Self Evaluation

Self-Evaluation Paper
NUCO-4430 Transition and Validation Seminar I
Kimberely S. Strickland
University of Virginia
December 12, 2010


The Transition and Development Seminarat the University of Virginia set seven goals for its students to complete during the semester. I believe that I have successfully completed each of these goals.

First, the class forced me to turn to microscope on myself and look at my own body of knowledge when completing the adult case study. Although the case study was a difficult task to complete, I surprised myself with the amount of nursing knowledge I discovered inside my own mind. I also began to look ahead to set goals of where I want to be in nursing in the next few years.

Second, this class has encouraged me to look at the different nursing roles in my organization when setting goals. I looked at the roles of the floor nurses, clinical shift managers, unit managers, unit clinicians, and director of medical-surgical nursing. In my unit, the higher up the corporate ladder nurses are, the less patient contact they have. The director of medical-surgical nursing sees patients only in rare cases, usually if someone complains loudly and repeatedly.

Third, I have developed the first half of a professional portfolio that my professor will use to validate my prior nursing knowledge. The second half of this portfolio will be completed during the spring semester. This portfolio has also served to increase my nursing knowledge through the examination of current nursing journals and the use of standardized nursing language. In addition, the Career Self-Assessment assignment forced me to look at my own nursing path and receive input from a peer a superior.

Fourth, when writing the Standard Nursing Language (SNL) and Adult Case Study papers, I was forced to revisit nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes in a formal manner. Although I had written care plans in my associate degree program, I did not use the NIC and NOC as I did in this class. Initially, I felt much anxiety at this new language but now feel much more comfortable I as look ahead to the second half of the Transition.

Fifth, both inside and outside of class, I examined ethical issues in nursing practice. For example, each day I work, I see issues on my unit that need to be addressed. Is it ethical for management to cut staffing at the expense of patient care? Patient care quality decreases when cuts are made, so management should examine whether this can be rectified.

Sixth, when completing the assigned papers during the semester, I used the Health Sciences Library in the Claude Moore Building to complete my research. I used the library’s resources both on-line and in person when writing my papers.

Seventh, I was motivated to complete the assignments in a timely manner. I asked questions when confused and communicated with the professor as problems arose.

In conclusion, I feel as though I met all the learning objectives of the Transition and Validation Seminar I. Not only have I learned a lot about nursing, but I have also learned a lot about myself as a nursing professional. This new knowledge has given me increased confidence as a registered nurse and I look forward to the Transition and Validation Seminar II in the spring.