Last summer, I worked as a clinical extern at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge, Ontario. In my time there, I had the opportunity to gain experience in all departments including the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Medical-Surgical Unit and occasionally Maternity. Because I worked in different departments, I was able to see and in perform in many incredible aspects of medicine such as wound care, cardioversions, bone realignment procedures, CPR, etc. I believe these experiences helped shape my vision of what kind of nurse I want to be, where I want to work, and how to handle many different situations in the hospital setting. Additionally, my observation and hard work helped me to better perform many skills in lab and in clinical, such as sterile wound procedures, catheterization, NG tube placement, pump/IV tube priming, and much more. 

The Original Student Calendar is a simple agenda I picked up from the bookstore in my first year of nursing school back in 2021. It breaks each day down into three columns including "Appointments and Assignments", "General Study" and "the Rest of Your Life". These columns help me separate my personal tasks, goals, and to-do lists from my assignments, tests and checklist for the day. Handwriting these tasks helps me to subconsciously take more thorough notes of what needs to be done on which day, and helps me break down and prioritize these tasks. This calendar is the most useful tool for my organization in nursing school, which is why I buy a new edition for every year.

B6 was an excellent learning unit. I was able to see a pic line insertion, and perform medication reconstitution, subcutaneous injections, complex wound dressings, catheter removal, post-mortem care, and much more. I was also able to bond with my patients, and share experiences of joy, pain and grieving with staff and my peers alike. My clinical instructor, Emily Donaldson, was an excellent advocate for helping us to learn and take part in all the exciting aspects of working in the unit. She helped me with medication administration, wound dressings, and many more skills that will forever be valuable to me as an aspiring nurse. Every shift, we would debrief as a group and discuss our highs/lows of the day, perform SBAR handoff reports, learn a new skill/concept and ask Emily general questions about her experiences working as a nurse in the healthcare field. I would not exchange my opportunity to work in B6 and have such experiences for anything, and I hope that all of my upcoming clinical placements can be equally as enriching. 

This is a picture of the sunrise from the fourth floor of PRHC. I took this photo in reflection of how early we wake up as nursing students -- while the rest the world sleeps, nursing students and healthcare professionals work to make the lives of strangers better. To me, this image depicts the dedication, ambition and passion it takes to be a nursing student. Between late nights and early mornings, difficult assignments, intense situations and the lives of others in your hands, nursing truly is not for the faint of heart. To me, this sunrise also acts as a metaphor that throughout the darkness, pain and hard work, there is always light in the distance. This light comes from the joy that nursing brings, and personal sacrifice being rewarded with the value in helping others and saving lives.