Nursing Practice Experience Reflection
The primary role of a nurse is advocate and caregiver for patients, but over time these roles have expanded by presenting opportunities for contributing to the wellbeing and health of patients in various critical approaches. Nursing research is recognized with substantial contributions to the improvement of healthcare. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing postulates that research has aided in advancing nursing practice, shaping health policy, and improving health globally. The nursing research elements of the curriculum are highly practical and offer instant benefits to healthcare and patients. The outcomes will aid in delivering effective and efficient nursing care, enhancing the quality of life, and upholding healthy lifestyles. Likewise, the research helps in building existing knowledge base and providing evidence for guiding interventions by nurses and other care workers. Nurses are continually seeking better ways of improving healthcare, services, and outcomes through the design and implement scientific studies as well as the determination of effective best care practices. The practicum workroom encompasses conducting interviews, viewing virtual presentations, reading scholarly research, attending webinars or conferences, and observing meetings. The emphasis of the practice experience is to gain in-depth knowledge and vast experience.
First, I conducted virtual interviews with two directors at my workplace to gain more insight on their perceived leadership qualities. Also, I interviewed an Assistant nurse manager to gain knowledge and information on the various stewardship activities of our organization throughout the crisis. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, leadership has played a pivotal role in the healthcare setting. The leaders have had a foremost role in the strategy by aiding designing and implementing important elements in response to the coronavirus along with operating consistently across the system level strategy. The health pandemic has brought forth rapid changes in strategy design, implementation and oversight. There is a need to strike an optimal balance between leading the organization and system level. This has been achieved through years of experience, vast knowledge base, stewardship, strong leadership qualities, COVID pandemic management skills, communication, and conflict management skills. As the frontline, the nurses is exceptionally positioned to help in the assessment of the crisis-borne innovations. Similarly, the acquisition of clinical leadership skills directly impacts patient care by directing and supporting patients and teams in the provision of care (Porter-O’Grady, et al., 2019). Based on the interviews, it is evident that professional nursing practice necessitates diligent observation, sound management, and commitment to excellence as nurses adopt more responsibilities to ensure adherence to standards of safety and quality. The information gained on the perceived leadership qualities and stewardship activities will be applicable throughout my nursing career through opportunities for demonstration of leadership abilities and aptitude for the absorption of new information to improve health outcomes.
Besides, I have also taken 23 continuing education hours on diagnosis and management of osteoporosis (5 contact hours), aging and long-term care (3 contact hours), and Alzheimer’s disease (15 contact hours). Continuing education offered me an opportunity to continually improve my skills and overall knowledge base about patient care. I learned that vast empirical evidence had been gained in the last year. Also, there are new technological advances that I can use in my professional practice to enhance mortality and patient quality of life. For instance, continuing education on Alzheimer’s disease offered new information, which can be implemented to improve health outcomes. There are vast technological tools that can be used in the engagement of patients with Alzheimer’s or elderly persons in the management of behaviors non-pharmacologically, creating a safe environment, and maximization of independence and functioning (Allen, 2020). The continued education of diagnosis and management of osteoporosis presented new information on impending changes to nursing practice, such as the updated 2020 AACE/ACE guidelines (Camacho et al., 2020). In summary, the best practices and care standards are perpetually changing; thus, continuing education was the perfect opportunity for keeping up with the most recent and best care practices in the management of osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and aging long-term care.
In addition, I watched five virtual presentations on the Practicum Workroom. First, Hamilton Diane’s presentation on the correlation of evaluation methods determining nurse competence in critical care registered nurse residents. The presentation was an in-depth examination and comparison of evaluation instruments used in the measurement of clinical competency among RNS. They are new to critical care before and on completion of their residency. The evaluation instruments are the Basic Knowledge Assessment Tool, Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric, and Casey Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey. The presentation offered valuable information on registered nurse residency, addressing critical care nurse shortage, as well as instruments and measures in the evaluation of nurse competence based on the Tanner’s Clinical Judgement model. The second presentation was on the use of bar-codes as one of the interventions for the reduction of medication errors. Judy Blauwet’s 2014 study measured and described the effects of the implementation of the BCMA system and integration into the EMR on the severity and incidence errors in a tertiary hospital in the Midwest.
Another presentation examined the perception of engagement following the implementation of a professional practice framework based on the partnership of structural, psychological, and Caritas empowerment theories. Judy Pronk’s presentation aids in determining perceptions of RNs regarding empowerment as a cornerstone in healthcare philosophy, practice, and promotion. The fourth virtual presentation was Sarah Moore’s Leininger’s transcultural theory of nursing presentation that covers the acknowledgment and impact of the various beliefs, cultures, values and practices of the patients in nursing care. Finally, Leiker Tona’s presentation on a dynamic tension between opposing elements offers an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of certified nurse assistants in the nursing home setting. There is a need to address the dynamic tension of the numerous conflicting cultures by balancing patience and efficiency as well as discerning patterns, rhythms and changing health status. The CNA job requires strength, protection from emotional and physical loss, as well as connection with residents.
Finally, the program requires learning how to engage in retrieving, reading, critiquing, and applying nursing research. Three scholarly and peer-reviewed research articles that have been published this year were reviewed as part of the curriculum. The Covid-19 health pandemic has impacted all facets of nursing care, such as wound care. Thus, the 2020 WOCN Board of Directors Task Force offers guidance on minimizing unnecessary contact with the patients to decrease the coronavirus’s rapid spread. The wound providers should consider alternative strategies for evaluating wounds using telemedicine, whereby in-person or remote consultations are managed using primary assessment doctrines and photography. Besides, nurses are the main members of care teams responsible for controlling and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. They have been working on the front line to provide direct healthcare to persons infected with the coronavirus. The second article examined the nursing perspectives on the impacts of the COVID-19 by highlighting the key challenges currently being faced by nursing professionals (Chen et al., 2020). there is a need to offer support for the reduction of gaps in critical knowledge, prevent inadequacies in the global health system, implement policies to curb staffing shortages, offer social and psychological support, and conduct research to augment knowledge on the prevention and management of COVID-19. The final article examined the clinical presentations, characteristics, and outcomes of the critically Ill COVID-19 patients in Washington (Eastin & Eastin, 2020). The three peer-reviewed articles’ findings are significant as they lead to the correction of old misunderstandings of infectious diseases. This will pave the way for novel treatment protocols in the COVID pandemic and create new research methodology, ultimately leading to a considerable improvement of COVID-19 patient outcomes.
References
Allen, K. (2020, January 16). Current Technology for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Bright Focus Foundation Retrieved from https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/current-technology-dementia-and-alzheimers-disease
Camacho, P. M., Petak, S. M., Binkley, N., Diab, D. L., Eldeiry, L. S., Farooki, A., Harris, S. T., … Watts, N. B. (January 01, 2020). American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College Of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guidelines For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis-2020 Update. Endocrine Practice : Official Journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, 26, 1-46.
Chen, S. C., Lai, Y. H., & Tsay, S. L. (January 01, 2020). Nursing Perspectives on the Impacts of COVID-19. The Journal of Nursing Research : JNR, 28, 3.
Eastin, C., & Eastin, T. (April 01, 2020). Characteristics and Outcomes of 21 Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 in Washington State. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 58, 4, 710.
Porter-O’Grady, T., Weberg, D. R., Mangold, K., & Malloch, K. (2019). Leadership in nursing practice: Changing the landscape of health care. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
WOCN Board of Directors Task Force. (June 02, 2020). Recommendations for Wound Assessment and Photo documentation in Isolation. Journal of Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nursing.