Thinking About the Journey

Since I started my college career in nursing, I have done a lot of research on nursing specialties. The specialty that speaks to me the most is women’s health/fertility nursing. This would be my dream job as a nurse because I’d get to communicate with patients, run tests, and do IVF treatment. Other specialties I am interested in are cardiology because I really enjoyed learning about the heart, dermatology because of my interest in skin care, and nephrology because I have had personal experience with kidney-related health conditions. I’m also interested in furthering my career as a nurse and becoming a women’s health nurse practitioner. As a nurse practitioner, I would be able to diagnose patients, which I have learned through my clinicals is a key aspect of healthcare that I want to practice. 

            Regarding evidence-based practice, I assume it is research/studies done to improve nursing and health care overall, and that the research/studies are based on results found in healthcare settings. For example, I know that as a nurse I should turn a patient in bed every 2hrs because evidence has shown this prevents pressure injuries. From what I understand, evidence-based practice is the greatest tool we have as nurses to provide the best care possible with minimal errors. 

            In this course, I will be able to apply what I learn about evidence-based practice in clinical because I will have a better understanding of nursing practice and procedures. For me, it is necessary to understand why I am doing something so I can perform a task to the best of my abilities. In the classroom, I think evidence-based practice will help me build analysis skills. In nursing school, it isn’t enough to memorize the content, you also need to be able to understand it, explain it to others, and apply it to a clinical setting. I think the knowledge I will acquire in evidence-based practice will help me improve my clinical application skills.