NorQuest College-PN Program

Assignment: Professional Portfolio

Student Name: Amy Nicolas
Course: NFDN 2005, A02

M-1-2 Demonstrate knowledge of common pediatric diseases and medical

conditions:
 Asthma
 Congenital anomalies
Competency: Category
 Congenital heart disease
Letter, Number and
 Cystic fibrosis
Subcategory
 Down syndrome
 Muscular dystrophy
 Spectrum disorders (autism, fetal alcohol)

My significant learning experience is actually tied into other courses as well but
the exact cause of it in childhood I learned in this course. As a child I had asthma
and I never really knew what it was until I took the PN program and this course. I
knew that it was a respiratory illness that was typically diagnosed in children and
that they sometimes can grow out of it as they age, which is what happened with
Significant Learning me. But I actually did not know the pathology or how common it was in children.
Experience: Describe It was interesting to spend a significant chunk of time talking about how to teach
one significant learning our patient the correct methods to control their asthma and some of the
experience in this requirements surrounding controlled or uncontrolled asthma. I feel that this course
course related to the has given me the knowledge and prepared me for the future to be able to teach
CLPNA Competency children and their guardians how to manage their asthma if I end up working in the
identified. Provide an peds department post graduation.
example
I also found it interesting to learn more about childhood congenital anomalies
because I had an uncle diagnosed with Prader Willie Syndrome when he was born
and grew up knowing her had sometime wrong with him but I also didn’t know the
extent of it.

What you Learned:

Describe what you Through this course I feel like I have learned a lot about certain childhood illnesses
learned and how it and how as a nurse we can help the patient and their family manage their
relates to the diagnosis. This knowledge will be very important to me because I do think that
competency identified. eventually I would like to get into some type of peds field. Coming into the
program I had heard about all of these listed conditions but I really didn’t know the
extent of them. I can now come out of the program feeling confident in my
knowledge and can apply it to real life situations in my nursing career.
In regards to my uncle we discussed some of the way families cope and I found it
very interesting that choosing to put their child in a home is more common than I

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 NorQuest College-PN Program

realized. This is what ultimately my family chose to do with my uncle from a very
young age. I always felt like making that decision was a cop out for my grandma
but now I understand that sometimes it’s harder for the family to cope with the
illness and the best thing for the child is to be placed in a facility where they have
the best care.

Proficiency Rating:
Use the “Proficiency I would rate myself “good” because I knew a little bit about these conditions
Rating Categories” coming into the program but I learned even more and feel like I would be able to
(excellent, good, fair, educate families and apply my knowledge to real life patients. I feel like this
poor) to rate your course was easily laid out and honestly taught in a way that I can understanding
proficiency in the and absorb the knowledge. Saying that; I strongly believe there is always room for
identified CLPNA improvement and that I will never stop learning as research comes out and best
competency. Explain practice changes.
what was done to
achieve the competency
and to support your
rating.
Significance of
Learning: Explain how As someone that might want to eventually get into the pediatric field knowing
the identified some common diseases and medical conditions is going to help me in my practice.
competency enhanced I will not have to retake or relearn certain conditions and will be able to apply the
your learning (was knowledge to my patients.
meaningful) in this
course
Nursing Practice:
Describe how you will My strengths occur in my interest in working with children so learning about the
be able to apply this common diseases was easy for me to do and it was interesting to learn about. As
learning in your current well, as stated above I think as nurses we never stop learning and developing out
and future nursing knowledge on nursing and medicine. So my future learning need will come as
practice (What are your research develops and new best practices come into play.
strengths and what are
your future learning
needs).

College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (2020). M. Pediatrics. Retrieved from

https://www.clpna.com/wp-

content/uploads/2020/01/doc_Competency_Profile_for_LPNs_5th_Ed_2020.pdf

May 2017-final