Interventions Clinical: Midterm Reflections

Can't believe the semester is halfway over! Almost another semester of nursing school down, a million more to go! ;o)

It's funny because it seems like just yesterday I was anxiously checking my schedule to find my clinical placement, going over overwhelming amounts of paperwork during orientations, and meeting my very first patient. I can't say this experience is quite what I was expecting, but on the other hand, I can't say it's much different either. They say it's not the journey, but the destination that matters, but as far as this is concerned? I think it's both. While I'm itching to graduate and begin my post-baccalaureate career and pursue my graduate endeavors, I'm trying to soak up every moment of being a "baby nurse." I'm striving to learn every single thing I possibly can, trying to make the most out of every opportunity that comes my way. I truly believe education is what you choose to make of it, and I'm thankful that I see the true value in this privilege. Most of all, I'm grateful for the blessing of a teachable mind and a caring heart. I'm thankful that I have no doubt in my mind that I will be a great RN and I will continue loving this for years and years to come.

In the past few weeks, I've learned a lot... more than I could ever begin to list, in fact. I've learned from my instructor, my friends, my patients, the floor nurses, the aides, the doctors, and even from myself and my mistakes. I've much further expanded my medical jargon vocabulary, learned how to do many nursing skills I didn't even know existed, increased my communication skills, and practiced patience and flexibility. I've learned that getting up before the sun isn't all that bad, and I've learned that it is possible for me to get really, truly excited for something. I've rediscovered my passion for learning, and I've seen how I thrive when I can turn education into practice. When I forget that this is one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life, I'm still in that euphoric state of "wow-this-is-so-cool/can't-believe-I'm-doing-this." Don't get me wrong, I've gotten stressed and claimed I was never coming back to school, but thankfully those thoughts never lasted long. When it all comes down to the fact of the matter, there's just nothing like finding the thing you were born to do.

There is no doubt that I've learned an insane amount during the first half of the semester - not just information, but experiences, practices, etc. I can't wait to see what else I can learn during the next few weeks... and during the rest of my life. With many more opportunities to come, my goals are to keep chasing the "big picture" with an experience-tuned intuition. I want to be more creative in my practice, and a little more disciplined study regimen couldn't hurt, right? :oP

The lecture exams, well, I can live without those... but I know come summer, I'm definitely going to miss clinical. I'm going to miss my patients and my learning experiences. So for now, I'm ready to finish what I've started. I also want to note that I am determined not to become jaded after a few semesters of this. I don't ever want to forget how important it is to make the most out of every second and be determined to soak up whatever I can on a 24-7 basis, learning to acutely apply the masses of information that are being thrown at me 100 miles a minute.

It's crazy... but I still love it!!