NL Reflection: Modules 1 & 2

              The first learning module we took was interesting not because it taught me a bunch of new tests taking strategies, but rather I was able to recognize strategies that I did subconsciously. For example, I always try look to what the question is actually looking for, because they often have a lot of information being presented with only a single part that has the actual problem. I learned that this was called finding the stem of the question. Test taking is apart of all of our course work this semester and using strategies helps us to succeed and move us forward as a students. If we know the information but get messed up on the questions then we can’t succeed.

              It’s no secret that nursing school is challenging. There is a ton of information being thrown at students about as fast as we can absorb the material. But it’s something that every nurse has to go through and contributes a shared experience to base interactions off of. If I met a nursing student from SMCC, I wouldn’t know about their teachers or which classes they are taking that semester. But I would know that they are hardworking and trying to learn as much as they can about caring for patients that they can and that is something that we will have in common.

              One thing I learned was that the QSEN competencies are developed by the IoM, which stands for the Institute of Medicine. I did a little bit more research into it and it’s actually the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee on the Future of Nursing, which is part of the IoM that develops them. The QSEN competencies are discussed in most of our nursing classes and they are the benchmarks that the school bases our education on. Learning more about the source behind these keys to learning gives us a better understanding on why they were developed.

              The QSEN competencies, although they vary slightly from state to state, are meant to prepare students for the challenges they will face as nurses. By getting exposed to this in nursing school it allows us to have a smoother transition into the nursing practice, and create less of a gap between the experience of new nurses. This better immerses and integrates ourselves into the culture.