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Running head: FINAL ANALYSIS
Final Analysis
Noelle Hinson
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
November 11, 2020
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FINAL ANALYSIS
Final Analysis
As my time as a nursing student comes to a close and I begin the next chapter of
my nursing career, I am asked to reflect on my time as a nursing student. Combined,
the class experiences and practicum rotations have proven vital in my growth as a
nursing student. Both have provided me with invaluable knowledge and have steered
me in the correct path for my future. In the coming months I will start my career at
VCUHS in their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. While this next chapter seems daunting, I
know that Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing has prepared me to take on this
next step.
The class time throughout nursing school has been a huge part of my education.
Each class is specifically designed to teach me something new. All of the professors are
experts in their field, and I feel like I got the most out my education with them. In class
lecture time integrated many different learning opportunities that have enhanced my
learning experience. Through PowerPoint, professors were able to provide the
information. However, to not be mundane, the professors did a wonderful job of
incorporating other learning styles such as group work, case studies, and question
games. All of these really helped solidify the information and I know I have grown on
each new topic.
The practicum setting is really where I feel I got the most out of my education.
Starting off on an inpatient orthopedic unit and ending in a core nursery, I have evolved
and grown in many aspects of my nursing practice. The clinical setting helped me grow
in areas personally I didn’t even know I needed. I have learned to communicate better
with others, accept help when I need it, and to work as a team member. Taking care of
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someone in a vulnerable state requires you to do all these things, and I owe it to all my
patients to be the best I can be. There is also no doubt that my nursing skills have
greatly improved over the course of my time at Bon Secours. I have learned how to
pass medications, do assessments on all types of patients, and critically think through
different scenarios. The instructors I had in my clinical rotations were an integral part of
my growth in skills. They were all very hands on and open to talking through everything.
They took the time to make sure I was comfortable performing tasks and helped me
prepare and debrief and they were always available to answer any and all questions I
had regarding my patients.
Another aspect of the practicum experience that I feel tends to be overlooked but
serves as equally important is our simulations. These are designed to help us critically
think through different scenarios. They are designed for us to make mistakes. I always
felt so nervous for simulations because I didn’t want to mess up. However, I always left
those experiences with so much more knowledge than I had going in. The instructors
gave us everything we needed to prepare, which was always helpful. However, the
debriefing afterwards were they would talk us through our thought processes was the
most beneficial.
After almost three years of nursing school I know I am still far from an expert.
There are still areas in which I know I need to work on. I know these things will grow
over time. One area in which I would still like to grow is communication. Communication
hasn’t always been an easy skill for me. When there is friction in the clinical setting
whether that be with a patient or a colleague, I tend to not hold my ground or brush
things under the rug. I would love to work on better communication skills and making my
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voice heard in the workplace. Another area that I need to work on is self-criticism. When
I don’t get skills right away or don’t understand an order, I tend to take it hard. I need to
better realize that all of these are opportunities for growth—I know there will be plenty of
them! The wonderful thing about the nursing profession is that personal and
professional growth are always encouraged. I plan to take everything I have learned
from Bon Secours into my nursing career. They have prepared me well and I am
beyond ready to start this next adventure into nursing.
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