NorQuest College-PN Program

Assignment: Professional Portfolio

Student Name: Cassandra Russell
Course: NFDN 2003

Competency: Category K-1-2 Demonstrate knowledge and ability to provide education

Letter, Number and to the surgical patient (CLPNA, 2019, p.75)
Subcategory
Significant Learning
Experience: Describe one In the lab we were taught the incentive spirometer and the
significant learning importance of oxygenation for surgical patients. Teaching a
experience in this course patient about the incentive spirometer in lab helps the patient
related to the CLPNA understand the importance of deep breathing and gives a visual
Competency identified. representation of how there deep breathing is working.
Provide an example

What I have learned is the proper techniques of deep breathing

and coughing. Deep breathing and Cough can help patients
What you Learned: alleviate pain and reduce the risk of pneumonia post-surgery.
Describe what you learned Deep breathing allows for increased oxygenation allowing for
and how it relates to the increase healing of tissues by providing cells with enough
competency identified. oxygen and it is a distraction and provides something to focus
on other than pain. Coughing reduces the risk of pneumonia as
It forcefully pushes any substance that could be collecting in
the lungs or trachea.
Proficiency Rating: Use
the “Proficiency Rating I would rate my proficiency in the identified CLPNA
Categories” (excellent, competency as good. In this course I have learned about the pre
good, fair, poor) to rate and post op procedures that need to be walked through for a
your proficiency in the patient to understand all the steps of their surgery. I have
identified CLPNA learned all the steps needed to teach a patient about different
competency. Explain what important health teachings depending on the surgery/procedure.
was done to achieve the However I would not rate myself as excellent as I am not able
competency and to support to 100% remember everything that is needed to teach but can
your rating. teach the main important things without queuing.

The above identified competency enhanced my learning as it

Significance of Learning: helped me develop skills in communicating with my patient
Explain how the identified and adapting my thinking to know different ways of explaining
competency enhanced your information to better help my patients. Being able to provide a
learning (was meaningful) patient with proper education teachings pre and post-surgery
in this course enhances my learning in this course as it makes me have to
critically think about what the needs of my patient will be and
how I can best attend to them.

May 2017-final
NorQuest College-PN Program
Nursing Practice:
Describe how you will be
able to apply this learning
in your current and future
nursing practice (What are
your strengths and what are
your future learning
needs).
APA: Reference
May 2017-final
My strength in applying the above competency is being able to
communicate teachings in different ways to allow my patient to
understand what they are being told. An area that needs
improvement is my time management, as it currently takes me
longer to get all the information across to the patient. With time
and practice in placements and in my future nursing practic I
will be able to teach the patients all necessary health teaching
in a timely manner where it’s quick enough to not take up too
much time but I will be able to convey all the necessary
information to the patient.
College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta.
(2019). Competency profile for LPNS  (4th ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.clpna.com/members/continuing-competency-
program/competency-profile-for-lpns/