Looking Back

Unbeknownst to me my undergraduate education became a great asset during my internship this summer. My previous courses in the nursing school gave me a slight edge while working on the unit because I was quite comfortable working in a busy hospital environment. The classes I took required that I spend some time working and providing care in a clinical setting, so these exposures made me aware of and undisturbed by any diseases or situations that I faced on the floor. More importantly, though, my nursing classes exposed me to many of the issues faced by nurses in practice today, which made me conscientious of the difficulties that prevented the nurses on my unit from using or learning how to navigate the MiChart system, as well as allowed me to be able to sympathize with them and build a trusting relationship that would make them much more comfortable with asking me for assistance in the future. For example, modern nursing constantly struggles with the issue of being understaffed, a problem that was present on my floor. Because of this my nurses were constantly overwhelmed by simultaneously providing care to their patients and learning the new program which often led to them taking out their frustration on me and the MiChart system. Since I had understood the situation, though, I was able to stay collected and usually reiterated to them that patient care came first, and that when they were free I would be more than happy to help them document or troubleshoot any problems they experienced. This type of practice was crucial because it allowed the nurses get answers to their questions and absorb the new system, as well as give me the opportunity to learn more about the Nurse’s job in a healthcare team.