This first year of nursing has been a whirlwind. I have
learned an incredible amount so far in my classes and my clinicals. One of the
greatest things I have realized, too, is that not only have I learned so much
but also I am able to apply it to everyday life and my clinical experiences
very quickly and accurately. I know that I had been worried in the beginning
thinking, “How am I ever going to learn all this information, facts, and tips
and be able to apply at the drop of a hat when it is most important?” It is so
exciting though when I realized, “Hey, I do actually know what I am talking
about and I see why what we are learning in class is so crucial and this is how
it is applied”. I also want to note how much I have grown to respect the
medical professionals that teach and help us every day. I knew that they had to
know a lot but just the sheer volume and importance of everything is
overwhelming at times. I really have grown to respect my professors, too
because I realize that they not only had to learn all the same information that
we are having to learn, but they are having to keep up with the latest research
to keep up safe and updated. They have to relearn things that they had come to
take for granted and they have to learn how best to teach this information.
Being a teacher and presenting information that one has learned and taken for
granted is very difficult and I have a lot of respect towards them for that.
One thing that I am very excited
for in this upcoming year is interacting more with the public. We have been
practicing and researching so much in our lab and watching tutorials and being
taught how to interact with other people but I cannot wait to actually
experience it. We were able to enjoy the simulation lab on campus recently with
our top-of-the-line mannequins and that was very exciting to get closer to what
real life will be like. We learn all these basics in safety and medication
information but to actually see it all pieced together was something else. I
just cannot wait to actually see everything applied at once.