My Engaged Learning Experience
Jaguar Leadership Network: DeSire Pernell
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Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
My engaged learning experience is at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a student nurse. As a student nurse I am paired with one for roughly eight hours a day. The nurse takes me through everything that she is doing, how she does it, and why she is doing it. While I am shadowing her/him I am allowed to do many tasks with their supervision. Some tasks that I have performed are giving medical injections, passing oral medications, and setting up or starting intravenous lines. I chose this experience in particular because I have chosen the future career of being nurse and what better way is there to learn how to be a nurse than shadowing a nurse and hands on practicing some of the nursing skills.
Throughout the nursing courses I have previously taken and are currently taken I have learned how to do nursing skills by the book. Since I have been in my engaged learning experience, I have learned that some skills you must learn how to do hands on. When I am shadowing the nurses at my engaged learning experience, they allow to me to practice these skills that I am learning in my courses. Getting this hands-on practice of skills that are going to be required in my future career is going to give me experience and comfortability doing these skills. Being able to learn in the environment that I want to work has given me the ability to physically see how the skills that I am learning in my textbooks are used in the real world. Practicing these skills now is going to make the transition from a nursing student to practicing as a registered nurse easier and allow me to be more comfortable in the new role.
DeSire Pernell inside a Specialized Operating Room located in the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
Throughout my experience I have had many different encounters and experiences with several different types of people that come from several different cultures and back grounds. The patients at the hospital come from all over to receive care. During my experience i have encounter multiple patients whose primary language was not English. Although it was difficult for me to communicate with these patients, I was able to see how professional nurses handle these situations and I believe that it was a great learning experience. I have also experienced how some different religions handle health care. Some may refuse to receive certain treatments or medications based on their religious beliefs. In this case the nurses collaborate with other medical professionals to ensure that the patient receives the best care possible within their wants and expectations. Through this engaged learning my attitudes and perspectives on different aspects of life have changed. One of my greatest takes from this experience is that culture plays a huge in the healthcare that one desires. I have gained a great respect and awareness of the difference between my culture and others.
My engaged learning experience has given me the opportunity to learn and practice several nursing skills. I think one of the most useful skills that I have been able to practice is learning how to draw and blood and place an intravenous (IV) line. When a person is admitted to the hospital nine times out of ten, they are going to have to get an IV placed. This IV allows the nurses to administer medications directly into their blood stream. With it is important for nurses to be able to place them. I believe that getting this knowledge and being able to practice this skill now will help me when I start to practice as a professional nurse. When I am practicing as a nurse I will use this skill often so practicing it early will allow me to become more comfortable performing it.
This engaged learning experience to learn more about a population that I previously did not know a lot about. I was able to learn more about the veteran population. I learned different benefits that they have including but not limited to at home health care, in patient care, transportation services, financial assistance etc. Being able to interact with the veterans gave me new insights and perspectives on different aspects of life. The veterans were full of wisdom, knowledge, and experiences that they were happy to share with me. The veterans left an impact on me and I believe that I also impacted them. Many of the veterans enjoyed simply having someone to talk during their stay in the hospital. One of the biggest takeaway from talking with one specific veteran is to the live life to the fullest.
DeSire Pernell inside a Operating Room located in the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
A MRI machince used during surgical procedures in the operating room
This experience gave me insight to a potential patient population that I would like to care for as a practicing registered nurse. This experience also showed me the importance of being aware of a patients background and history while providing care for them. As I continue to go through the nursing program and engage with different patient populations I will remember this experience with every interaction. This experience was an eye opener and every experience after this will allow my nursing knowledge to grow. As nurse it is important to be aware of your patient's background and history. For example, many veterans have background in war or being exposed to some sort of trauma. A nurse caring for veterans should be aware of this and implement interventions that will ease the time that they may be going through some health related difficulties. I am excited to attend and participate in future experiences.
Overall the entire experience was a huge a takeaway. Once of th biggest takeaways from this experience came from me be able to spend a day with Operation Room (OR) nurses. The operating room staff was extremely welcoming beginning with having my name on their announcement board letting everyone that a nursing student would be on the unit. All of the staff at the Richard L. Roudebush Veteran's Administration Medical Center and the patients were welcoming and kind hearted. Being able to work with the staff and interact with the patients left an impact on me and help me begin to establish what type of nurse I would like to be in the future.
Artifact from my engaged learning experience specifically from the operating room nurses.
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