Introduction
Nursing, like any other career, has its own goals and objectives. Some of the objectives of nursing include: to promote human life, to prevent illness and injury, and to alleviate the suffering of others. Nursing is a nurturing and caring career, but it is also very demanding. All these attributes appealed to me when I was choosing to join the nursing school. The passion I had and good grades helped me get into nursing school. I have learned a lot in nursing school that I have not only become me a better nurse, but also a better individual in general. I have always wanted to discover new things and change people’s lives for the better. Some of the things that I have done and learned include how nursing has changed my perspectives, therapeutic communication, critical thinking to save lives, leadership, professionalism, and the importance of extensive research in nursing. The above lessons are discussed in this paper.
How Nursing has Changed my Perspective of Things
Change is inevitable. However, change can be good or bad. Nursing has helped me change my perspectives on health and life in general. I have learned new and interesting things daily that have helped construct the new perspectives that I have now. For example, knowledge was not very important to me before I joined the nursing school. I would memorize theories and answers to pass exams without understanding them in detail. Nursing changed this for me as I became eager to learn more. I now take time to understand concepts, look for viable alternatives, and weigh the different points of view that are related to the matter in question. I have also become more confident through the presentations that I have done in nursing school. Nursing has changed my perspective of life in that I have learned to appreciate life more and consider learning as an essential part of living.
I have also learned that there are times when one has to use different methods of treatment to achieve the desired results. There are other alternatives that a nurse can use to ensure that the patient in question is comfortable and on their way to recovery. Therefore, changes that promote the health of a patient, reduce risk and prevent diseases, whether scientific or not, are encouraged in nursing. This has made me realize the diversity and flexibility of nursing.
Therapeutic Communication in Nursing
It is also true to say that I have gained skills that enable me to have therapeutic communication with the patients. Therapeutic communication is one type of communication that makes the people involved develop mutual trust towards each other. Building strong relationships with patients is very important in nursing. This means that the therapeutic communication skills that I have acquired from nursing school will benefit me in the field. I have also learned that many patients do not understand the clinical jargon that I use with the doctors and other nurses.
I have realized that the clinical jargon makes the patients fearful because they do not understand it. Using therapeutic communication calms them down and assures them that they will get better. In the cases where medical terms have to be used, I go the extra mile and explain to the patient what the terms mean. Therapeutic communication also proves to be very useful in my psychiatry rotation because it not only calms the patient, but it also gives me insight into what the patient is suffering from. For example, I met a patient who was hallucinating during my psychiatry rotation. It was very difficult to tell whether what he knew and believed was true or false. However, I was able to differentiate between the hallucinations and reality and determine the cause of his hallucinations with the help of therapeutic communication.
The Importance of Critical Thinking in Nursing
Critical thinking is very essential in nursing because the nurse has to analyze some of the results that are received from the labs to take care of the patient better. Lack of critical thinking can lead to misdiagnosis, which might endanger the life of the patient. The nursing school did not just teach me about the importance of critical thinking, but it also taught me how to think on my feet. This entails making difficult, yet fast and very essential decisions about a patient. In such cases, I have to analyze both the long and short-term plans that are in store for the patient, critically analyze the choice of medicine that should be used on the patient, and finally, calculate the risk levels of each of the options presented.
The Role of Leadership in Nursing
Being both a good leader and a good follower has been very important in my career. In the case of being a good follower, I have learned to take the doctors’ orders and take care of the patient as expected. This has been very important because it has reinforced the treatment methods chosen. I have also developed good leadership skills. For example, I had to conduct lessons on the importance of in-depth respiratory exercises to some of the patients during my psychiatry rotation. This was very important for patients who suffered from anxiety and heart attacks, among other health conditions. The exercises were meant to help the patients be able to deal with anxiety avoid such attacks.
The Importance of Multicultural Health in Nursing
Multicultural health can be defined as the integration of culturally sensitive care with the contemporary clinical setting. Over the years, it has been proven that multicultural health is very important in determining the rate of healing of a patient. I have learned that different cultures have different ways of treating their members. For example, I was assigned a case of an elderly man from Africa whose family was not comfortable with the nurses bathing him. They based their arguments on cultural grounds. Whenever he had to take a bath, his sons would do on our behalf. However, in the case of an elderly white man from the United States of America, the family was not bothered by the idea of the nurses bathing him. It is this difference in cultures that make multicultural health interesting. I have worked successfully with people from different backgrounds because I respect their traditions and cultures as long as they do not put the patient’s life in danger.
The Importance of Clinical Practice in Nursing
The act of nursing a patient until they become healthy includes getting involved with the patient at a professional level. This can only be achieved through clinical practice. The clinical practice that I got enabled me to take better care of the patients because it helped me understand the situations that they were in and I knew how I would help them become better. I also had the opportunity to work with different teams. Together, we were able to learn from one another. Also, I became more involved in the health progress of the patients.
How I Achieve Professionalism in my Nursing Career
Being professional is also part of a nurse’s job. Taking care of a sick person can be very personal to the extent of intruding into an individual’s personal space. It is, therefore, very important to execute the duties of nursing, while being very professional at the same time. In my career, I have learned to be professional not only with the patients but also with the staff. I adhere to hospital rules by wearing the right uniform and using the appropriate badge. I have also learned about the importance of doctor-patient privacy. I make sure I explain what I have to do to make the patient more comfortable when taking care of them. In some cases, I take it upon myself to inform the family about the way the patient has to be taken care of. I have learned that it is important to tell the family about the different ways that I am taking care of their loved ones to avoid cultural conflicts. This ensures that I do not experience any complaints about breaching the privacy of the patient. It has also helped me to respect the patient’s culture.
The Importance of Research in My Nursing Career
Research in nursing involves extensive search for information regarding patients’ health. This can include the type of medicines they had been taking, when the illness they have started, and family health history. I have learned that thorough research is essential in saving patients’ lives. It is through such research that the nurse knows any drug allergies that a patient has, among other discoveries. This, in turn, enables the nurse to provide better care for the patient. Scientific research, on the other hand, helps in coming up with current knowledge in the field of nursing. This enhances evidence-based nursing practices.
How to Teach and How to Learn in Nursing School
The nursing school uses participatory teaching to ensure that the students understand the concepts being taught. Indeed, a nurse never stops learning or teaching. Even though many of the concepts I know and use in clinical rounds were taught in class, I have also learned new things and ways of taking care of patients from my clinical practice. I have learned a lot from the doctors and other nurses that I have interacted with. To some extent, I have also learned from the patients themselves, especially about their cultural beliefs and the way they take care of their sick ones. This has expanded my knowledge and helped me to be a better nurse. I gained some teaching experience during class and clinic presentations. I also had to explain to patients about their conditions and the various treatment options that they had.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nursing has helped me achieve my dreams and take care of people who need me. It has helped me gain the needed knowledge to nurture and love people from different backgrounds and cultures. I have also learned that change is mandatory to be a good nurse. Other things that make a good nurse include constant therapeutic communication with patients, having good leadership skills, being professional, doing research on the medical history of the patient, searching for evidence-based knowledge, and engaging in critical thinking, among other things.