How Nursing Changed My Life

Wide reaching, nurses significantly outnumbered physicians as providers of health care often having utmost vast reach remoteness to underserved communities. Having personally lived in one of the underserved communities in my hometown Western Africa before moving to the United States of America and my life calling to be a nurse from a young age with the deep desire to make a difference. I plan to contribute and continue to contribute immensely to the underserved communities by delivering quality health care to remote regions around the world. I do volunteer service at several clinics in the Atlanta area with many well-known Emory physicians that care for homeless and underserved populations, these volunteer experiences provide me with opportunities and fulfillment to develop added headship skill and experience to meet my daily patients, needs.

My journey to nursing began with my personal healthcare experience, and has continued to evolve since entering the nursing program at State University. My personal philosophy of nursing is related my life experience and my personal philosophy of life. Using reflection-on-action, I have begun to understand the influences that have lead me to nursing. I discovered client and family centered care to be an important quality when I look at the influential nurses in my life. To develop a positive therapeutic nurse-client relationship, nurses must integrate all 5 dimensions of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship into their practice (CNO, 2006). When it comes to providing client-centered care, the dimensions of trust, empathy

As time changes so does the nursing profession. From the early 1900’s until now nursing has evolved and has become more complex and well educated. Due to technology, advanced medicine, and having more skills acquired nursing has blossomed into a worthy profession. From caregiving, being a decision maker, communicator, patient advocate, and teacher nursing has more then one role in patient care.

The facility my change project has potential impact upon is a teaching hospital which is known for promoting, supporting, and encouraging clinical research and implementing latest evidence-based practice. Erlanger serves as the region's only academic teaching hospital and strives to employ healthcare professionals who are knowledgeable in the latest skill, technique, and evidence based practice (EBP) (Erlanger Health System, 2017). This serves as both a strength and opportunity for the facility. A major strength for the hospital is the support that is has for research and implementation of all change processes. In 2013 the Institute for Clinical Research (EICR), was developed to solidify unity of two objectives, providing patients’ access

I chose nursing as my profession because of the ability to legitimately make a difference in people’s lives. As a nurse, I know that I’d be affecting other people’s lives not only inside of the hospital, but also outside of the hospital. Inside the hospital, I’d be able to interact with and assist patients to a better state of well-being. The ability to interact with patients on a day-to-day basis is a one of the many reasons I chose nursing; I’d very much like a career where I am always interacting with others. I enjoy expanding my knowledge of the world around me, and I feel that these day-to-day interactions would allow my view on the world to grow because I’d be in constant communication with patients of all kinds. Outside of the hospital, I’d be able to give to the community the knowledge that I know regarding health care that people can use within their own homes and for themselves, and I feel that these little things learned can really go a long way.

We live in a world where the human race seems to be disconnected. Nowadays it feels that there are not enough people helping each other. I don’t treat life like a competition I look at it and I ask myself how may I help? What may I do to make this world a more suitable place for all to live a comfortable and peaceful life? I yearn to come forward and fulfill my role and contribute to our society in any way possible. Nursing is my calling for helping others. It sounds cliché, this I know, but it’s what I desire and what I decided to do with my body, mind, and soul.

To me, life is a pretty ironic thing; it has a way of introducing you to the things you want, but keeps it just out of your reach. As we grow and go through life experiences, both good and bad, we as humans always seem to take some form of realization or some truth from each experience. The difference amongst all of us is whether or not we take these truths and make something of them. Becoming a nurse isn’t a career choice I was pushed into making. I have desired to be a nurse for as long as I could remember. My perception of nursing and my desire to become a nurse directly comes from my passion to help people. I want to become a nurse because I enjoy being around people in their times of need and I get internal satisfaction by serving

As a little girl growing up, I watched my mother as she cared for nuclear and extended family members, people in the community and at church; it seemed like she was always taking care of people with a smile and a look of contentment. In the more than 30 years that she worked as a pediatric nurse, I looked forward to the one time in the year she was allowed to take me to work. Without realizing it, my admiration for my mother developed into a desire to help people and this influenced my dream to become a nurse. The final factor that defined my aspiration was the 14-year Liberian civil war; during this time I saw firsthand how much suffering people were going through with shortage in hospitals, doctors and nurses. A lot of people died because of poor health care and lack of qualified health care professionals.

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a nurse. I am taking the very steps to be a nurse and, due to educational requirements, I had to read a memoir written by an actual nurse called The Shift by Theresa Brown. In this book, Theresa talks about her experience over a twelve-hour shift. She illustrates how a nurse works in a hospital environment with positive and negative aspects. There are so many beneficial outcomes of being a nurse such as the relationships formed between patients and nurses, and saving lives every day. But there are also disadvantages behind this profession like the long shifts nurses must work, the hierarchies of hospital jobs, the stress of life and death situations, and picky patients.

Helping people, or connecting to people even in their most vulnerable state has always been enjoyable for me. I have always been an empathetic person, putting others needs before my own. Because of this, I plan on furthering my education by attending a four-year college and pursue a major in nursing. This will help me better my skills in the long term and enable me to do something that I will enjoy. Although, one can’t deny how hard it is to obtain a degree in nursing but I believe that in life, the sky’s the limit and no matter how difficult our aspirations are, we should truly aim for them.

What has surprised you? I think the most surprising thing about my nursing school journey has been how much I have grown and changed as a person in the past two years. I have become a much more assertive and direct person. I have a greater appreciation for the monotonous moments in my life and have learned how to not over think things and just to appreciate every moment and day for itself. Part of this group come about from clinical and part of it developed through my work experience as a nurse tech in the Emergency Department at Seattle Children’s Hospital. I personally have grown and learned a lot from the kids that I have worked with and its taught me the importance of slowing down and living in the moment. It’s also taught me that happiness is something that only you can determine. I feel that throughout all my clincials I have learned important life lessons from the people from every age and stage of life. All of these lessons have helped to shape me into a more compassionate, understanding, and better therapeutic communicator with my patients and have shaped my personal nursing practice.

Have you ever had a moment in life that validated the direction in which you felt compelled to follow? A moment which never escapes your mind because it represents one of the purest, symbolic instances you have experienced? Or a moment as simple as being handed a book to encourage you to further your dream? A time to inspire you to succeed in becoming something even more significant than you already are? Or had a moment offering you the opportunity to enhance your knowledge, and thrust yourself into the world you so deeply want to be a part of? I was handed the Merck Manual along with a kind gesture and warm-hearted encouragement which aided in igniting a fire, reaffirming what I felt I was meant to do; it was a defining moment in my life.

Why did you decide to get a RN degree? fill in an LPN, ASN, MSN, etc

While I have identified numerous issues that need improving and changing, each day, I will have to start with small changes in order to lead to an overall permanent change for the future. For the duration of this clinical, I will plan out my days in an organized manner, as a way to complete tasks in an appropriate way. I will give all medications under the supervision of my clinical instructor to ensure safe, correct medication administration as well as additional teaching. I will attempt to find answers and critically think on my own and will ask questions when I am uncertain or not 100% confident about something. I will try my best to communicate with my nurses throughout the day about things going on with my patients and inquiries I have.

I once heard someone say, “Find something you love to do and you’ll always be successful.” If you want to be in a field where you are continually learning, nursing would be the top pick. This paper will reflect the journey I have taken from Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with the incorporation of my learning objectives from my clinical course.