Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice

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Personal Learning Objective for Each Experience

Some of the objectives for the transitional care unit were learning the vital skills needed to succeed as a nurse, maintaining the nursing code of ethics and preventing injuries. Other objectives included learning how to check patients’ vital signs as well as head-to-toe assessments, performing activities of daily living (ADLs) on patients such as helping them to get dressed, combing their hair and brushing their teeth. I was also expected to learn teamwork and collaboration alongside other student nurses.

Meeting my Personal Learning Objectives

I was able to meet my personal learning objectives each day by teaming up with other student nurses, which helped to create teamwork. Every morning, I managed to help patients with ADLs. I was able to check patients’ vital signs including heart rate, respiratory rates, blood pressure, body mass index (from height and weight measurements) and oxygen saturation. Additionally, I was able to perform head-to-toe assessments while paying attention to all body systems in their respective order. I feel that I adhered to the nursing code of ethics and made all decisions by putting the safety of the patients first.

Observed Instances of Teambuilding and Collaborative Strategies in the TCU

There were several instances where I observed teambuilding and collaborative strategies in the TCU. For instance, every time a fellow nursing student needed assistance, other students would be quick to help out. We served meals to patients as a team. We also lent a helping hand to one another when performing ADLs such as lifting some patients to facilitate their movement.

How the Nurses Advocated for High Quality and Safe Patient Care

The nurses advocated for high quality and safe patient care by adhering to the nursing standards of practice. Some of the codes followed included responsibility and accountability, which stipulates that nurses should practice securely, proficiently and ethically according to their authorized bounds of practice (American Nurses Association, 2015). Patients’ needs were always put first as exhibited in the prompt answering of light calls. However, there were certain instances when there was little advocating for patients’ rights as evidenced by the lack of PRNs that were used less frequently on patients that needed them more frequently. Continuity of health care is influenced by the extent of coherence and linking of care, which in turn relies on the eminence of information dissemination, relational skills, and synchronization of care. Therefore, all the nurses always demonstrated teamwork, good communication and interpersonal skills to ensure that any nurse that forgot any detail that would jeopardize the patient’s safety was reminded to take the required measures.

How I Advocated for High Quality and Safe Patient Care as a Member of the Inter-Professional Team

I championed room 126 patients to receive skin barriers for their wounds. There was also one patient who was supposed to wear Geri sleeves for their arms as needed but did not have his arms attended to daily. Geri sleeves help in the management of skin tears by preventing the skin from sticking on clothes and providing a clean, dry environment that promotes healing. Therefore, failure to cover the patient’s wounds daily would only serve to delay his healing. I pointed out this observation and ensured that the patient received the care he deserved.

Social, Cultural, Spiritual and Ethical Factors Encountered during the Clinical Experience

One spiritual factor I encountered during the clinical experience was going to the chapel and sitting through some of the church services. One of the main aims of nursing is to provide patients with holistic care. Incorporating a spiritual aspect of inpatient care is vital to the road to recovery (Dossey, Keegan, Barrere, & Helming, 2015). In my culture, the young are expected to respect the elderly. During the clinical experience, I encountered several elderly patients who were cognitively impaired. However, I was still expected to respect them as a young individual. An ethical factor observed was maintaining the professional boundary between student nurses and patients. Providing nursing care to patients and helping them perform basic activities such as dressing and grooming fosters a close relationship between a student nurse and the patients involved. In some instances, the patients tend to open up and divulge certain details about their lives. In other cases, the interaction sparks curiosity within me as a student nurse. Therefore, the ethical issue comes in wanting to know more about the patients while at the same time maintaining professional boundaries.

How I used My Clinical Judgment to Impact Client Care Based on my Clinical Experiences

I have minimal clinical experience, which includes head-to-toe assessments, taking vital signs and administration of medications. Therefore, I used these experiences along with the knowledge learned in class to impact client care by maintaining the quality of care provided to clients.

What I learned from these Experiences That I will Take Forward to My Professional Career

These experiences gave me a feel of the actual clinical environment as well as what it comprised. I had a taste of the expectations and the working pace that ensures patients receive the quality of care they deserve in a safe and friendly environment.

References

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring, Maryland: American Nurses Association.

Dossey, B. M., Keegan, L., Barrere, C. C., & Helming, M. A. B. (2015). Holistic nursing. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

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