Reflective Paper

Charles Odoka

Methodist College

N5307 - Common Health Alterations in Advanced Nursing

Dr. Theresa Schwindenhammer

06, May 2022

 Walking into the hospital on my first day of clinicals was one of the happiest days of my

life. It’s been almost 4 years since I last walked into a hospital with the intention of caring for a

patient. I felt I was going to be a bit rusty at first but that feeling quickly went away the moment

my first patient was handed to me by my instructor. I remember walking into my patient’s room

with so much confidence in myself. That day was one of my first better days during the entire

course of my clinicals. Although, I had a few bad days. Those bad days weren’t with the patients

but rather with the nurses. One who felt she wasn’t responsible for teaching us how things are

done. Anyways, my clinical experience was fun and exciting. I owe my clinical success to my

instructor, my classmates, and to the few nurses who made it a point to teach us.

Patient Safety

I was able to understand the importance of safety while caring for a patient. I learned how

to transfer a patient properly and safely from his or her bed to a wheelchair while using a gait

belt. I also learned how to safely clean and dress a wound while using proper medical asepsis

technique. I understood how important it is to follow the proper steps in other to prevent

microorganisms from invading the wound sites. Putting the safety of my patients first should

always be my number one priority as a nurse. I also learned the importance of constantly

monitoring my client in order to provide the necessary care that was required and also to prevent

any complications. Hourly pain and vital assessment of a patient taking opioids for severe pain is

very important because one major risk of opioids is respiratory depression.

Tonnesson et al. (2020) suggests that there is a minimum standard based on human rights

and patient needs that must be met if effective, safe, competent nursing is taking place. This

includes humane, respectful, comfort care, hydration, basic nutrition, and so forth.
Patient Centered Care

During week 3 of clinicals, I was assigned to just one patient, and I was able to engage

with my patient in a respectful and compassionate manner. I listened to every word uttered and

was able to provide the appropriate care required by my patient, based on my patient’s

preferences, values, and needs. I was also able to recognize personally held values and beliefs

about the management of pain and suffering, appreciate the role of the nurse in relief of all types

and sources of pain and suffering and finally recognize that patient expectations influence

outcomes in management of pain and suffering. I learned that to fully achieve proper

patient-centered care, it is necessary to treat your patient with respect and be compassionate as

well.

Teamwork and Collaboration

There is a great fulfillment of achievement when teamwork is involved. Being able to

work as a team created a better avenue for encouraging open communication between my peers.

Achieving quality patient care was totally dependent on our shared decision-making skills and

the mutual respect we shared amongst ourselves.

Rosen et al. (2018) suggests that effective teams not only protect patients from risks and

improve outcomes, but they also create a more positive, engaging, and resilient workplace. I

learned to follow communication practices that minimize risks associated with handoffs among

providers, and across transitions in care and also appreciate and value the solutions obtained

through systematic, inter-professional collaborative efforts.

Evidence Base Practice

 I was able to learn the importance of using evidence-based practice while delivering

optimal health care to my patient. Using evidence-based practice research resources provided me

with the up-to-date information about my patient’s health condition, how best to treat the illness,

along with the considerations and interventions to implement for my patient.

According to Chien (2019), evidence-based practice is now widely recognized as the key

to improving healthcare quality and patient outcome. My best resource was from the UpToDate

website. I used this resource to learn about a very rare condition a patient of mine had, which

was Ogilvie syndrome. This condition occurs mostly in men above 60 but recently has been

shown to happen to women above 60 as well. This available evidence influences the choice of

interventions in providing care for my patient. At the end of the day, I came to appreciate the

importance of regularly reading relevant professional journals and value the need for the

continuous improvement in clinical practice based on new knowledge.

Quality Improvement

I was able to improve my clinical skill on how to best draw up insulin, both regular and

NPH vials. I understood that it is necessary to follow the steps and methods in other to improve

the quality and safety when providing care to our patients. I was also able to recognize that

nursing and other health professions, students are parts of systems of care processes that affect

outcomes for patients and families. And I appreciate that continuous quality improvement is an

essential part of daily work of all health professionals.

Informatics

I was able to make use of evidence-based resources to support the decisions I made for

my patient. My patient had multiple open wounds in her lower extremities of unknown origin. I
was able to do some research on what the etiologies might be. During this process, I gathered a

lot of information concerning my patient’s case and as a result, I was better informed and

prepared to answer questions thrown at me by my patient. At the end of the day, I recognized the

time, effort, and skill required for computers, databases, and other technologies to become

reliable and effective tools for patient care. This made me respond appropriately to clinical

decision-making supports and alerts, and also appreciate the necessity for all health professionals

to seek lifelong, continuous learning of information technology skills.

My Goals

My goals are straightforward. To improve in my therapeutic communication skills, to

invest more time in continuous learning and gaining knowledge with the use of evidence-based

research materials and resources. And finally, to become more confident in myself when

performing the many skills required in the nursing profession. I believe that achieving these

goals are the keys to success in my nursing profession.

In conclusion, professionalism is one of the core values that seem to be innate and almost

a common courtesy at this point in my education. However, professionalism proved to be

difficult for me at times in this semester. There were certain members of the health care team that

I found it very difficult to work with and had to force a great deal of restraint over myself to

maintain composure. It was one of the many obstacles that I had to face at my clinical site this

semester, and surprisingly I can see now how I have gained qualities of professionalism and

teamwork from the experience.

 References

Tonnessen, S., Scott, A., & Nortvedt, P. (2020). Safe and competent nursing care: An argument

for a minimum standard. Nursing Ethics, 27(6), 1396-1407.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020919137
Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J.,

& Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer,

high-quality care. The American Psychologist, 73(4), 433-450.

https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000298

Chien, L. Y. (2019). Evidence-based practice and nursing research. The Journal Of Nursing

Research, 27(4), e29. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr0000000000000346