About Me

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     My name is Samantha Broome and currently I am pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN) through USC Columbia at the Lancaster Campus. I am excited to say the I will be graduating in May 2021. On the Lancaster campus, I have held many leadership positions, including Peer Advisor at Lancaster (PAL), President of the Student Government Association (SGA), Director of Membership for USCL’s Student Nursing Association (SNA) and an executive officer of USCL’s Research Club. Each organization had great impact on the person I am today and that will be exemplified throughout my e-portfolio. 

     When I first chose to pursue Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD), it was because I wanted something that would make me stand out among my peers for my future employment. I believe GLD would do just that. However, after I completed my first GLD for my Associate in Science Degree in May 2019, it has become more than that. I enjoy connecting what I learn within the classroom to beyond the classroom experiences. Those connections show that, though I am learning nursing skills, I am also learning other transferable life skills. These skills include communication, leadership and the value of education. 

     The reason I chose to pursue nursing is based on my desire to impact others' lives. I believe there is great value in simply taking the time to show someone you care about them. We can never know what one is going through and how our words and actions may impact them. That is why proper communication is so imperative even in our daily lives. It does not matter how you intend something; it matters only how it is received by others. In my Psychiatric/Mental Health course (NURS 411) we learn the concept of Therapeutic Communication. This concept teaches how to communicate best with our patients to create a trusting nurse-patient relationship. 

     Throughout my clinical rotations, I have noticed the disparity in education around one’s health. Many patients I have cared for did not fully understand their disease process or how to properly manage it. In my Population Health Nursing (NURS 431) course I was introduced to the concept of Health Promotion. Within the concept of Health promotion, the Primary Prevention of disease/Illness is based on education. We prevent disease by educating on reducing risk factors for disease, immunization, and overall safety. 

     My journey to becoming a nurse has been filled with, not just educational growth, but also personal growth. In my Nursing of Children and Families course (NURS 425), I learned Erikson’s stages of development. During adolescence, the child goes through the stage of Identity versus Role Confusion. This stage is when the child begins to develop their sense of self. This role confusion state is what I experienced in my first years of college.  If you would have asked me in my freshman year if I would identify as a leader, the answered would have been no. I did not fully understand what it meant to be a leader. Leadership is not just about ordering people around but is about advocating for a cause and for those you are leading. Leadership is to act when you see something that needs to be changed, instead of waiting for someone else to implement change. My role as a nurse is to advocate for the best care for my patients. Therefore, by taking on the leadership role as a nurse, I will provide best care and advocacy for my patients.  

     For this GLD, I will be pursuing the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway. Throughout this e-portfolio, I will go into more depth about how concepts I have mentioned previously relate to this pathway. My Key Insights will be based on transferable lessons I have learned along my journey to become a Registered Nurse. Based on these transferable lessons, I plan to implement a peer mentorship program for my leadership section. 

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