My Clinical Experience As A Nursing Student

Nearing the end of my shift in the Emergency Department, I was requested to accompany a patient while the nurse readied the discharge papers. Upon entering the bay, I met a very small and fragile patient who was anxious to go home. Conflicted between my primary duties and responsibilities to complete training for two inexperienced volunteers, I decided to put forth my interests in teaching by demonstrating compassionate care to my trainees. Although the patient repeatedly refused my assistance, I gave my best effort to calm her as I cloaked a warm blanket around her. As I listened to her confide in me of all of her hospital anxieties, I was shocked from the lack of quality care she had received which made her feel more sick after the first

A number of emotions were felt during this experience, in regards to transitioning from a student nurse to the registered nurse role. Primarily, the transition in role from student nurse to registered nurse was similar to any clinical experience I have had at Midlands Technical College. I was placed in a medical-surgical rotation. I felt slighted that not only were we required to complete a data tool but we also participated in the teamwork model demonstrated in prior semesters. Personally, I did not feel a transition during this particular clinical experience.

Giving myself time to read up on nursing experiences, attending more clinical practice labs, participating and watching these duties in the health care setting will allow me to develop a secure level of confidence the next time that this type of situation may occur. Staying in the room allowed me to experience the feeling of support while looking past social norms and how they are challenged. I met my personal values, and I believe that one should respect another person`s privacy. This understanding allowed me to be there to support the resident during her time of need. In the article `starting out` by Jane Schulz, a nursing student shares her experience of helping her colleague assist an elderly patient with daily care. Observing the compassion and care between nurse and patient from fundamental tasks, she took away a valued lesson of how our support and caring methods affect an individual. My relation to this story allowed me to reflect on the effects my care and supporting actions had on our patient.

I sincerely believe that I accomplished my goals this week. I realized that I served 14 patients by combining the ability of knowledge, my attitude for excellence that I have consistently defeat the odds to become the very best Nurse practitioner; I can become. This clinical experience brings forth many opportunities and achievements. The most important experience this week; I had the ability to identify as primary healthcare provider a high risk need for the patient to be transferred to the Hospital for further evaluation without delay; due to complaints of “leg cold from the knee down to the feet”, which my evaluation was based on evidence practice knowledge of compassion and skill with the autonomy to practice, diagnose, and treat patients

For my Clinical experience, I was referred to one of community clinics run by nurse practitioners - yes, NPs- in Suffolk County in Long Island by my coworker. It is called “Nightingale Preventative Care.” I am working in the ER and at first, I thought this clinic would be a type of urgent care office which is a similar setting to the ER. I was totally wrong. For the past two weeks, this place has surprised me many ways and I learned about what the community clinic is alike to its neighbors. Patients can be seen by NPs by the appointment. However, it is located inside of K-mart and has many walk-in patients as well. Many patients who come to visit for their check-up have no medical insurance. Every Wednesday, a representative from Fidelis Care insurance company comes and provides information about Medicaid and Medicare service the company has. I really like to sit down with patients and assess about their medical histories and family histories which I cannot do often in the ER. I had a patient who was Hepatitis A Ab, Total positive Abnormal first day I work at the clinic. He didn’t understand what the test result meant and neither did I. I printed out an article from National Library of Medicine and went over with him. Patient’s education in the ER rarely happens from nurses. I felt great to listen what patients tried to lose their weight or quit smoking. I like to continue on developing skills on patient’s education and preventative care measure for patients.

In the corner of the small hospital room stood a shy little girl. “You shouldn't be in here, honey”, my mother said as she nudged me out of the room where my grandfather lay dying. At the time, I couldn't understand the enormity of the situation. Ignorant to what was happening around me, my innocent mind fled with curiosity. The beeping of the machines and the soft quick steps of nurses captivated my attention. I was fascinated with this strange new world. This is the moment that sparked my desire to become someone great; a nurse.

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.

