Category: Reflection

Preparing for Licensure and Transition to Professional Practice

December 17, 2022 / elangland / 0 Comments

With each ATI assessment I felt like I made improvements in my test taking skills and strategies. I think my test scores showed this too as we progressed through the semester. By remediating each exam, examining my thought process, and then taking extra practice exams, I felt like I was able to find strategies that worked best for me and that brought out the best in me. However, with that being said, there are still improvements to be made. One thing that I am still working on is finding the right testing pace. Too many times during my remediations I found myself reading a question and seeing that I missed a word or phrase because I was going too fast. This hurt my scores because there were questions that I knew the answer to but just interpreted wrong. This will be an area I continue to work on as I prepare for licensure.

Reflecting on this past semester I am very proud of what I have been able to accomplish. Without a doubt, this semester has been the most challenging yet also the most rewarding. Between managing football, schoolwork, and my personal life I have made great strides in my work ethic, my time management skills, and staying organized. I have also learned more about myself and different self-care techniques that work for me. I am confident that this experience has prepared me for the world ahead and any obstacle that may be thrown my way. I am excited to apply what I have learned at this University to my future and continue to grow.

Attaining and Protecting Your Professional Nursing License

November 21, 2022 / elangland / 0 Comments

I intend on becoming licensed in the state of Maine (Potentially CT). Maine is a compact state. The application process that can be done online. There is a background check/fingerprinting, fees, submission of ID, and an exam to take in order to attain the license. I did not see any other information online about this. I know I will also be working with my school to get my information sent out to the state of Maine. I also have been offered work in Connecticut. While this is not my first choice, it is my backup plan in case anything was to change in my plan.

Reflecting on the presentation from the medical professional health program, I thought it was great to know that there are resources out there to refer to. Throughout my time in nursing school, it never occurred to me that nurses would divert or use medications on the job. Being a job where human lives are at stake, this was a surprise to me. However, after this presentation, I realized that this is a real problem and any suspected impairment/use on the job must be immediately reported. Knowing that this resource is available makes me feel more comfortable about reaching out to someone about this topic. I liked how in this presentation we heard from an actual nurse who was using on the job. They went through their entire recovery process, and it was great to see the positive changes this program made on their life.

I also thought that hearing from the district attorney was very informative. Hearing about real life examples of mistakes, malpractice, and negligence was a little scary but also helpful to learn about. While some examples were more extreme than others, this presentation really stressed how important it was to remember your responsibilities as a nurse. My main takeaways from this were the importance of the little things, how important it is to stay on top of your game, and it is better to be safe than sorry. In the future to protect myself and my license from legal issues, I will make sure to take care of myself. I will do this by getting adequate sleep, having a regular exercise routine, and healthy diet. This will help to prevent burnout. Lastly, I will always cover my bases and if I am unsure about something, will never hesitate to reach out to a colleague for help.

Career Development Reflection

September 15, 2022 / elangland / 0 Comments

The nurses in the movie: Nursing If Florence Could See Us Now, exemplified outstanding communication skills, were empathetic, paid close attention to detail, and were inspiring in their passion for what they do. Seeing this made me reflect on my own skills and where I am in my journey. I’ve come to understand that as a nurse I will always be refining my skills. Whether it is communicating, working in a team, or just listening to patients, there is always something to build on.

One patient population that stood out to me was the Native Americans. I do not have any experience working with this population however I thought it was interesting to learn more about how nurses may help them. These nurses talked about making 2-hour long trips one way just to make home visits. There was also a barrier with these patients who do not all believe in western medicine practices. Many of these patients believe in herbal remedies, so I thought it was helpful to learn about how nurses interact and educate these clients. It also showed a lot about the cultural competences you must have as a nurse to be respectful of their beliefs while also delivering quality care. Being more culturally competent is something I would like to improve upon as I know in the future I will be working with patients of all cultural backgrounds.

I will set myself apart in interviews through my passion to help others, to continue my education, and through my experiences. Some of my strengths are my time management skills, teamwork skills, and my ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Being on the football team during my time at UNE helps to justify these skills. As a football player and nursing student you must have great time management, organizational skills, and communication skills to get both done. I think this helps me to stand out and shows my commitment and passion for what I do.

Some weaknesses of mine are that I am hard on myself and can sometimes be too detail oriented. I find that I may dwell on certain things for too long. However, I have been working on improving these things through my experiences in clinical and in the classroom/lab each day.

Preparing for Transition

September 8, 2022 / elangland / 0 Comments

I am excited to begin working and making meaningful impacts on patient outcomes. I am also excited to continue my educational journey as a nurse and to find out what kind of nursing I really enjoy. I am most anxious about making a mistake or not knowing exactly what to do in practice. While I understand that there is still plenty of orientation and learning to do, I get nervous thinking about being in a situation where I could make the wrong choice. Lastly, I will celebrate by spending time with friends and family.

To stay focused and on track I will adhere to a weekly review/study schedule. I will set small attainable goals for each day of each week varying on class, clinical days, and practice. By taking it one day at a time, this will help me to feel less overwhelmed and more able to properly manage my workload. I will also be utilizing academic resources such as tutoring services and attending group study sessions. I think that these strategies will help to bring me success in my academics and in my future.

I thought the nurse logic modules were helpful. Hearing about nursing concepts, clinical judgement, priority setting frameworks, and testing/studying strategies was a great reinforcer. I think it will be helpful to keep these concepts and ideas fresh in my mind during the semester. Being able to refer to these during clinical/simulations, while studying, and during class will be helpful to furthering my progress to becoming a nurse.