Reflection

Answer

Simulation Template

Reflection 2 – Health Promotion and Maintenance

Core Clinical Objective

Integrate knowledge of expected growth and development, health promotion and prevention strategies to achieve optimal health.

In this reflection, you are to look at how you met the core clinical objective: Integrate knowledge of expected growth and development, health promotion and prevention strategies to achieve optimal health.

Remember we want to answer the below bolded questions from a leadership lens. Often the leadership perspective is looking from things not as a bedside nurse but rather how you can support the bedside nurse.

Answer these questions using the above crosswalk:

1. Integrate knowledge from the arts, sciences, and humanities into nursing practice. 

Tell me at least 1 example from your simulation that meets the above activity statement. 

How did you see your leader meet the above statement using the BSN essential as the guide:

As a nursing leader, I would address the issue of compassion in patient care. Take the example of getting assigned to a hospice centre. With all the patients, I would start my assessment with simple engagements to find out how their day was. I would later go on to inquire there were any changes noticeable with their treatment and recovery in the hospital. Afterwards, I would engage the patients in activities like taking them out on a stroll to get fresh air for hospice patients, and put on some musical request for patients that underwent dialysis, ensuring the patients were comfortable. Lastly, I would end each assessment by listening to their expectations as I engaged them in current events that peaked their interests. Through this, I can integrate science, the arts and humanities in my nursing practice by showing compassion to the patients under my care.

1. As a leader, how did you use knowledge from the arts within your clinical immersion- using the BSN essential review as your guide?

1. See this link for a definition of arts and nursing( http://www.css.edu/the-sentinel-blog/the-critical-role-of-a-nurse-bridging-the-gap-between-art-and-science.html)

I used critical thinking strategies from the disciple of arts to effectively solve emerging problems with patients and nurses while administering proper patient care. As a nurse leader, the nurse team benefited from my problem-solving skills in maintaining a good rapport while attending to patients who seemed difficult in accepting care. I would intervene and using my communication skills; I convinced the patients that the care administered to them by the nurses on my team was the best in the facility. Convincing patients put them at ease in trusting the nursing team that I authorized to their care (The College of St. Scholastica, 2018). In the end, I could integrate communication skills, problem-solving, and critical thinking as aspects of the arts into my nursing profession towards administering patient care

As a leader, how did science enhance your nursing leadership approach in this practicumusing the BSN essential review as your guide??

1. See this link for a definition of science and nursing

Nursing as a profession involves the integration of science into the practice to provide proper patient care. I was able to use the knowledge and skills acquired in my academics to give preventative patient care at the highest degree. Due to most of the scientific work learnt in school being theoretical and based on generalization, I applied all learnt concepts in understanding patient anatomy and physiology into making sure that all abnormalities that occurred in patients were taken care of in the right way towards the patients’ betterment of health (The College of St. Scholastica, 2018).  The application of scientific knowledge learnt in school with concepts of empathy and understanding help produce proper patient care to patients. Where science prevails in nursing, it goes hand in hand with the inclusion of the arts into the nursing profession.

1. As a leader, how did you see your preceptor apply humanities (share a specific focus) to their practice using the BSN essential review as your guide??
   1. 2 Articles linked here( https://hdo.utexas.edu/health-care-and-the-humanities) and here( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824758/)to get you started thinking about humanity’s connection to healthcare.

Incorporating the discipline of humanities in my nursing profession included exuding attributes of confidence, flexibility, and being empathetic as humanities help in understanding the role of learning about the human experience (Ramai& Goldin, 2013). Treating patients in the facility and taking charge of my nursing team necessitated that learn to be flexible in accommodating different people. Nurses and patients from different socio-demographic backgrounds helped me become flexible and accommodating to nurses on my team, and adaptable to any changes that may arise in the healthcare facility (Ramai& Goldin, 2013).  In conjunction with flexibility, I exuded confidence in addressing complexities that may arise, ambiguity, and rapid change inherent in the practice.  Finally, I applied empathy when attending to patients that gave the patients a bit more open space to express themselves freely with their occurring conditions. Empathy as a well-known attribute for nurses is paramount in addressing applying humanities in nursing as a whole (Lim &Marsaglia, 2018). Demonstrating empathy to patients ensured by nurses builds a bond of mutual trust that facilitates open communication towards addressing underlying issues.

