Since completing my medication reconciliation on my patient, I noticed that my biggest concern was with the patient’s lack of knowledge. She did not quite understand the potential complications that could come with taking these medications together. My patient had a difficult time understanding what to do in the case of an emergency and how to see the warning signs before it happens. The patient did understand what amlodipine and loratadine were for and how they could help. She did not know what the gabapentin and the haloperidol were for. It is important for the patient to know the purpose of each medication to be an advocate for their own health. She did not have multiple medications that did the same thing, but she had a few medications that had side effects that were similar to the purpose of her other meds. Amlodipine is to decrease blood pressure and haloperidol has a side effect of hypotension. These together may cause very dangerous outcomes such as the increased risk of falls, stroke, and organ failure. The patient did not know of this potential risk factor and was made aware when we conversed. I believe this conversation really helped my patient feel more comfortable and confident with her medication list.
Author: Isabella Roy
Planning the Journey
When looking at the journey ahead, I think the majority of my time and effort will consume writing the final paper. I have many interests and ideas that will help me create an intriguing topic to research. I have decided I will be working with my friend Jordyn. We both are very studious and organized. I will manage my time by breaking the paper down into small chunks that I can complete each day. This will make the paper as a whole, less daunting. As life gets in the way and I have other assignments and exams, I hope to designate an hour of my day to complete a part of this assignment. I hope that by researching a topic that is engaging to me, this paper will feel less like work and more like a fun learning activity. I believe that planning a long, ongoing assignment such as this, will help me as a future nurse plan more efficiently. I hope to learn how to manage my time while trying to juggle many other important things. As a nurse, I will have to be able to balance my time with different patients as well as my personal time for self-care and social life. Creating time to decompress after a long shift is crucial when it comes to burnout in the workplace. By planning my time, I hope to prevent and minimize the chances of burnout and therefore take better care of my patients.
Thinking About the Journey
The nursing specialty I am most interested in is respiratory more specifically with pediatric patients. I am interested in this because I have first-hand experience as a pediatric patient with a rare respiratory disease. My disease is called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, which is a genetic disorder that affects the cilia in the body. This is very problematic because the cilia are in charge of the movement of mucus throughout the respiratory system. Without this mechanism, I have had many upper and lower respiratory infections and complications. I have been in the hospital countless times as a pediatric patient and all of the nurses I have had has made a profound impact on me! I would love to learn about other rare pulmonary disorders and potentially meet other people with the same disease.
I have little knowledge about what evidence-based practice is but I believe it is similar to the nursing process. I believe it involves the analysis and interpretation of evidence of a patient’s condition. I hope to apply what I learn in Evidence-Based Practice to my Adult Health classes and clinical. I believe this will help me be a better nurse by improving my critical thinking skills. This is a key part of what makes a great nurse. I hope to enhance my ability to take what I have learned in previous classes and apply it to the clinical setting. Once I can practice this skill in clinical, I hope it will allow for a more seamless transition to the real world when I am a Registered Nurse.
How I Made a Difference
Before I began writing this paper, it took me a long time to reflect on my past clinical experiences to pick out one significant moment during my time there. As I was thinking about it, I decided that there wasn’t one notable moment that made me feel like I was making a difference in a patient’s life but it was the little moments that made their day better! I remember one day during clinical, I was completing my assessment on an old man that had a hip replacement. He was supposed to stay less than a week or so but he had a hospital-acquired infection that caused a prolonged stay. As I was asking him about how he was doing he seemed very sad and fed up with being in this uncomfortable environment. I then stopped doing my assessment to ask him more questions about his life at home. I was genuinely interested in what he missed most about his household and he mentioned his bed. We continued our conversation and he started to open up and seemed a bit more relaxed than before I walked in. This patient then went to physical therapy in the late morning. As his room was empty, I made it a point to clean his room a little bit and make him a fresh bed with crisp clean sheets. Later that day, I went back into his room around lunchtime and asked him if he enjoyed his bed and he said “Yes, you know nothing is better than a fresh bed.” His entire demeanor had changed completely compared to the morning. Granted he may not have been a morning person but I feel like that little effort and extra thought I had to make remake his bed made a difference in his day! This act may not have been something that was life-changing for the patient, but I know that this patient had a better night’s sleep and day because of the neat bedding. I hope to keep having meaningful conversations with my patients and to hopefully someday make a life-changing difference in someone’s life!
