Personal Statement Of My Personal Experience In Nursing

My inspiration to pursue a lifelong career in nursing derived from witnessing a close individual succumb to a painful and chronic disease when I was the tender age of 6. I pondered and researched endlessly on the symptoms and damage caused by that disease until I comprehended its origin and everlasting effects. The memory of witnessing that individual die will continue to plague my memories and serve as a reminder of why I continue to strive for my goals today. From that point on, I knew exactly the person I aspired to be in the future—a nurse. I was fascinated with acquiring knowledge about the human body and diseases. In high school, I applied to a local hospital to become a candystriper to gain more insight about the medical field and nursing. I was placed into the endoscopy department and it was there where I truly established my determination to take on the challenge of becoming a nurse. I witnessed and experienced a myriad of things during my time there. I grasped how to become more compassionate and to prioritize one’s life and safety above everything. The hospital became my personified version of Utopia.

The first year working as a RN was especially difficult. I started out on a medical-surgical unit with an oncology focus. I felt overwhelmed much of the time, but thankfully I was surrounded by experienced nurses. All of my coworkers on that unit had at least eight years of experience and so I was able to go to them for advice and guidance regarding the issues with which I was struggling. My advice to new nurses is to know their resources and ask the experienced nurses on the floor for help.

As a new nurse, I remember feeling overwhelmed with task to do daily with multiple patients. How could I assess, chart, give meds and care for 5 patients all at the same time. I was distracted for years. There was no time to feel empathy or compassion for my patients. Many nights I would go home thinking this is not why I became a nurse. After years in a civilian hospital and nursing homes I decided to take a job at a small military hospital.

Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.

For as long as I can remember, or since the first time I met a nurse, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I have always held a great deal of respect for those who care for others in their time of need, and sacrifice their own emotional health to be strong for someone else, when they could not be strong for themselves. For several years my fear of being unsuccessful held me back from pursuing this dream, until I decided to finally take the first step and become a certified nursing assistant, and enroll at Clinton Community College to begin my journey to becoming a registered nurse. In the summer of 2014 I had decided to take control of my life and pursue my dream of working in the field of healthcare.

Growing up around three female nurses in my family has sparked an interest in working in the medical field; being the introvert that I am, I decided that it was best to become a medical records field technician in Surprise Arizona. Being a big part of my life has I was growing up, my Nana and my two aunts Phyllis and Theresa all took upon the same career choice and became nurses. On February 14, 2012 I went with my Nana and my sister to the nursing home where my Nana works and passed out cookies for Valentine’s Day. While I was passing out cookies with my sister, I was able to see how the staff interacted with the patients and helped them if was needed, it made me realize that one day I would like to work somewhere in the medical field, but

I was a licensed vocational nurse when I started my career. I experienced doubt, disappointment, and fear as I grew into my new me. I was not always respected by fellow nurses, but I did not give up. When I became a registered nurse, I experienced the same disrespect by some of the nurses regardless of my skills and abilities. Throughout my career, I learned to be flexible, open-minded, and true to who I knew I was and wanted to be.

If I asked for help with turning or repositioning heavy patients, I often got the same response. There were a few CNAs that I could rely on for assistance, but they were not always scheduled on the days I worked, so many times I was on my own. Due to the overt and covert uncivil behaviors expressed by my co-workers, I often dreaded going into work, despite really enjoyed assisting the nursing home patients. I also felt ethically uneasy, as I knew that many of the patients were not getting the care I would like to provide due to me not having enough time or enough assistance. It was discouraging to have this as my first nursing experience.

As a new graduate from Santa Monica College, I am in the process of obtaining my first RN position in where I will be introduced to a new way of life and work altogether. Although I have spent several hours in a clinical setting and also had the chance to have a preceptorship and get the experience of being on my own for several weeks with no clinical instructor I will still feel inexperienced when I obtain my first job position. I will no longer be a nursing student but an actual nurse who will have three to four patients I need to take care of without someone watching my every step. The transition from being a nursing student to a working nurse will be difficult in the beginning but as time passes by and I get more experience I should be

As nurses we all bring our own values and beliefs to the job whether or not we intend to, it happens. I place large amounts of value on family and friends. These are the people you can call on for support. I know that without the support of my mom helping me with my kids and my house work there is no way I could be in the nursing program. Family is often a place when as children we learn and develop our values and beliefs. Giving this deeper thought I can see how this is true for myself. When working with B I would often think about what it would be like to be raised in an unstable environment by a mother who struggles with mental health and addictions. B was often placed in respite foster homes. I found myself thinking about what it would be like to sit down to meal with a strange family how awkward would he have felt. Building on this making connections with people is very important to me. Once I was able to build a connection with B I was able to work with him in a more cohesive way. Making that convection helps to build trust, positive relationships are built on trust. Being a good listener is a skill that I value as a nurse. Not only do I value being a good listener but I also value being heard. I value you a person 's ability to do what they say they are going to do. If you tell a patient that you will return to check in with them in 30 minutes than you need to be sure that you keep your word. When working with clients it is import to me to build on

After getting to know the building and working real hard 5 days a week I began to love the job. I made friends with the nurses and elderly people. My favorite nurse Lola, would always tell me how beautiful I looked. Things like that made working there worth it, I still remember the smell of the place. I worked on the floor where the residents have mild or developing cases of Dementia. I was content on that floor, I still liked my

I tried to mentally prepare myself but there is nothing like being thrown to the wolves, or so that is what it felt like. As the weeks went on, I eventually came off orientation and had my very own assignment, which were sixteen patients. It started out a little rough, but as the days went on I gained more and more confidence in myself as a nurse. Before too long, I was doing it all; wound care, tracheostomy care, med pass and tons of paper work.

Despite my feelings about the field, my nurse this week was great and you could tell that she loved her job. She showed preparedness and interdisciplinary teamwork as soon as we arrived to the agency by attending

In most departments of nursing, the transition from a nursing student to an employed or working nursing is always a challenging experience for many nursing students. Most graduates are ineffectually oriented to the nursing working environment. Generally, new nurses are not given an environment that is supportive for them to practice what they learnt during their training as nurses, regularly, the expectations they encounter are unrealistic.

At that time, many operating rooms did not mentor new students, so educationally the jobs were difficult to break into. I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to succeed so I worked diligently with a staff that was at least 25 years older than me and with years of hardened experience. No one really wanted to help a city slicker nurse like myself. Feeling those vibes from staff, I tried to endear myself to some of the older most powerful team members. Like hanging with an alpha dog, the pack soon respects your position. I would always ask for their guidance and respected their years of knowledge. I brought new ideas to the table but filtered them through the more seasoned staff. The challenges that awaited me during that six months probationary period were grueling and emotionally