As my junior year of nursing school comes to a close, the quote, "A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions," seems quite relevant. Now that I have completed all of my clinical rotations and nursing courses, I am starting to logically put the nursing process together.

Freshman year I wrote about my anatomy class being a fundamental course in my education. At the time, I didn't understand how much I would someday rely on the bulk of information I was required to learn, yet this semester I have been forced to analyze situations quickly and accurately, relying on that same knowledge I once thought I could never retain.

At first, it was stressful to monitor several patients' vital signs, analyze and interpret their lab values and rhythm strips as well as thoroughly understand their course of hospitalization and disease process by the end of a shift.

Now, it is second nature and I no longer feel I am a frantically hurrying through my day, just trying to keep my head above water. My professors accept nothing but my best performance in the clinical setting, and I learned quickly that "I don't know" is not an acceptable answer. Nurses have to use their resources to find answers. And our instructors expect us to do the same because soon we will transition to full-time clinical experience. I'll admit that I have been challenged this semester, but I feel that this intense preparation will give me the tools I need to be confident — but never too careful.

The countless hours of clinical experience since freshman year have been a blessing. I believe that experience is priceless, which is why I look forward to my final year of nursing school.

In the fall, I will work 40 hours a week in community nursing, a curriculum that I have been part of since freshman year. My final semester will be working full-time as a nurse while taking intensive courses in my chosen specialty.

This summer I will work as a nurse extern on a pediatric oncology unit at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and complete coursework for my community clinical experience next fall.

Over the past few years, my teachers have been there to push me to new levels of understanding. I realize that these educators have opened the door, but soon I must enter by myself ... and be prepared.

Julia Judge is a 2005 graduate of Oakwood High School and is a student at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Judge is a recipient of a 2008 National Student Nurses' Association Scholarship.