My Experience Because nursing school is incredibly demanding and difficult, I expected nothing less when shadowing a nurse for the first time in a medical-surgical unit. Before entering the hospital, I was terrified of everything that could happen to me on my first day. However, my nerves suddenly disappeared as my hooves guided me to the hospital. I immediately felt a connection to Swedish American Hospital. Not only did I have a connection with the hospital itself, but I also connected with everyone around me. The facial expressions and attitudes I received with my uniform made me feel what I always wanted to feel, that nursing is the most trustworthy and ethical profession there is. I felt congratulated, honored. By doing everything the nurse can for her patients, the nurse knows her patient better than anyone else. The nurse I shadowed is confident, organized and on top of things. The nurse's role is to monitor your patients as often as necessary, especially if they have questionable vital signs, pain issues, confusion, or postoperative restrictions. Don't wait for your patients to ask for painkillers, especially if they have just had surgery. Nurses assess their patients, give them a nursing diagnosis, create a plan that meets certain goals or outcomes that would meet their primary needs, perform interventions to achieve those goals, then evaluate the results and start the process again. From this shadowing experience, I learned that the role of a nurse is much deeper and involves more critical thinking. A nurse's role is not just to take vital signs and document what is normal or not, nor is it just to chart patients and not just hand out medications. Nurses do a lot of patient education, teaching them about their disorders, how to manage them, their medications and their side effects. You are responsible for delegating tasks to support staff like nursing assistants, while remaining fully responsible and legally responsible for anything that may arise.