As I conclude, I am aware that nursing is a caring profession that involves the integration of the arts, science and humanities geared towards providing effective patient care. The application of science learnt in a classroom cannot be complete for one to be a nurse if humanity is not integrated as well; therefore, nurses need to use their heads as well as their hearts while taking care of patients.                                               

2.Apply behavioral change strategies to promote health and manage illness. 

Tell me at least 1 example from your practicum that meets the above activity statement. 

How did you see your leader meet the above statement in the stress management AHNA activity:

As a nursing leader, I would look into situations that warranted attention to issues in empathy, record keeping, and adjustment to new technology in the healthcare facility. Issues in empathy would arise from patient complaints of neglect form individual nurses. Record-keeping issues would emanate from nurse complaints of work overload and blame of responsibility on assigned patients. I believe as an issue that needs discussion, nurses’ attitudes towards patient recording would need change to ensure proper patient care.

1. Using the stress management resource, as a leader, how did you use information and communication technologies with preventive care during your practicum experience?

Information and communication technologies would prove sufficient in stress management through nurse training on the use of new hospital systems. As a nursing leader, I would ensure that all nurses receive a proper orientation on the use of new hospital systems in storing patient information. This will prompt a proactive nursing team that is technologically savvy in recording necessary patient information in patient recording hospital systems (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). Through this orientation and training, nurses under me would gain experience and instructions assigned to each on tasks to accomplish through their patient care efficiently. The training in nursing technology would assist in reducing stress and conflict with administrators, and other nursing leaders as nurses will stick to specific tasks assigned to them gearing towards effective patient-centred care.

1. Using the stress management resource, how will you as the leader ensure behavioral change strategies are effective and will have longevity?

The longevity of the behavioural strategies will only be effective through staying motivated, applying SMART goals, and encouraging accountability. Therefore, behavioural strategies should be useful through processes like keeping track of progress, dedication and commitment, raising awareness, and rewarding good behaviour.  SMART goals require one to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. As a nursing leader, these goals I would come up with goals that meet these criteria (Bachus, 2016). I would ensure to put measures of progress tracking that corroborate implementation of behaviours targeted at ensuring patient care is the prime motivation for nurses. These SMART goals will ascertain relationships built between nurses and patients due to nursing – patient commitment.

Secondly, the implementation of motivation strategies like periodical reviews, listing motivating statements, and seeking social support amongst nurses would assure all nurses under my leadership remain motivated.  As a nursing leader, incentivizing good behavior will motivate other nurses to mirror proper behavior in line to be rewarded as well (Susman, 2018). Eventually, the nursing fraternity will build more on the betterment of behavior and focus on patient care.

Lastly, accountability between nurses will help one to take account of choices that they make in patient care. By raising continued campaigns on the importance of proper patient-centred care, will promote the continuity of behavioral change strategies that are essential in maintaining a good rapport and reputation for the healthcare facility(Susman, 2018).   This attracts accountability from every nurse ensuring proper patient care. These strategies will help maintain the longevity of the behavioural strategies.

Conclusion

 In conclusion, behaviour makes each of different, but as a profession administering care to people, particular behaviour should always be paramount and implemented. Working as both a hospice and dialysis nurse during my practicum, I witnessed patients at their most vulnerable conditions needed proper patient care; instead, they underwent neglect and unprofessionalism from individual nurses in the healthcare facility. In respect to this, behavioural change strategies are needed in maintaining a uniform and ethical staff of nurses catered to professionalism and patient-centred care as their priority.

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