A Reflection on My First Year of Nursing

By Indhira Piquion, BSN, RN

Today’s blog post is special. It is written by Indhira Piquion, a graduate of my university’s nursing program and my mentee. I am so proud of Indhira who recently completed her first year as a nurse and accepted the challenge that I gave her to write this blog.

Indhira’s Story

I spent years studying the art and science of nursing since the age of 16, as a Graduate Practical Nurse (GPN). There is nothing more exciting than hearing your name at graduation as you approach the stage to be recognized with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Each step up the stage is one step closer to your dream of becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). Once you step off the stage, the thought of “let’s get down to business” comes to your mind.

Once I had an RN license, I called and emailed multiple people that were willing to help me find a job. I walked door-to-door to health care facilities providing copies of my resume. Every employer rejected my resume and said they wanted nurses with experience. It did not make sense that my clinical hours in school did not count as a nursing experience. I started to lose hope and reached out to my mentor. She was right by my side sending emails and making phone calls with me. She saw greatness in me and encouraged me not to give up. I went to many job interviews, I lost count. They all gave me the same rejection letter that I do not have nursing experience. With my confidence hanging on the edge, I went to an interview for a telemetry-diabetes unit.

I am happy to say I am a telemetry-diabetes nurse for the past year. Working as a nurse for one year led to multiple emotions. There were times of excitement, fear, confusion, frustration, and love. I had a moment of confusion when I started to question what was my purpose as a nurse in such stressful environment. I was overwhelmed and wanted to cry from exhaustion. I had palpitations, sleepless nights, and almost got into a car accident when I fell asleep for a split second after a long night at work. I am good at so many things but always found a passion for nursing (but forgot why). My coworker once said to me “Indhira why do you always run towards a code? You are always in the middle of a code or rapid response”. I don’t really know why, I just do, feels innate. I was caring for a patient for couple of weeks. One day my patient’s son said to me “I think God brought you here to us. Don’t know what I would do without you”. I replied “no, I work here, I believe God brought you here to me in order to care for your mother. She reminded me why I am a nurse”. God has strange ways of answering your questions.

My love for the true aspect of nursing is what kept me happy through my experiences. Within my first year as a nurse I had the ability to read a lab value, complete a head-to-toe assessment, catch errors, communicate with interdisciplinary team, and respond to a deteriorating patient. I had the ability to comfort a patient to their last breath or bring them back to life. I had the ability to catch a falling family after receiving bad news and give hope when it was lost. I had the ability to rejoice with a patient when they successfully took the first tube feeding, finally had a bowel movement, and able to sleep with no pain.

I feel like I am a better person since I started to work as a nurse; I am more confident and more caring. I am honored that my director saw great potential in me and had me train three new staff. I tell them that there will be days of frustration, but remember to stay positive, be vigilant, do your job the right way, and never forget the beautiful moments you encounter.

I look forward to what is waiting for me in the future of nursing.