Throughout my progress as a baccalaureate nursing student I have evolved in various facets.  As an associate degree nurse, my foundation was basic however as my education and experiences have grown, I believe my ability to perform my nursing duties have improved. One of my first courses in my B.S. education was clinical assessment and it was not a simple feat. I found myself questioning my ability to think critically while applying the knowledge obtained from work experience to respond to assignments. Development of a problem solving process helped to make this process easier.
A second hurdle that I overcame was balancing work obligations, social life and school requirements. I will admit that in the beginning of my B.S. degree career, there were days where I was up late in the morning after work rushing to complete an assignment where the deadline was disclosed to me weeks in advance.  With experience comes knowledge, therefore there have been grades received that reflected a “rush job”. I had to experience poor results to understand the importance of preparation and execution in a timely manner.
At the final semester of my baccalaureate degree, I have gained nursing knowledge that is applied at work and experience in planning and prioritizing that will be carried throughout my life.