Of the five stages of the nursing process, assessment was the most emphasized. In fact, there was a whole course entirely dedicated to it- Health Assessment. Data that is accurate, concise, consistent, and clear are essential in formulating a diagnosis and plan of care. My observation and critical thinking skills were developed and have continued to improve throughout the program and will do so for the duration of my nursing career. At the beginning of each clinical session, our instructor/preceptor evaluates our assessment know-how, and I can say that my skills in doing a head-to-toe (HTT) assessment in Adult Health I as compared to how I did in Adult Health II and during my preceptorship were vastly different. I am now more confident in doing HTT or focused assessments as necessary and I can better reconcile these findings with the patient’s diagnosis/es.
I only had 2 rotations in the ICU but its one of those units where I felt like a lot of my textbook learnings came to life. On my first day in the ICU, I had an ARDS case and I got to familiarize myself with many concepts that are essential in ICU as well as practices like proning, when it is effective and when it’s not, titrating vasopressors, gradually weaning down the FiO2, ventilator alarms and interventions for some of them, and the importance of repositioning and oral hygiene.