Reflection Essay: Nursing Program Accomplishments and Challenges

This reflection essay details a nursing student's journey, encompassing their aspirations, experiences, and the evolution they underwent throughout their studies. The author reflects on the initial dream of becoming a nurse and the significant personal and professional growth achieved, including the development of empathy, compassion, and strong interpersonal relationships with patients. The essay addresses challenges encountered, such as unpredictable clinical arrangements, high expectations, and difficult exams, while emphasizing the importance of seeking guidance and viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. The author also provides advice for incoming RNs, highlighting the importance of passion, seeking help, and recognizing the impact of nursing on individuals' health and safety. The essay concludes with a positive outlook on the nursing profession and its interesting experiences.

Running head: REFLECTION ESSAY 1
Reflection Essay
Name
Institution

REFLECTION ESSAY 2
Reflection
Since my early days, I have always wanted to be a nurse and this is a dream I was determined to
follow and achieve. I have done well so far in following my dream since I took a course in
nursing. I have evolved tremendously as a nurse throughout my studies. I have learned the
importance of good health and the significance of providing ultimate care to my patients. My
emotional awareness and psychological strength have also evolved throughout my studies
because of the various cases that we worked on in class and the different times I went for
rotations in hospitals to attend to patients. I did not only evolve as a nurse who understands the
basic elements of ethical standards, but I also evolved as a person. I understood the value of
empathy and compassion in care. I gained a lot of experience and knowledge during my studies
that I believe will help me in my future practice. However, the most unexpected gains that I got
from my studies was friendship. I built relationships and friendships with some of the patients I
met as a student. Relationships that I respect and appreciate to date. When I began the program
on my journey to becoming a nurse, I expected to achieve a lot of expectations by the end of my
course. I must, however, say that achieved even more than I expected because the course of
nursing reveals a lot to an individual and every day is an opportunity to learn a new thing.
I must, however, admit that I encountered some challenges during my studies. One of the main
challenges that I faced was unpredictable clinical arrangements. There are situations when
patient assignments change abruptly and with no definite timelines thus making it difficult to
plan between studies and hospital rotations. Another challenge was the high expectations and
demands from my family and those who knew me. Sometimes these expectations were
unreasonable. The expectations also came from patients and their families because they assumed
that a student nurse was supposed to know everything which was not always the case because I

REFLECTION ESSAY 3
was still learning. Another challenge was the difficult tests and exams. Of course, I did not
expect the tests to be easy when I decided to study nursing but sometimes they were just
dreadful. However, one thing that I was taught in school was to never look at a challenge as a
predicament but as an opportunity to gain personal and professional growth. I had to find my
way around these challenges by asking my lecturers for help and pieces of advice and working in
a team with my fellow students. This helped me to grow as a person and as a student nurse.
For any RNs coming into the program, I would tell them to be passionate about their work. One
cannot succeed in nursing if they lack the passion for the work. Additionally, passion helps in
understanding patients better and being able to show empathy and compassion. I would also
advise them to always seek help and guidance when they are unsure about anything because
nursing is a profession that directly affects the health, safety, and life of an individual and these
are things that must never be gambled with. I must, however, say that studying nursing is a very
interesting experience.