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Blog 5

1. In terms of communication, I have seen improvements with my assertiveness and confidence. Starting the semester off, I was very nervous to speak up and answer a question, even if I knew it was right. When I would say something, it would be quick and quiet. I remember the very first day, my clinical instructor commented on my communication skills and asked me to focus on working on them. Her comment made me aware of my nonverbal communication and how this affected what kind of nurse I would become. Along with communicating with my peers and instructors, I have grown in communicating with patients, which I think came from spending a lot of time in the hospital due to both clinical and my PCA job. I remember my first week at clinical interacting with a patient. It’s almost like I froze and couldn’t get any sentences out. As I became more comfortable in the hospital setting, I noticed myself communicating better with these patients that I had just met. Now I find it much simpler to strike up conversations; patients really are just normal people in abnormal circumstances.

2. Although I have seen improvement in my nonverbal communication skills, I know that I still have plenty to work on such as posture, facial expressions, and gestures. I think that as a nurse, I can better show support and advocate for my patients if I show effective communication skills with the patients, their family members and other professions involved in their care. Without effective communication, I cannot practice safely as a nurse. I am glad to have learned all of these communication skills in this class and am looking forward to applying them to my current and future jobs.

Blog 4

For this blog I decided to watch Grey’s anatomy for the first time. The first patient-healthcare provider conversation that was interesting was when the patient says “kill me now” and the healthcare provider says ”I wish I could but I’m a healer.” I know it’s just TV but I don’t think that comment was very therapeutic. I would assume that the patient was joking and the doctor replied by using humor which can be considered therapeutic, but after the doctors comment the patient’s facial expression showed that he was uncomfortable. A few minutes later Meredith Grey raises her voice at a patient and says “go to sleep and stop bothering me.” This is definitely not therapeutic in any way.

Blog 3

One of my communication challenges thus far has been the volume of my voice, which my clinical instructor has already corrected me on. We were doing a teach back activity where each of us would explain a certain part of our unit after completing a scavenger hunt. When it was my turn, I explained everything in detail but then my instructor told me I had to restart and do it again because I was too quiet and not assertive enough. In the moment, the criticism didn’t feel good but I’m so glad she helped me see my mistakes in the moment and fix them before I continued in this bad habit. One way I can continue to improve on this is by being mindful of my tone of voice and how it affects the way I am understood and trusted as a caregiver. Another one of my communication challenges is starting up conversation with my patient as I give the care, like bathing or feeding. Naturally, I am not much of a public speaker and I’m not usually the conversation starter. I think I can improve on this by using the techniques we learned in class by starting off with simple small talk topics and building up to topics that hold more meaning. I think this will definitely come with a lot of practice.

Blog 2

For my second reflection blog, I chose to casually observe others in a local downtown cafe. I noticed lots of people studying and keeping to themselves but there were multiple tables where two people were in conversation. There was a couple that seemed to be on a first date but I’m not quite positive. I noticed how though they sat next to each other, they turned their bodies to face one another. I noticed their consistent eye contact, hand gestures while conversing, and smiling and lots of head nodding in agreement. I also noticed how they would sometimes grab their cup and slightly move it over just to have something to do with their hands. Overall, I think that through nonverbal communication, they showed that they were interested in the conversation. I also liked how neither of them were distracted by leaving cellphones on the table between them. Occasionally, one of them would stare off into space while explaining something as if they were in deep thought. I think facial expressions really display the depth of the conversation even though I had no idea what they were talking about.

Blog 1

Hello my name is Esther Antonyuk and I am currently enrolled as a BSN student at Ohio State’s College of Nursing. I am considered a direct admit from high school to the program, which technically means I am a freshman. I turned 18 this past September and just recently started driving.

I chose to pursue nursing last summer and spent my senior year of high school finishing the necessary prerequisites. It was a rough year to say the least, and I was shocked to learn I had been accepted. I also quickly discovered how much work needed to be done before the semester began in August. This became a huge problem since I had a 7 week trip planned to Ukraine. I went through many tears and stress and nursing school hadn’t even started! I spent some time in airports and at my grandmas house in Ukraine (without a stable WiFi connection) working on training modules, scheduling classes, and trying to find an STNA class that I could complete in time. I made the deadline by a few days and was relieved that part was over. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed my first semester.

I was drawn to nursing for a number of reasons, but as I learn more and more about it, I would say that my favorite part of the profession is a nurse’s holistic approach to healthcare. I think that a person is considered healthy when they are healthy in every aspect, not just lack of illness. For this reason, I love OSU’s mission for wellness and mental health.

Outside of school, I’m either at home or at church. I enjoy lattes, baking, reading, Greek food, making videos, and traveling. I love being a Sunday School teacher and teaching kindergarteners about Jesus and I also appreciate attending youth group every week.

I know this semester will be difficult, but I am excited to be challenged and to continue to grow as a student!