Stacy Smith

Being in nursing school for the last four months has completely reshaped my image of what nursing entails. I knew the basics about nursing; men and women take care of the physical, emotional and mental health of patients granting them the independence to leave the hospital.  I've learned, however, that nursing encompasses much more than that. Nursing is no robotic set of guidelines; using the same technique and moves on each client. Rather, it is combining a set of critical thinking skills and applying them to each individual. It is making the best decision for each client. It is almost being psychic, if you will. You must divulge what you believe are the risks for the client and observe behaviors (verbal and non-verbal) to make suggestions to physicians and other team members on care you believe the client will need addressed before discharge and while in the hospital. It is being innovative and imaginative while still being reflective on scenarios that could relate to the upcoming case. Yet, while doing all of these tasks, a nurse still takes the time to talk with patients and take care of them as if they were a relative. Nurses realize the need to make each patient feel like an individual and maintain the dignity they had before entering the clinical setting. I am so glad that I have been given the opportunity to make this life changing decision at this critical time in my life. My patients have solidified that this is where I belong. The nurses I have encountered have epitomized the essence of nursing and caring and all that I strive to become.