Reflection

As a new nursing student starting my journey, I find myself reflecting on how I decided that I wanted to go to nursing school. As a child I realized that I always wanted to help people. Growing up I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to help people, at first I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I then realized that I wanted to help people in a different way not in a classroom, but when people are sick in the hospital. Once I decided that I wanted to care for others in a hospital setting I started looking into what jobs they offered at the hospital, that is when I decided I wanted to be a registered nurse. Helping people in need is what I feel like I have been called to do and I will do my best to achieve my goal. Starting this semester of classes I’ve learned different things about nursing. I learned that there is a holistic approach that you can take when helping patients. This includes caring for the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well being of the patient. I really enjoyed learning about this approach because it’s not just about the patient’s physical well-being but about the patient as a whole. At times I worry that I might not know what to do in each situation or be good enough, but I know I have a lot to learn in the next 4 years that will prepare me for my future.

I found an interesting article that I related to about personal growth in nursing. It is called, “The moderating role of work environment in the relationship between proactive personality and personal growth initiative among nurses: a cross-sectional study”. The article explores how a personality that is proactive affects the work environment of nurses. After the study was completed by many nurses they came to a conclusion that nurses with a proactive personality created a better work environment and it creates a better personal growth initiative. Their work environment was much healthier when the nurses displayed a proactive personality trait. They better supported one another and each individual’s growth initiative. “The research took place between September to October of 2022 and included 4414 nurses at 10 different general hospitals in China” (Xie et al., 2024). They did different sampling methods like questionnaires and surveys. Personal growth is a very important part of a nurse’s journey. Nurses feel fulfilled and they are rewarded by their work which impacts them personally. I look forward to this growth on my nursing journey as I know I will grow emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Another interesting article that I found was regarding community impact. The article I found was titled “Community-Based Interventions for Stroke Provided by Nurses and Community Health Workers: A review of the Literature”. This article is based on interventions for post stroke recovery. It emphasises the importance of raising awareness and increasing community involvement with stroke survivors. It talks about the need and how important community-based interventions are while exploring research that focuses on the improvement of stroke recovery within the community for both the caregivers and stroke survivors and their nurses. “Eighteen studies that met inclusion from 9 countries were observed. Face to face and group sessions were done at home and in the community” (Nichols, 2020). The article concluded that nurses play a very important role within the community based care. The evidence from the article shows the importance of community-based interventions for support with stroke survivors and their caregivers. There continues to be a need for these intervention programs for survivors within their communities. This article stresses the importance of nurses and their positive impact within their community.

The last article I reviewed was about being a role model, the article was titled “The influence of role models in undergraduate nurse education”. The article examines role modelling and the effect it has on the professional and personal development of student nurses. Researching role modelling as a concept and an effective method of education. “Fourteen students from mental health and adult branches of nursing programs within the UK were interviewed” (Jack et al., 2017). The results were as expected that the students found exposure to positive role modelling as very helpful and benefited their learning. They realised negative role models gave them negative feelings and caused negative effects on their learning. This is the outcome and conclusion I predicted as I know the importance of a positive attitude in the workplace. You are a product of your environment and if your environment is a positive one you will be more positive in that environment. Nurses can benefit patients with their positive role model effect and have a large impact on their patient’s outcome.

All of the articles above define why I want to become a nurse. As I continue to learn and grow I realise how important it is to help others by being a positive role model within my community. I can have such a positive impact on my patients, colleagues and all those around me. I want to make a difference in all the lives around me while providing education, advocacy, and support to those in need.