Reflection
The following section highlights the experiences that have shaped my path toward Trent University’s Nursing program and provides a reflection on my first semester of nursing studies thus far.
In my last year of high school, I faced many challenging decisions regarding my future, compounded by the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic disrupted not only my education but also the way I had envisioned the next steps in my life. At this time, I was struggling to decide whether I wanted to stay in Canada and play hockey, or whether I wanted to attend a school in the United States pursuing lacrosse. Though I was conflicted with where I wanted to go and which sport to pursue, I always knew my passion was in health care. This clarity about my long-term goals led me to ultimately choose a path that aligned with my desire to work in health care and pursue further education in this field. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a dermatologist. Thus, my goal was to complete a pre-medical degree and move on to medical school from there. With this idea in mind, I decided to accept my offer from the University of Waterloo, pursuing a degree in Health Science while playing on the varsity hockey team. My first year of university was very challenging as it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. All my labs were online and there was no face-to-face interaction, I felt like I was missing out on the university experience and developing my hands-on skills. As the COVID-19 pandemic concluded and schooling went back to in person I began to enjoy university much more and I felt I was learning lots. It wasn’t until my third year of university where I began researching some other career options within the health care field. I still had a passion for dermatology however I was starting to think medical school may not be for me. I am smart and a very hard worker, however, 8 more years of schooling and the competitive nature of medical school was not as appealing to me as it once was. In this same year my grandma became very sick. She was in and out of the Peterborough hospital for several months and as her condition became worse, she was transported to Saint Micheals hospital in Toronto. I spent a lot of time with my grandma at Saint Micheals, and I remember this was the first time the nursing profession popped into my mind. My grandma ended up passing and this was one of the worst days of my life, however despite the overwhelming sadness, there were some aspects of this time stuck with me. My grandma loved her nurses, and I was shocked to see how much of an impact they had on my grandma’s time in the hospital. As I had more time to process my emotions about my grandma’s passing, I began to investigate the nursing profession more diligently. Witnessing the profound impact my grandma’s nurses had on her inspired me to want to make a similar difference in someone else’s life. The CNO’s Professional Standards emphasize the importance