Student Nurse Self Analysis Essay

The student nurse completed her behavioral health clinical at Prairie Care, a mental health facility that services the child and adolescent population in the greater Twin Cities area. The purpose of this journal is to reflect upon personal growth during this clinical rotation.

Self Analysis

From the start the student nurse had mixed emotions, the feelings were a combination of excitement and apprehension. The student nurse was excited about the opportunity for a real life learning experience, and at the same time felt apprehension when thinking of patients who could be hallucinating and possibly dangerous. Having taken a wide variety of coursework related to psychology the student nurse had basic knowledge on a wide range of mental health conditions, but lacked hands on experience working with these types of patients.

Patients on a

When the nurse becomes an effective communicator this greatly increases positive patient outcomes as well as provides the nurse with professional satisfaction (Potter, Perry, Stockhart, & Hall, p. 309). Communication skills must be practiced intensely before they are integrated into a working therapeutic relationship. As with all new learning experiences, the student nurse at times felt awkward and at a loss for words when trying to implement therapeutic communication techniques. Therapeutic relationships are extremely important to the wellness of mentally ill patients and often times are challenging during hospitalizations. In addition, the student nurse understands the importance of develpoing a personal relationship before developing a professional one. The knowing, building, and understanding the importance of a therapeutic relationships is one of the foundations of nursing and was the primary objective during this clinical