Week #1

Sorry I'm a little late posting about last week's class. For clinical each week I have to write a journal entry, so I decided I would post it on here as well. I will post the questions I have to answer, as well as my reply. I wrote this entry after my very first day, and I will let you know that my anxiety level did go down significantly the next day. This week I am doing an outside rotation at The Arnold center in Midland and Pinecrest in Midland.

Journal Week #1 8-26-09

• What are your feelings as you begin this clinical experience?
• What past experiences, perceptions and thoughts are contributing to the above feelings you listed?
• What personal qualities, strengths and talents do you bring to this clinical experience?
• Identify one goal for the semester related to your personal self awareness and growth.

Starting my clinical experience on Wednesday, I was extremely terrified and anxious. I guess it is because of the unknown and preconceived notions in my head. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with people who want to kill themselves. I have worked with severe Dementia patients, those who are very confused and combative. I have also worked with my Dad’s closed head brain injury, which was a lot of reorientation and reminding. And neither of those to me is like what I will be experiencing. I have never worked with someone with Depression, Schizophrenia or someone with suicidal thoughts. I guess it is just fear of the unknown, like anything else. The thought of working with people like this, just gives me a really uneasy feeling and I don’t know why. I really wish I could take it away. It would make this semester’s clinical a lot easier for me. But I suppose people with depression are also thinking the same thing, just take this away. So I guess we already have something in common. I think that’s what it is… I am thinking they will be completely different than me. Which in many ways they will be, but in a lot of ways I guess they are just like me.

As for personal qualities? I think I am a good listener and I will use that to my advantage. I will try to be the one who will listen when no one else will. I don’t know as if I have any ‘talents’ that pertain to this clinical experience. Maybe I will develop some?

A goal of mine will be to change the preconceived notions I have about mental illness. I was also terrified of the people in the nursing home when I started my first day of clinical as an LPN. It is just going to take time, like it took time in the nursing home. I want to be able to walk into the mental health unit on my final day of clinical with no anxiety or fear. I want to be confident in what I do. This will make me a better nurse and maybe even a better person. I want to be understanding of ALL people, not just those considered ‘normal’ on a med-surg floor.