I am so glad I had the privilege to have first hand experience working on different medical units. I have learned so much and gained skills that will help me tremendously in my final year of school and as I begin my journey as a registered nurse. I would feel so lost and under-prepared without the experiences I gained from the internship. Truly, I am encouraging my younger friends in nursing to do the same and apply to a similar job for their next summer. It feels good to walk into my senior year feeling ahead of the game, and I’m excited to utilize what I gained this summer and apply it to my testing and clinical rotations. Also, it was great to have more stories I can share with my peers, professors, and future employers. One of the biggest take aways from this summer was being able to build on my communication and social skills. It’s amazing to see how I improved my interpersonal skills with every shift. My nickname on one of my units was actually "Happy", and people would ask "where's Happy? Is she working today?". :)
This summer was a huge change for me, but I am so pleased with how everything unfolded. I felt supported by everyone at work and especially from those who I took care of. The biggest compliment I would receive is “you’re going to make a great nurse.” Sometimes patients and their family would give their kind words and well wishes only after a couple minutes of meeting me! That is the best part of what I did this summer and what I hope to continue to do for the rest of my career. This is all the motivation and validation I need to keep me going. These are the experiences and moments I will look back on to help me when things get tough. I am very excited to see what the future holds and where I end up in some time just short of a year!
Thank you for reading my thoughts and being a part of this journey. Being able to share and have an outlet really helped me put my ideas together and prepare for the next step in life.