Katharine Hueman submitted 2015-05-29
As a nursing student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville I know it is my job to save lives. I understand it will not be an easy task to prepare physically and mentally to be able to do my job, but I am willing to do whatever it takes because all I want to do in life is to be able to save lives. Even though I have not completed many years of nursing school I still have had many life experiences that I feel have prepared me physically and mentally to perform life saving techniques. I also look forward to the upcoming years of nursing school to be able to know how to help save lives. These next years of my life will help me learn for mistakes and learn new techniques.
I have had many people pass away in my family and friends of my family, but I have always been able to comfort people in times of need. Whether it be a loved one is very ill or has died. I understand it is not always right or the way it should be, but I do understand it is the way of life. It is unfortunate that tragic events happen in people’s life but I prefer to look on the positive side. If a loved one passes away from an illness I see it as that person is not suffering anymore. I do not let myself get too upset because I know they are in a better place. That helps me prepare for saving lives mentally. No one wants to see someone be sick or die, but when you always have a positive attitude with that situation, you will be confident and will be ready to help in any way you can.
I also believe in miracles and that everything happens for a reason. There have been many events happen in my life that have been both happy and sad. I have had many tragedies in my life but I have had many miracles as well. These experiences that I have had prepared me mentally to believe in anything that is thrown my way. The miracles will motivate me to keep pushing through the obstacle in my way and the tragedies have helped me understand why some things do not go the way you expect. Either way they have both helped me prepare for my field of work and have helped me prepare mentally to do whatever it takes to save a life.
I have also had many experiences that I feel have prepared me physically for saving lives already in the first year I have attended at school. I have had many labs that most people could not handle because they do not enjoy the site of blood. I have dissected fetal pigs, cats, a sheep brain, and a cow’s eyeball already and I have not have any core nursing classes yet. I believe that in my upcoming years of nursing school I will get more experience. I will also have clinicals which I believe will prepare me because it is real patients that I will have to help. I believe the clinicals are wonderful because it allows students to gain the confidence they need while under the supervision and before they are on their own. It allows the students become nurses and have some experience under their belt before it is all up to them.
At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville there is also a simulation lab that the teachers can control. These will be able to help prepare me mentally and physically because I will have to figure out what needs to happen in any kind of situation that happens to me. There are different mannequins that can have different medical issue wrong with them so you have to fix them by yourself. The mannequins also have a microphones inside of them that the teacher can talk through them so we can learn how to respond to the patient’s complaints and so we can ask them what hurts. These will all help me get prepared for any life critical emergencies that can happen when I go to clinicals and when I actually become a nurse.
There are many challenges I have had in my life that I have had to overcome throughout my life that I believe have prepared me mentally to save lives. I also believe my positive attitude will help me get through the tough times that life throws at me. I also believe the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville school of nursing will help prepare me both mentally and physically in all of the training I will receive.