Through working in small groups all in nursing school, my communication and collaboration skills have grown in many ways. I can effectively communicate with my peers while collaborating to meet certain goals. Auburn University College of Nursing has put a focus on group work so we can learn these skills that are necessary for our careers in nursing. We have done numerous papers, projects, and simulations with our peers to help us grow in our communication and collaboration. These skills are need so much in practice when you are trying to come up with solutions, need help form your coworkers, running codes, and so many more instances. Group collaboration with my classmates has taught me skills to succeed in nursing that I will take with me forever. Since this has been focused on through 5 semesters, I have grown to learn successful ways to achieve this nursing outcome.

Group paper click here

Working with expert nurses in the Children's of Alabama NICU has taught me numerous necessary skills. Clinical judgment and critical thinking has been the main skill I have learned. Watching the NICU nurses make decisions in a timely matter based on these skills has been amazing to learn for me to become a well rounded nurse in the unit. There are so many situations in which I must utilize these skills, but evaluating neonates' vital signs and behavior is so important. This patient population is unable to express how they feel so using clinical judgment is your key to treating these patients. You can score their pain based on their tone, expressions, and breathing while use critical thinking to determine if pain medication is necessary to help the neonates pain. I feel more prepared to make decisions using critical thinking and clinical judgement in practice because of the experiences I have had in my preceptorship.

Working in my small group evaluating the effectiveness of screening for postpartum depression allowed me to learn more about reviewing evidence-based practice. We each studied a research project on screening for postpartum depression and collaborated on the results of the studies to come to a conclusion. I was in charge of reviewing results from a study on the screening of postpartum depression in pediatric clinics. I learned how to review a scholarly study and look at the evidence to evaluate the conclusion. We have also done other projects that have consisted of reviewing evidence-based practice that have helped me understand better the importance of reviewing these studies. These projects have taught me to never underestimate the value of always studying evidence-based practice to understand the best results for patients. This helps healthcare team members use practices that have already been studied to generate the most optimal outcomes in clinical practice.

The Community Assessment Project was a lengthy project that taught me so many skills, but extensive information about clinical prevention and population health. We studied Loachapoka, AL, and came up with three nursing diagnoses we should focus on when intervening in the local high school. We taught the students about healthy habits and the effect of drugs on adolescents' health. This community lacks in access to healthcare so they do not understand much about the importance of health. I learned how necessary it is to study population health and teach others about the importance of clinical prevention. We also had the opportunity to present to our class what we had done in Loachapoka and the results of our intervention. We got results from our intervention by doing a pre and post quiz. It was rewarding to see how much the high school students learned from our lesson on clinical prevention and population health.

CAP project click here

Learning about diversity is so important for everyone but especially in the field of nursing. You will encounter people from all religions, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Being aware of differences is a key factor in providing patients with quality care. I have had the opportunity to learn about diversity in nursing school but something that stands out to me was our community clinicals and SIFAT. We were able to go to therapeutic camp, different schools in the area, along with traveling to other communities. In doing this, I was able to see many different kinds of people and communities. It opened my eyes to how others view health and life in general. Some people do not prioritize this and it is important to understand that is just what they are taught and they may not have access to healthcare. During SIFAT, we traveled through the woods and saw how people live in different countries. It was amazing to see how different everything is and how important it is to be thoughtful of diversity among our population. Overall, I have learned so much about diversity and will always be aware of this to provide each patient with equal care.

Leadership clinical in the UAB Emergency Department taught me so much about leadership skills. I feel like I can become my own leader as a grow as a nurse. I was allowed the opportunity to see a nurse lead a trauma code during my time in clinical. It was so interesting because the nurses knew exactly what they were doing, and everyone had a specific role during the event. This led to a smooth experience because everyone had their own jobs and succeeded in providing this patient with the best care. Establishing a leader in these situations is an ample factor in achieving the best outcomes for the patient and the healthcare team. Leadership skills are a principal characteristic that a nurse should have. I have learned this through witnessing many situations where a leader is established in clinical practice. Through clinical while being a student at Auburn University, I feel prepared use my leadership skills when I start my career and also learn from others how to be a better nurse leader.