1. Running Head: What I Learned in College 1
What I Learned in College: Refective Journal
Desiree Ferwalt
NUR 3373: Professional Nursing Practice

2. What I Learned in College 2
What I Learned in College: Reflective Journal
The class Professional Nursing Practice is about furthering your career and advancing
your knowledge base to improve your nursing practice. This class was beneficial for me for
many reasons. With this reflective journal I will discuss what I learn in the class, then how I will
use what I learned in my day to day practice, and the changes I will make as I transition from a
student to a ASN to a BSN.
I have learned many things during this class Professional Nursing Practice. One of the
most important things reinforced with this class is that with nursing is a continuing learning
process. We can never quit learning in this career because the field is continually changing,
improvements are being made, old procedures are found unnecessary and fall out of practice and
new evidence based practices are going to be implemented. If we don’t take chances to improve
our practice by embracing change in the healthcare system we are not giving the best patient care
we can. In the Political and Leadership Activity I learned who my state representatives are and
their contact information. With some of the discussion boards I learned more about laws that
affect the healthcare system and how they affect me individually. When I did the Professional
Nursing Organization paper I picked the group American Society of PeriAnsesthesia Nurses
(ASPAN). I learned many basic facts about this organization including history, membership, and
educational opportunities. I also learned about other organizations by reading fellow class mates
papers. It has given me a few ideas of health care areas I would be interested in learning more
about. I know that with the things that I have learned in class I will use in my own nursing
practice.

3. What I Learned in College 3
There was a lot that was discussed and read in this class seminar. I will use what I
discovered in NUR3373 in my own nursing practice. I will take more opportunities to learn when
given the chance because in this class I have learn that you keep learning no matter what age you
are or what field you are in. In the healthcare field you can only improve your practice with more
knowledge. I learn how to improve my communication skills to increase my effectiveness with
my nursing career. In the chapter Healthy Initiatives for At-Risk Populations I have picked up
skills on which groups to be more concerned for when they are in a patient setting. I learned
about laws that will affect my practice and how I can affect laws by contacting my state
representatives and putting my opinions out there. I learned of organizations that I could seek
help from on patient issues.
Now that I have examined some concepts of professional nursing practice I can see
changes I will make to my nursing practice. Since I am still an ASN student I have yet to get out
and start my nursing career but I can use information learned in this class to help me as a student
and improve my experience as a student. Before I was used to working more as an individual but
with this class I learned ways to become a more effective leader and ways to improve my group
involvement. I found that reading the evidence-based practice chapter helped improve my
understanding of the subject which has led to improving my ASN education.
In this reflective journal I have discussed the many beneficial reasons for this class. Some
of these reasons are different learning aspects that I have picked up in this class, and now they
will be used in my health care practice, and the changes it will make in my career. Professional
Nursing Practice will help further your career and advance your knowledge base to improve your
nursing practice.