Looking back to 2018 when I started nursing school to where I am now in my life, it is evident how much I’ve grown as a person.

When I first started nursing school I was a quite person. I began my first placement in 2018, I attended an adult day program for patients with Dementia once a week. I was still very new to the nursing world and just beginning to build my confidence. The RPN’s and RN’s were very supportive in my journey and really helped me build foundational communication skills throughout my three months there. I left that placement feeling more confident in my basic nursing skills.

Moving onto my placements in years 2-4, I began working in the hospital and getting a lot of exposure to a variety of patients in various settings. I was placed in pediatrics, medicine, postpartum, and brain injury rehab. These placements all taught me various skills not only within the nursing field but skills I could use in my daily life.

Being in the clinical setting I became much more confident in my communication, judgment/decision making, interpersonal skills, and adaptability. This is where I grew most as a person and gained the majority of my skills.

Although, nursing still did not feel right for me. I had the utmost respect for all the nurses who had helped me along the way, but I could not see myself doing the job. I began looking into different careers and seeing where I could apply all the skills I had learned over the years and still be able to help people.

After much research I kept coming back to the same job, being a Police Officer. Looking at the skill set required to work as a Police Officer, it was similar to my skills I had built throughout nursing school. I took the leap and began my journey into my job application. I began to see that all these skills listed above, that I had become much more confident in, had a huge impact on how I was adapting into becoming an officer. My confidence in communication, being able to make decisions in a fast pace environment, and being adaptable, all helped me begin to grow as a new recruit. Throughout my training I was very grateful I had my background in nursing to help me grow in a new career.

Now looking back I see that nursing school, my placements, and each nurse I’ve worked with helped shape me into the person I am today. The transition into my new career was heavily impacted on my skill set I had built over the years as a student nurse. I will always be grateful for each person who helped me along the way and continue to support me though this new journey. -Erica C December 23, 2024