Overall, reflecting upon my performance from the beginning of the semester and comparing it to current performance, I have noticed a big difference. I have noticed an increase in testing scores, but more so in the way that I take the ATI tests and my overall demeanor going into them. I feel so much more confident taking these exams, and I definitely think all the practice tests and remediations have really helped me achieve that. At first, I was annoyed with remediating all the time, but over time I noticed that it helped me understand the rationale for the correct answer and understand why my answer was not correct. I feel like I was able to develop better testing strategies and I even noticed that I was incorporating what I have learned in my clinicals to help me answer questions. There were some challenging areas where I used the Individual Performance Profiles to pinpoint where I had some content gaps, and why I had those content gaps. Most of the time it was just pharmacology topics that I have not reviewed since taking it over a year ago. A few instances were that I was unfamiliar with the topic in the question, and we had not learned, but the remediations helped me learn it, which helped if it had popped up on another exam. I also liked how I was able to see how fast I answered some questions, and I was able to identify which questions I did not take enough time to read all the way through. I tried to make it a goal to thoroughly read through each question and the answers and make sure I understood what the question was asking, and not get caught up in the “distractors”. 

Reflecting upon how I gained content mastery, I had a few reliable resources I would go to that helped me improve. One of them being the ATI eBooks and remediations. I tried to make the most out of my remediations and create them in a way that would be an effective study guide for myself. This also helped with my motivation to complete all the remediations, as I knew I was creating study guides for myself to help my scores and eventually for NCLEX. I also used lecture material/textbooks for maternity/pediatrics, as well as my adult health textbook from last semester. I also utilized various online programs/review videos, such as SimpleNursing or RegisteredNurseRN, and these really helped solidify content or helped clarify any gray areas as they explained it in another way, which sometimes really helps. In the beginning of the semester, as well as previous semesters doing ATI, I was not utilizing all these resources that were available to me, and I think that’s why I was not improving until mid-point this semester. 

I would say overall for time management, this semester was my best. I utilized time over winter break to do some of the beginning ATIs and ePortfolio posts and I created a schedule for completing the exams and remediations that I stuck to. I would complete the test one day, and then I would break up completing the remediations into chunks, so my brain was not getting overwhelmed. I would often try to grind and complete everything in one sitting, but this was ineffective as I was getting extremely stressed out and not comprehending everything fully. However, once I separated taking the exam from the remediations, and further breaking up remediations into portions, I noticed I was taking a lot more time to fully comprehend the material I was remediating upon, and I think that has showed throughout my test scores. I was able to adopt a better school/life balance this semester that I will carry into my professional practice when I need to balance work/life. I have integrated various self-care routines that have significantly helped me with stress and anxiety, such as going for walks, yoga, reading, and taking time to talk with friends and family more. I will definitely be continuing these as I transition into professional practice following graduation, as I know it will be a very stressful and high anxiety as a new graduate nurse, but I want to prioritize self-care as well. All in all, this semester I have been able to reflect upon my performance as a student, as well as becoming more self-aware of myself outside of school and focusing on things that bring me happiness and peace that I will continue upon as a new nurse!