As I near graduation from the bachelor’s degree program at City Tech, I have learned that there is always more to learn. After the associate’s degree program, I was naive. I thought that there was nothing that I could possibly learn from two more years of schooling. Oh, how wrong I was. Although I had learned a lot about the science behind nursing in my first two years of nursing school, I lacked the skills necessary to apply that knowledge
The courses in the bachelor’s degree program have taught me various skills, cleared up misconceptions, and opened my eyes to different fields of nursing that I hadn’t considered before. The Physical Assessment class has taught me how to actually assess a patient. Of course assessment was taught in the associate’s degree program, but it was never focused on. I feel confident now that I have had hands on practice with assessing patients. Leadership cleared up the misconception that I had about the exclusiveness of the title. I thought only nurse managers, nurse supervisors, or head nurses could be considered leaders before this program. Now I know that nurses at any level are leaders. We all have the ability and responsibility to delegate interventions. I hope to embrace my role as a leader in the future, even if I never advance past the position of a staff nurse. Nursing Research has taught me that nursing is just as much as science as it is an art. What we consider standard practice has come from evidence-based research. Thus nursing as a practice wouldn’t be possible without nursing research. I have newfound respect for nursing research as a result of the course, and will continue to read research articles to keep up to date even if I never pursue a career as a nurse researcher. The course on Communication and Behavior in Nursing has helped me strengthen a skill I am weak in. I have always been an introverted person, so this course was particularly helpful to me. I know that communication is a huge part of nursing, and I hope to apply the communication techniques I have learned from this course in my practice. Speaking of practice, I hadn’t given much thought to practicing outside of the hospital before the Comprehensive Client Care for Urban Health Issues course. This course has given me insight into how nursing can take place in various settings such as gathering places like Grand Street Settlement (my clinical placement). Through teaching and screening at this settlement, I was involved in more primary and secondary care than in any other clinical placement. I realized the importance of nursing in unconventional settings because it allows for the prevention of illnesses before they occur. Case management has given me insight into a very important field of nursing. Although I don’t plan on becoming a case manager, I have learned the importance of organization and continuity of care in nursing. Without someone to tie together a patient’s care, they might be sent to facilities around the city or fail to receive necessary treatments. I plan to be as organized in my practice as a nurse so as to prevent this, even from a non-case manager position. Last but not least, this Professional Nursing course has opened my eyes to many nursing issues that can and will affect me in my career as a nurse. Now that I am aware of these issues, I am more prepared to face them.
Over these four years in nursing school, I have learned both the science behind nursing and what it takes to actually apply that knowledge. I am now confident that I will do well in any positions I might pursue as a nurse, and even if I can’t, I will learn how to improve. After all, one of the major things I have learned from nursing school is that the learning never ends.
