Tony Leon

NUR4140: Synthesis for Nursing Practice

Dr. Williams

November 14, 2020

Final Analysis

My time at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing has been extremely inspiring and

rewarding. It has brought me from a novice to the health care field to someone who developed the

knowledge, skills, and attitude to be a successful nurse. The combination of lecture, lab, and clinical and

practicum observation and hands-on experiences have each played an important role in this process.

Even though I feel ready to start as an RN and confident that my training has set me up for success, I

have also learned the necessity of being a lifelong learner. It is extremely humbling to think of all that I

have yet to learn and can be a bit scary as well as exciting to think ahead to the process of that learning.

Other than the general attribute of compassion, I think the thing that most comes to mind in the

general population when they think what it means to be a nurse is the set of skills, tasks, and procedures

that nurses engage in most frequently. I remember starting my career at BSMCON and being very

intimidated by the prospect of checking blood pressures for my initial checkoffs. The thought and

practice of properly hanging an IV bag and programming the rate and volume was enough to produce

more than mild anxiety in me. Thankfully, I was blessed with very patient and kind teachers who eased

my anxiety and minimized any feeling of self-consciousness I may have had. Through those early

experiences in lab, I learned not only the basic skills of assessment, hanging IV fluids and secondary

lines, inserting a foley catheter, proper injection technique, and many more. More importantly I learned
the attitude that it is ok to make mistakes initially and that one learns best by doing, asking questions,

and practicing. If you remain afraid and do not try, you will never learn the skill.

In addition to the some of the hard skills mentioned above, I learned and refined the soft skills

of interpersonal communication and collaboration with patients, family, and the interdisciplinary team.

Certainly, learning about personality styles and leadership styles in Leadership and Business of

Healthcare contributed to this along with various opportunities in several classes to present projects in

front of the class. However, interacting with patients, family, and staff in the clinical setting of practicum

experience had the greatest impact. There is no substitute for practicing “in real life.”

Knowledge is infused in all aspects of nursing. Whether it is a knowledge of nursing skills,

knowledge of pathophysiology and disease processes, knowledge of interventions, knowledge about a

patient’s culture, or knowledge about a patient’s psychosocial or emotional state. Again, the multimodal

curriculum of BSMCON has prepared me to have a solid base in each of these aspects of the whole

individual. Lecture and recitation, homework assignments, and the tests all ensured that I absorbed the

content and was able to apply and articulate it. Practicum ensured that we could apply that knowledge

and engage our brains and our hands to reinforce what we learned. This learning went both ways as

there were many times in lecture that I could relate what was being taught to a practicum experience or

situation that I already had.

Just as knowledge pervades every aspect of nursing, one cannot underestimate the role that

attitude plays. I think of attitude as the energy or spirit in which knowledge and skills are applied and

performed. Skills can be performed, and knowledge can be applied with a good attitude, but

unfortunately also with a bad attitude. One of my favorite aspects of my education and experience at

BSMCON has been the values that are taught and modeled by the teachers and administration. Values
such as human dignity, compassion, and service (servant leadership) are instilled in us in the curriculum

and give us the best foundation that we have the right attitude when caring for our patients.

In regard to attitude, I have discussed general attitude and feel that the program as a whole has

promoted and positioned myself and my peers to have the right attitude. One of the ways in which my

personal attitudes have changed has occurred because of my experiences in the global population

didactic course and especially the practicum. I had the opportunity to participate in the Care-a-Van for

my population health practicum. I feel I have a strong sense of personal responsibility. While that in

itself is a good attribute, sometimes my reliance on it as an ideal has caused me to be blind to others’

circumstances and situations. My experience with Care-a-Van has exposed me to a vulnerable

population and has broadened and deepened my compassion.

While I have great appreciation for my education at BSMCON at the current moment, I think

that the passage of time and accumulation of experiences will serve to increase my appreciation for this

foundation of my nursing career. As I move along Benner’s novice to expert progression, I am confident

that I will have new ways to appreciate what I have had at BSMCON. I believe that the greatest attitude

that BSMCON has given to me is that of lifelong learning. I know that I will need to continue to grow in

every area of my skills, knowledge, and attitudes and that the starting point for that is the humility to

understand that I always need to learn.