Clinical Reflection Essay

NS4 Clinical Reflection
Throughout nursing science 4 I have made tremendous growth not only as a nurse but also as an individual. This semester truly put my skills and confidence to the test by increasing the workload and skills I could perform on my own. I am proud of my achievements made in clinical this semester and I believe that they will greatly impact my future practice as a nurse. Although some days were worse than others, both the bad and the good days contributed to the great nurse I am aspiring to be.
Benjamin Franklin once said “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Throughout my nursing journey at Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing I have had many opportunities where I was involved in something
During the course of clinical this semester, students are put to the test by increasing the patient ratio and doing things on our own to prepare us for the real world. At the start of clinical I was nervous and unsure if I could handle more than one patient, while giving medications to those patients alone. I am happy to say that I did it, and I have created a new found confidence in myself and with my patients. I am most proud of this new found confidence within myself during patient care and being more independent. I am also most proud of being able to draw up medication correctly, and administer it without panic within myself. I have learned to believe in myself and my practices with the help of my peers if needed. I have also learned that if something does not feel right in your gut, it is good to listen to your gut and look it up. For example, in clinical one day, my patient was prescribed an anti-hypertensive and an anti-hypotensive. I was very leery on administering these medications especially because the patient has chronic low blood pressure to begin with. I made sure to look up both of the medications, look through the patients’ history, and make
Some of the areas that can still grow are my communication skills and my time management. Both of these areas have excelled compared to the beginning of nursing school, however, there is always room for growth within these two areas. My communication skills are the best they have ever been. I have learned to come out of my shell more and open up to my patients, and it is great to be able to chat with patients and get to know their life and how it could possibly contribute to their health. My time management is also way better compared to the beginning of nursing school, however, if I get a nurse to patient ratio of 7 to 1 in my future practice, I will need opportunities for growth in those types of situations. Some ways I may be able to further enhance my practice is by taking my time and truly getting a grip on every patient’s scenario. Sometimes it is easy to overlook things and not realize the significance of something. Slowing down and taking a break to analyze everything is definitely one way I can enhance my practice. For example, if I am falling behind on my time management and I have a bunch of medications to give to patients, I may overlook something or not realize something that could correlate with the patients’ diagnosis. Another way I can further enhance my practice is by increasing my communication with doctors and feeling more comfortable