I hope to become a leader as a nurse and to completely understand why I am doing the tasks and activities I am to help others and not just do them because that’s what I was told. I want to learn more in this course about how we use evidence as nurses and how that helps us reinforce the tasks we do and helps us understand why we are doing the things we are. I assumed that we do what we do as nurses because that’s just what we were told to do and what everyone else has been doing for years not necessarily because it’s right or wrong. I think what I gain from this course will help me better understand my role and the tasks I’ll be performing as a nurse. I hope by the end of this course I will have a better understanding of what evidence-based practice encompasses.
Currently I am interested in pediatrics and/or pediatric oncology because I have a love for working with children. I am currently a preschool teacher when I am not in school, and I love watching the children grow and learn. I am also interested in the oncology aspect because I feel as though no case is exactly the same and it can be such a complex disease that I want to learn more about it and how the treatment typically works. I would also like to learn more about the ED because I think you would see so many different cases that it would really help in the learning process and keep you on your toes.
Some assumptions I have about evidence-based practice are that the research behind it guides the tasks that we carry out as nurses and healthcare professionals. I also assumed it helps us work as a team to figure out how that research should translate into the actions we take as nurses. I formed these assumptions based on what I have heard about evidence-based practice being used however I’m not very familiar with all that it encompasses. What I learn in this course will help me in my other courses by making me think more about the evidence behind what I am learning and the tasks I will be carrying out as a nurse. It will also help guide how I approach tasks and will help me provide the best care possible for my patients.
Alexis, nurses are definitely leaders at the bedside, implementing evidence to provide the best care for our patients. Most of my clinical practice has been in pediatrics – school nurse for 5 years, pediatric ICU for 15 years, and now over 10 years as a Child Care Health Consultant. I’m always happy to talk about pediatric nursing!