Introduction
Throughout my nursing school years, I have become more passionate about evidence-based nursing practices. These years have been an amazing journey that has imparted knowledge to me necessary for the starting of my nursing career. My experiences in nursing school over the years have enabled me to develop skills and assets that every potential nursing professional needs to become a success in this field. Upon my graduation, I hope to immediately join a workplace that will enable me to work closely with medical doctors and other supporting professionals to help varied patients recuperate well and resume their daily lives within the shortest time possible. My greatest strengths and skills that I have gained from my nursing schooling years are in building rapport with patients, faculty members and fellow school mates during actual training and internship. Working one-on-one with various groups of people has especially been instrumental in improving my people skills including communication skills, collaboration, and building rapport. Working hand in hand with my professors and fellow students has increased my knowledge on ethical and legal practices that are required of nursing professionals. This portfolio is a personal assessment of my experiences in studying Bachelor of Nursing with a specific focus on my critical thinking skills, oral and written communication skills and how these skills will be utilized in my future nursing career.
Critical thinking
During my nursing school years, I have developed critical thinking skills which have been important in my research and understanding both sides and opinions of controversial issues. For example, in one of my assignments which was a review of Elena Avila’s book which is a reflection of traditional Mexican medical practice, I had to attempt to remove my bias like other modern practicing nursing professional who thought that the appropriate healing process was a witchcraft intervention which was meant to remove curses and help those with love issues. Contrary to this popular belief, I realized that Curanderismo native healing process is an alternative medical intervention that depends on spiritual powers just like modern medicine depends on drugs for treatment. Diagnosis in western medicine points the doctor to the best drug that should be administered and in cases where one drug does not work, another is sought. Curanderismo, on the other hand, gives patients physiological advice, treatment items and prayers and, therefore, it is not a form of magic or witchcraft. My paper in legal and ethical issues that concerns the nursing field enabled me to gain a deep understanding of appropriate theories and models that guide nursing profession in making clinical and professional judgments. Through this paper, I have recognized the importance of critical thinking skills in making good nursing decisions which are guided by the first standard in nursing which is not to do harm in clinical experiences and support it with tangible evidence. Before I make a clinical judgment, I have to utilize the frameworks that I have learned in nursing school.
Growth in oral communication skills
In my nursing study, there have been instances where I have had to present my research findings to my professors and my peers. During these periods, I have to utilize my mastery of language to ensure that I present with evidence and clarity to other nurses of my planned interventions when faced with a typical patient who needs to be cared for. I have utilized a concept map that links the five nursing diagnosis methods to interventions and eventually expected outcomes. Oral communication skills have been a vital skill that enhances nurse-patient relationships and in understanding the real concerns of varied patients. They also reduce incidents of improper communication of evidence and diagnosis between the nurses, doctors and supporting staff in a medical facility. In one instance, I had to use therapeutic communication to assist a patient who appeared distressed when they called into my room. The patient’s parents complained that the patient had not done incentive spirometer exercises. This required that I calmly approach them and encourage the parents to support the patient during the exercises. I realized that though the exercises were supposed to be fun-filled, with the lack of support, they had turned painful for the patient. Through a balanced communication approach and professionalism, I helped the parents to support the patient for a positive outcome which worked perfectly when I did a follow up on the case later.
Growth in written communication skills
The nursing education and profession require professionals to research reports that are of high quality and lack grammatical errors including spelling and punctuation. In my final paper that discusses cases of readmission of patients into a hospital, I clearly articulated with evidence my argument that to reduce cases of patient readmission, the government, and private health facilities need to introduce follow-up sessions in their treatment program. I used descriptive nursing literature and published reports in nursing research journals to candidly bring out my arguments for and against the introduction of follow-up sessions in hospital sessions. I also applied my knowledge of the rules of writing reports from humanities and language to develop and write my research papers which my professors have commended as being of high quality. My assessment of the patient’s medical history has been instrumental in having knowledge about how medical reports and reporting should be done. As the patient’s advocate, I have learned to accurately represent incidents and data facts correctly so that they can be understood by medical doctors and support staff. Through my experiences with qualified nurses, I have learned the basic conventions and written report structure that I have utilized in researching numerous papers and in writing medical reports for review by doctors and related staff members.
Application to Nursing
Graduating and entering to work in a nursing field is exciting to me because it gives me a hands-on care to my clients. Serving my clients has the potential to impact them positively in major ways. Nurses are usually the patient’s advocates and convey the needs and wants of the patients to the right professionals using the right channels. I believe from my knowledge that I have gained a lot from the study period, which will make a kind of a nurse who patients can trust because of the quality care I will providing to them. I will do this through carefully listening to them, analyzing their concerns and conveying the same to the right channels. In my patient care practice, respect and compassion values will be part of my philosophy since I understand that there is absolute need to be ethical in nursing practice. When I am dealing with my coworkers and managers, I will value integrity and loyalty. Among my coworkers I want them to know that I can be depended upon. Concerning my managers, I will strive to abide by the nurse scope of practice and the organizational policies for nursing practice. I will abide by the legal and ethical requirements for the nursing profession.
Goals upon graduation
As a nurse, I will provide holistic care for my patients with an understanding that they are not just bodies but have minds and spirits as well. I will consult with other professionals outside my scope of expertise so that my practice will be enriched and that I become more effective in discharging my duties as a professional nursing practitioner. My greatest purpose of being a nurse will be to enable the wellbeing and healing of my patient clients, reducing incidents of readmissions which tend to be costly to the patient, government and pose risks to their health. My immediate goal after graduating is working in a nursing unit where I will hone my skills as well as clinical judgment so that I can become a more competent nurse. Professionally, my long term goal is becoming a role model to new nurses and continuously learning so as to appreciate new evidence-based nursing practice.
Conclusion
This portfolio has constructed my experiences, influences, and changes that I have undergone during my journey as a Bachelor of Nursing student. My philosophy during the learning process has been that when you understand the theory behind the action you are about to take, you will more likely make the best decision for the given situation. I now have clinical and supporting knowledge in critical thinking, oral and written communication which I hope to use during my working time in a real environment. The degree will be an important stepping stone in joining the nursing profession besides providing an opportunity to advance in the future with a graduate degree.
