Amelia Cornelius

NUR 4142-Nursing Synthesis

04/20/2016

Final Analysis
The Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing program has provided me with a
solid nursing knowledge and skill base, upon which to confidently start my professional
career as a new graduate nurse. I am blown away by the amount of knowledge and
confidence I have gained over the past four years. Tasks that seemed so daunting at the
beginning of the nursing program, such as obtaining vital signs, patient assessment, and
even giving bed baths, are now just second nature. Also, although some of the
coursework or assignments seemed difficult or unnecessary in the moment, my attitude
has changed toward the program requirements. I can now look back and see how
necessary and beneficial everything was to get me to where I confidently am today.
I have gained so much knowledge through my lecture and clinical experiences.
Each course built on the other and provided me with a solid knowledge base that I am
now able to pull from as a new practicing nurse. The first semester of the nursing
program was spent understanding how nursing began and exploring what nursing is, in
the NUR 1100 Foundations of Nursing Scholarship course. I understand the importance
of knowing where we came from, to know where we are going in this profession. The
next couple of semesters focused on developing and understanding basic nursing skills
and patient care. The courses that covered this information included NUR 2101
Professional Nursing Concepts, NUR 2103 Competencies for Nursing Practice I, and
NUR 3104 Competencies for Nursing Practice II. The NUR 2102 Lifespan Health
Assessment and Clinical Prevention course, taught me how to appropriately and
efficiently assess my patients.

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After successful understanding and completion of the basic concepts of nursing, I
was able to move on to learning about different disease processes and how to
appropriately treat and care for patients with specific disease processes. In the NUR 3111
and NUR 3112 Adult Nursing Science I and II lectures and clinical experiences, I learned
the basics of assessing and caring for medical/surgical patients. In the PHR 3101 and
PHR 3102 Pathopharmacology I and II courses, I learned the basics of medications
including: drug classes, expected side effects, appropriate dosing, appropriate
administration, etc. In the NUR 4114 Metaphysical Nursing course I learned various nonpharmacologic treatment options available for different patients, and how to effectively
provide those various treatments. This was a great opportunity to learn more about
providing holistic care. In the NUR 3113 Vulnerable Populations and Global Health
course I learned about the various vulnerable patient populations, what resources are
available to them, and how I could care for them appropriately. There are so many
resources available out in the community for our patients and knowing about them only
enhances our practice.
I also had nursing courses that taught other aspects, beneficial to nursing practice.
In the NUR 3121 Nursing Informatics course, I learned about how informatics is
effectively used in nursing. Computer technology has greatly increased our accuracy and
efficiency with regards to patient care, medication administration, and documentation. In
NUR 4122 Nursing Research, I learned how to appropriately select journal articles,
critique them, and use them to develop an integrative paper. This was a great opportunity
to contribute to the nursing profession. In NUR 3140 Professional Role Development:
Contemporary Issues and NUR 4144 Professional Role Development: Servant

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Leadership, I reviewed nursing as a profession, the legal aspects of nursing, and learned
how I could use my role to lead like Jesus in nursing practice. The nursing role is one of
leadership, and understanding how to appropriately and effectively carry out this role
strengthens us as a profession.
I also had various courses and clinical experiences that aided my knowledge of
caring for more specific patient populations such as mental health, geriatric, pediatric,
and womens health. These courses and clinical experiences included, NUR 3114 Mental
Health and Mental Illness Nursing and Practicum, NUR 4113 Gerontological Concepts
and Issues, NUR 4115 Nursing Care of Children and Families and Practicum, and NUR
4111 Nursing Care of Women and Childbearing Families and Practicum. Each of these
lecture and clinical experiences used the basic knowledge from previous coursework and
clinical experience to provide more specific patient care.
Our final semester was spent wrapping up everything we had learned. In the NUR
4145 NCLEX Review, I prepared to successfully pass the NCLEX exam. In the NUR
4142 Synthesis for Nursing Practice course, I applied all the knowledge gained from
previous course work to successfully complete patient case studies and understand
nursing practice as a whole. In the NUR 4143 Clinical Immersion, I spent over 200 hours
in the Watkins Centre Emergency Department applying all the knowledge I had gained in
previous course work and clinical experiences to providing safe, quality, patient-centered
care under the supervision of a nurse preceptor.
Each of these experiences shaped who I am and who I want to be as a practicing
nurse. My attitude toward nursing has matured throughout the program, because the more
knowledge I gained in lectures and clinical experiences, the greater my understanding of

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nursing and what it truly looks like in practice. The program also gave me a greater
understanding of my current professional understanding as a novice nurse, ways to
develop professionally, and ways to effectively increase in nursing knowledge and skill. I
am satisfied where I am for now, but this program has encouraged me to seek every
opportunity to grow in nursing skills and understanding once I start my first job in the
VCUHS Emergency Department.
Some areas I saw that need future growth before I enter into professional nursing
include experience practicing as an RN with a full patient load, understanding all of the
resources available to my patients, understanding appropriate and efficient delegation of
tasks, and understanding more about the various medications available to my patients. I
understand this knowledge will come with further study and time practicing as an RN. To
grow in these areas, I first want to successfully complete the NCLEX test and the Nurse
Residency Program for my first job. I have been completing an overall review on my
own, am currently taking the Hurst review course, and plan to take the Kaplan review
course through my workplace. I feel that these reviews along with the strong curriculum I
completed at BSMCON will ensure my success on the NCLEX. My Immersion
experience at the Watkins Centre ED was a great way to put everything I had learned into
practice, but I will also have 4-6 months to complete a Nurse Residency Program once I
start my first nursing job. This will provide me with the appropriate hands on training and
knowledge to be able to successfully practice on my own as a new graduate nurse in the
VCUHS ED. I also plan on staying in the same job for 3-5 years, aligning myself with
advanced peer mentors, and staying current on evidence based practice. These will allow
me to be a stronger nurse.

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I have already grown so much over the past four years and see there is much
growth to come. I am ready to begin my nursing career and to advance through the
various stages of nursing skill proficiency. I am excited to start my career in the VCUHS
Emergency Department, and believe that I am beginning my nursing career in an
environment that will allow me to successfully reach my professional goals.