Growth Begins with Listening by Brianna

Growth Begins with Listening by Brianna - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

When I first started my nursing clinicals in sophomore year, I thought being a good nursing meant that I had to get everything right the first time. Spending hours of studying and practicing because I wanted to prove to my clinical instructor that I belonged here. During one of my first interaction and assessment, I was so focused on remembering every step that I rushed through it. I was just trying to check all my boxes off in my head instead of connecting with my patient.
My clinical instructor immediately saw that, afterwards she gave me feedback that stuck with me. She told me that I did everything right in my assessments, just that it wasn't just about checking boxes off and completing the assignment. It was also about caring for a real person that has feelings and emotions. She reminded me to introduce myself with confidence and to actually listen to what my patient has to say. At first, I was a little embarrassed because in my head I thought I did a good job but in reality, all I did was check the boxes off the checklist. She wasn't trying to criticize me, she just wanted to help me become a better nurse.
From that day on, I changed the way I approached every clinical, every patient, every time. Before I walk into my patient's room, I take a deep breath and remind myself that the patient comes first before the checklist. I started making conversations with my patient, making them feel comfortable, and explaining everything I was doing. Overtime, I realized that my confidence grew and that I wasn't worried about doing everything perfectly, I was building relationships with my patients, treating them as a actual person. It made me realize how important communication really is.
During one of my clinicals, a patient stopped me in my tracks and thanked me for explaining what I was doing because it helped ease her anxiety. It made me think back to when I first realized I wanted to become a nurse. This was way more then just getting a skill checked off. Nursing isn't just about knowing what to do and doing it perfectly. Its about caring for patient's feelings during some of their hardest moments of their life. That experience completely changed how I look at feedback. Before, I use to look at feedback as pointing out everything I did wrong and to make me look bad. Now, I see it as a way to grow from it. It helps you learn to listen better. Asking for feedback doesn't make you less capable, it makes you more willing to improve.
As I continue through nursing school and work towards earning my BSN, I know to keep receiving feedback and advice. Instead of being afraid of it, I'll welcome it because every lesson helps me become a stronger nursing student, a better coworker, and a kind of nurse that my patients deserve. That conversation I had with my clinical instructor not only changed my mindset but my approach to future patient interactions.