Greta Hanneman

To me, nursing is a collaborative profession that aims to aid patients in attaining their optimal health by maintaining a compassionate attitude. When nurses are mentally and physically present throughout the patient's experience, they can provide better quality care. As life-long learners, nurses use the knowledge they have acquired through education and experience in their everyday practice. They consistently exhibit leadership qualities and resiliency in order to overcome obstacles and work together to provide a service to others.

Leadership

I believe that nurses provide leadership in several unique ways. For example, nurses are leaders when they promote health, take on the primary nurse role in a team of nurses and work in an organizational position within the health care system. Patients and other health care professionals often look to nurses to provide direction and guidance because nurses are often viewed as knowledgeable, experienced and trustworthy leaders. In fact, it is widely believed that "to be effective in promoting a healthy work environment and a healthy society, nurses must demonstrate leadership practices that honor the importance of relationships, values and ethics" (Potter et al., 2017, p. 158). Leadership is a key component of the nursing profession and should therefore be considered a priority in practice.

Collaboration

Collaboration, whether it is between nurses and other health care professionals or nurses and patients, is an extremely important part of being a nurse. Collaborative care can be seen when nurses act as mentors for nursing students or when patients are considered members of the health care team. According to Potter & Perry, collaborative practice is defined as "working together toward mutually identified goals while valuing different perspectives and accountabilities of individual team members" (2017, p. 159). In working together, dividing responsibilities and relying on one another for assistance and support, nurses are able to provide better quality, patient-centered care.

Compassion

Nurses are responsible for caring for others, therefore, it is no surprise that they are known for having compassionate, understanding personalities. When nurses view patients as a whole, and they express empathy when working with people who are in some way suffering, they are fulfilling their vocations as caretakers. For example, nurses must be present and patient with families who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Great nurses are able to put themselves in others' shoes in order to gain a better understanding of their experience and express compassion.

Resiliency

Nurses must have the ability to recover quickly when they face obstacles in their practice. Often times, health care plans fail, mistakes occur and unexpected situations/challenges arise. As a nurse, there is no time to waste: with their patients in mind, nurses must be strong and continue to try and try again. I believe that nurses are tough, especially since it is not uncommon for nurses to undergo experiences that it make it very difficult to regain confidence in their work such as losing a patient after extraordinary life-saving efforts. In being resilient, nurses can learn from their failures so that they may exhibit better quality care in the future.

I chose to study nursing for several reasons. First, this program allowed me to pursue both my interest in science and art. Nursing is a program that requires knowledge of scientific subjects such as anatomy as well ways to improve social skills and attain a better understanding of people and how they interact. Furthermore, I wanted to pursue a career that would provide me with hands-on interactions with others. I believe that for nurses, it is very important to be completely present in the lives of patients because nurses have the power to greatly improve patients' overall quality of care. When I am a nurse, I want my patients to feel heard and respected.

Nursing is a career that takes knowledge from education and experiences and puts it into practice. I chose nursing because I appreciated that balance. Also, I was interesting in nursing because of its main objective: to provide patient-centered, quality care (Timmons, 2017). This responsibility intrigued me because I believe that this rewarding career will fit my sociable, caring personality. Presently, I feel that I lack the complete confidence that a nurse requires in practice; they must have confidence in order to reassure the patient that they are in capable hands. However, I feel that this program will give me the opportunity to improve my level of confidence over the next three years.

My experiences in leadership positions, such as student council, and as a member of a team, such as my high school theatrical production cast, have shown me that I belong in a collaborative profession that requires strong leadership qualities. Therefore, I felt that nursing would be a fitting option for post-secondary education. Also, the nurses I have encountered in my life such as my grandmother have inspired with their professionalism and passion for what they do.

So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Trent University, learning things that spark my interest and passion. I understand that there are challenges to come, such as shift work and communication, but I also know that there are many positive aspects to nursing. These include working with others from all walks of life, a sense of fulfillment, learning something new everyday, and so on. Therefore, I am content with my choice to pursue nursing as a career and I look forward to the opportunities and obstacles that are to come as a complete my degree and enter the health care field as a Registered Nurse.

My Nursing Portfolio

Nursing Student

Nursing Philosophy Statement

Value Statements

Leadership

Collaboration

Compassion

Resiliency

Reflection