Forensic Nursing Reflection
I really enjoyed Polly Campbell’s presentation on Forensic Nursing. I’ve been interested in medical law and attended a class for Forensics and Introduction to Criminal Justice. My biggest takeaway from this presentation is the words of Edmond Locard. This man is named the “father of criminalistics” and he is known for his impactful words that “every contact leaves a trace.” This quote stood out to me because it can be interpreted in many different ways. For example, a patient will forever be changed mentally and emotionally by the traumatic events of abuse. On the other hand, the abuse can leave physical markings and evidence. The “traces” that Edmond Locard is referring to can be physical, mental, and emotional remnants of the many different types of interpersonal violence. A Forensic Nurse has the extremely important role of providing specialized care for the physical, mental, and emotional remains of these incidents. These types of nurses are in charge of providing a full head-to-toe assessment that is similar to what I have been learning in school. The major difference between the assessment I’ve learned in school and Forensic Nursing is that they are also collecting evidence that may be used for future prosecutions. These Nurses have the extraordinary ability to testify in the course as an expert witnesses or as fact, with the evidence being the nursing processes that they conducted in the hospital settings. This ability amazes me and sparks my interest in this specialty of the medical field. I hope to reach out to Professor Campbell to gather more information on this incredible field.
Brief Reflection: Interprofessionalism
I learned a lot about how each profession works together and individually to help each patient. I was very interested in how Chelsea, the Respiratory Therapist, is involved in the health care team. I originally wanted to become a Respiratory Therapist and didn’t realize how important they are to a patient’s well-being. As I was listening to her point of view in the medical field, I learned how she is a major part of a patient’s recovery due to the priority assessment of the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation). Her job is to maintain a vital part of life by using medications, machinery, and knowledge to accurately care for each patient’s respiratory needs.
Revisiting the Image: Year 2
Looking back on my past ideas on what it means to be a nurse I still believe in everything I wrote, but I have a more developed point of view now. In Nursing 202, I have been learning about how nurses are a critical part of the medical team. They are the advocate for the patient and their family to this group of healthcare professionals. This is extremely important when it comes to communication and trust in the medical setting. A nurse is there to relay any questions or concerns the patient may have, to the doctors or therapist. Nurses develop a sense of an understanding with the patient about what they are feeling and what they may need at any given time which is very important in the promotion of one’s health. An image I believe represents this teamwork and communication is a ball of yarn. The image below symbolizes the connectivity of the entire healthcare team. It is showing how everyone plays an important role in shaping the patient’s stay and overall wellbeing. If one “string” is out of place or becomes loose then the entire plan of care may crumble. Therefore I believe that nurses are a vital part of this team and will continue to be for years to come.
Revisiting Theresa Brown’s Critical Care
In chapter 2, Theresa is telling her story about one of the first times she called a “code blue” situation. She explained that as a new nurse she is still trying to figure out when to call this intense code. Theresa Brown described the situation with her patient when a large amount of brown fluid “fell” out of her patient unexpectedly. She decided to call a code because this was not normal and her patient was in critical care. After calling this code, it turned out to be a fluid sac that had popped and secreted the liquid. Her over-cautious, young, nursing mind decided to call this an emergency because she had never experienced this in her career. This chapter reminded me of the course objective about demonstrating the ability to self-reflect on the intrapersonal aspects of self-care, professionalism, and accountability that are inherent in nursing. After she reflected on her experience, Theresa took accountability for this false code call and then got a better understanding of how to be better next time.
Breath 4 PCD 5K
In 2019 I created a 5k running and walking event that raised money for the PCD Foundation. I created this event from scratch for my high school senior project. I thought to connect two important aspects of my life which are exercise and my chronic illness. I have a lung disease called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. This is a genetic disease that affects the cilia in the respiratory system. Cilia are microscopic hairs that attach to the walls of the respiratory system that move mucus. PCD is when the cilia bend improperly making them semi-functioning or completely immobile. Without proper moving cilia, mucus builds up in the lungs, sinuses, and ears. Excess mucus causes chronic issues such as lung infections, sinus infections, as well as hearing loss.
Having a mild version of PCD has enabled me to help others by creating awareness and raising money for a cure. I organized a nonprofit 5K to benefit the PCD Foundation. Organizing such an event was very time-consuming however extremely rewarding. Family, friends, and teachers all showed up to support my cause. In the end, we had over 100 runners and I was able to raise $2,920 for PCD!
Gratitude and Self Care
Write about the importance of gratitude in a professional setting. How do think members of an interprofessional team demonstrate gratitude to one another? At times when you are feeling stressed, what is one way that you manage?
Gratitude is extremely important to have in a professional setting because results in kindness and caring for others. If you are grateful for what you have you can be a happier more caring individual to your patients. Showing gratitude to members of an interprofessional team will provide a level of professionalism as well as an appreciation for another person’s abilities.
Explain one strategy that you use to decompress. Is this a strategy that you use that might also work in a professional setting? If not, what might you do in a professional setting to practice self-care to manage your stress?
A way I decompress is by doing exercise. I like to exercise outside because it helps me clear my head and get rid of any excess energy so that I can focus on the rest of the day. This could possibly work in a professional setting if I want to walk up and down stairs or do laps around the hospital to get my heart rate up during a break. If I am unable to get my heart rate up then I might do some breathing exercises to help me focus on the task at hand.
