Senior Reflection Paper

Lauren Gabur Reflection Paper Mr. Rudebusch 3/27/19

Reflection Paper Oh thank goodness that this is over. I spent twenty-one and a half hours over three days at the Watertown Prairie Lakes Hospital. There I shadowed Jennifer Briggs in the OB Department. I got to see what it really was like to be an OB nurse. It was fun to hold babies, help mothers with the labor, and spend time with the other nurses. The only challenges I faced was the deadlines in the project. This has been such a busy year with figuring out college decisions, all of my classes, sports, and overall the many events that happen in life. To overcome these challenges, I had to prioritise. I had so many mental breakdowns. I realized that in my free time, I needed to actually use that time to work on my project. I also learned to manage my time more wisely. Everyday I would make a checklist for my homework and what I needed to do. I also set a lot of reminders. Anytime I was not doing anything in class or had some free time, I would be working on my senior project. Since I got to experience this first hand, it was very eye opening and helpful for me to make a decision. I decided that this is not something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. It was really fun being with the babies, moms, and other nurses; however, I didn’t enjoy the actual medical things like charting, reading graphs, and waiting hours of someone to have a baby. There were times where I was doing a lot and times where I was doing nothing. I learned a lot from this experience and will be using it in the future when me or one of my family members are having a baby. I am really hoping that my presentation will go well. Considering that I came home from my Branson trip and was told Monday that I am presenting Tuesday, was a big oof for me. Before my presentation I had to make my slides and memorize some of my information. I hope my panel members will gain knowledge of what it is like to be an OB nurse and that, if in the situation between choosing either a cesarean section or a vaginal birth, do not choose a cesarean if not medically needed. Honestly, considering how stressful this year has been, I think I deserve at least an A-. I have met all the deadlines no matter what else has been assigned to me. It was really difficult to plan everything out and prioritize because everything I always had to work on seemed to be due at the same time. Also, considering the fact that I have never been so stressed in my life, I think that I deserve a good grade. In conclusion, I had a really good time shadowing and I am very grateful I had the opportunity to do it before I decided that I was going to school for it. I think I will use a lot of what I learned for in the future when I need to prioritize and even when others I know are pregnant and need help with some of the information I learned. All in all, I am so

happy that I am done with this and able to graduate. I feel so relieved that this is done and feel very accomplished for my work.