-not-allowed-do.asp