Editors Note: This nursing student story essay was selected from BrainTrack's Nursing Schools Scholarship for fall 2009. At the time of submittal this entrant was studying for a Bachelors in Nursing at East Tennesee State University in Johnson City, Tennesee.
Wishes Had Known |
Program Likes/Dislikes |
Choosing Nursing
What do you wish you had known about selecting and entering your nursing school that would be helpful to others going into nursing?
I wish I had known there was an evening and weekend program available. This option was not mentioned to me. I was automatically registered for the day program. The evening and weekend program students go during the summer, yet they graduate a semester earlier.
I also would like to have known the radius of the area in which they choose their clinical sites for students. I commute to school each day. It takes an hour and a half one way to get to school and clinical. Several people have requested other clinical sites, but the instructors said there were not enough students willing to go to those clinical sites. Therefore, some students commute almost two hours to clinical.
What have you enjoyed most and least during your nursing degree program so far?
I have enjoyed learning more each and everyday. I have been introduced to care plans, in which I did not have to do in LPN school. Also, one of the most beneficial aspects of my nursing program is the nursing lab. I learn best through hands-on experience. I do wish there were more opportunities to work in the nursing lab.
I dislike the scheduling of classes and clinicals in this nursing program. As an LPN, I did not have to take Foundations, which is the basic nursing skills class. This is where they go over the care plans and documentation, basic skills, etc. I wish I could have taken the class for a review. The instructors refer back to Foundations many times in all my other classes. I am only in clinicals about six hours a day, twice a week. I feel that I do not get enough experience. I wish the clinical times were longer.
What led you to choose nursing as a career path?
I have always had a strong desire to help those in need. My aunt suffered severe injuries from a motor vehicle accident five years ago, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. She was only eligible for nursing care a few days each week. The home health nurses approached me and asked if I would be willing to learn to care for my aunt. I saw this as a learning opportunity, and I also knew that this was my way of giving back to a person whom I loved.I have been taking care of my aunt several times a week for the past couple of years, and it has become a part of my everyday life.
When I enrolled in LPN school, I soon learned that nursing was very challenging, yet very rewarding. I grew stronger as a person, and I also learned that nursing is more than giving medications and reading medical orders (as many people assume). It takes a special person to be a nurse. It takes someone with a heart, who is full of compassion. I realize that I am my patient's advocate. I am his/her voice.
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