The most relevant theory in this situation is the preservation of integrity for the patient and in my practice. In order to preserve integrity and social justice I want to attain a respectful nurse-patient relationship. The nurse-patient relationship in high acuity as written in Module 1 BCIT High Acuity course “is one of the central aspects of high acuity nursing practice” (Bungay, 2005, p. 40). I feel confident this theory is the central aspect of all nursing practice. All patients, including the one I’m referring to in this journal, has her own unique beliefs, history, and experience. On top of these, the patient is now, due to critical illness, experiencing an actual or potential physiological crisis (Bungay, 2005, p. 42). It would useful and respectful of me to acknowledge that on top of her present concerns, all concerns she had prior admission still exist. I did not give her the opportunity to express her concerns. I never asked her if she had a cat she was concerned about, was missing Saturday’s farmer’s market, wanted a Sherry, missed her friend, or disliked men. There could be a myriad of things that may be concerning her at the time. All real and potential factors support or challenge having a positive relationship with the patient (Bungay, 2005, p. 41).

My educational fear in the past was during my first week off ICU orientation, I was assigned an admission from the ER of a post cardiac arrest middle aged patient who was placed on a therapeutic hypothermia. I verbalized to the Charge Nurse of being hesitant to accept the admission since I’m fresh off orientation. She told me “this would be a good experience for you”. I want to keep good positive impression to my colleague being a new nurse of my new unit and took on the mission to accept the assignment. After receiving a report, the unconscious patient arrived on our unit on a ventilator with hypothermic jacket and with multiple drips. My heart started to pound and said to myself “what am I getting into, transferring here in ICU is a mistake, and I just want to cry”. While being shaky, I took good long deep breaths. After the patient was situated the on the bed, I carried on the task according to the doctors’ orders and the protocols. I stayed in communication with my charge nurse for assistance, questions and moral support. I succeeded the patient care uneventfully on a 12 gruesome hours by working and collaborating with the charge nurse, the senior RNs as a

“The emergency nurse acts with compassion, integrity and respect for human dignity while recognizing and safeguarding the autonomy of the individual”, (ENA, 2015). While this provision appears simply stated, most nurses find it difficult to remember their patient as a human being with intricate needs and basic human rights. As an emergency nurse, I have to keep these needs and rights at the forefront of my thoughts during the care of the patient during a very vulnerable time. Patients come in under stress, sometimes involuntary and at the most desperate times in their lives. I constantly have to make a concerted effort to communicate with the patient during a chaotic time, take time to listen to the patients fears and concerns and communicate those to the team.

In class, we’ve discussed a lot of things during our group discussion. First, we discussed the professional nursing responsibilities of this case. We said that nurses job is to educate the patients so they don’t have to come back; they can’t be judgemental no matter what the situation is; they have to report certain evidences even if the patient doesn't want us to; we can provide the information to the client’s authorities (not just anyone); and we need to look and observe the patient for verbal and nonverbal clues. Second, we discussed the nursing ethical implications for this case. We said that nurses should always respect the patient's decisions; need to provide the same, equal, and quality care for all patients; don’t always make assumptions; take patient’s values to consideration; to ask patients who they are comfortable with visiting them during their stay; always provide all the information to the patient; and remember to keep boundary, know what information to give and what not to give. Then we discussed elements of the nurse patient relationship we think are

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.

In this paper, I will be discussing my learning experiences during term three. In order to classify and expand on what I have learned, I will be writing about two roles I have assumed as a student nurse, how I have developed those roles through theory and practice, how my thinking has changed, and what I would like to change in the future.

     “Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter´s or sculptor´s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God´s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.” Spoken by a true nurse, Florence Nightingale; a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods.

As a student, I have become more aware of the needs of my community. I have always worked at being active in my community to help those in need. Most of my volunteer work revolved around collecting donations and lending a helping hand at shelters. My volunteer work did not usually involve an academic base. I was not concerned with the ins and outs of why homelessness was a problem or the difficulty women faced finding assistance to escape abusive relationships. I just knew the shelters were always in need of donations and that is where I found myself helping most. In this paper, I will describe a personal experience I have had with service learning. I will also select one service learning idea from the National Student Nurses’ Association planning guideline that interests me and describe how this type of experience will enhance my nursing student experience.