FCSNA - Freshmen

My Freshman Year Experience

I guess I would have never looked into the field of nursing if my dad didn’t push me. I wanted to do something in the health field, but what that something was I didn’t know. I started researching about the profession and felt that it was something that I would like to do. I especially liked the idea of helping people, and accomplishing something through caring.

My freshman year, I felt that there was a lot of criticism from my peers about my culture and the country I came from. Initially these perceptions made it difficult for me to reach out to others. I soon found out that what appeared to me as judgments was actually a lack of education and understanding of my culture. As time went by we all realized that we were people with similar interests in the field of nursing with a wide scope of learning new things from each other. The multicultural diverse student population at Felician College helped me learn about other cultures. I anticipate that this knowledge will help me in the nursing profession. The people we will be taking care of will be of diverse cultures and languages. The help and fellowship from nursing students and faculty members continues to help prepare me for my future years in the program.

My freshmen year I learned that writing papers for nursing was not the same as anything I had written before. I immediately took advantage of the writing center for seminars and individual help to refine my writing skills and ensure I included the necessary content in my papers. We have been and still are learning critical thinking skills; an essential skill for any competent nurse. I believe my decision to seek assistance to improve the quality of my papers was a good demonstration of critical thinking. My problem statement was “I need help with my paper”, the intervention was “go to the writing center and receive assistance”, and the outcome was “the quality of my papers improved and continues to improve.”

As a student nurse at Felician College, and despite some obstacles, I am still here and trying to make it better for myself. I intend to succeed in my goal of becoming a nurse. It is not easy, so giving up is not an option. If there is anything I have learned from my life it is to never give up and not to let any person or circumstance get in the way of my goals and ultimate achievements.

College is getting me ready for a career that I may continue until I die; a life where I will be taking care of people and making a difference. I am finding my direction, taking the journey and realizing my dreams. As a junior I am looking forward to completing two more years; God willing those years will be met with success.