Apprenticeship Learning Log

Date of Learning: 07 /02/2025

Time: 09:30-16:30

Title of learning activity: Continuous Development Plan

 Diary of Learning activity

Creating a continuous development plan (PDP) and staying proactive involves setting clear goals, tracking progress, and maintaining focus on both short-term and long-term growth. Making a structured approach to help develop my PDP and stay proactive in achieving it:

1. Self-Assessment

• Evaluate your current skills and strengths: Identify my current competencies and areas of improvement. Reflect on your past experiences and performance.
• Assess your personal values and interests: Know what motivate me and aligns with your long-term career or life goals.

2. Set SMART Goals

SMART Goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. Ensure goals are clear and concrete:

• Specific: Clearly define the objective.
• Measurable: Identify how you will track progress.
• Achievable: Set realistic expectations.
• Relevant: Align goals with your overall aspirations.
• Time-bound: Set deadlines to stay on track.

Example: Instead of “Improve leadership skills,” a SMART goal could be “Attend a leadership training program by the end of TNA enrol the top up course.

3. Identify Learning Opportunities

• Formal Education or Certifications: This can be attending courses, workshops, or earning certifications relevant to your field.
• Online Learning: Use platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or Udemy to take courses that align with your goals.
• Reading & Research: Stay up-to-date with industry trends, books, and articles to broaden your knowledge.

4. Create an Action Plan

Break down your goals into actionable steps. For example, if you want to develop a new technical skill:

• Step 1: Identify resources (e.g., online courses, books, or mentorship).
• Step 2: Set aside a regular time for practice (e.g., 30 minutes per day).
• Step 3: Track your progress with measurable results (e.g., completing assignments, tests, or real-world applications).

5. Regular Review and Reflection

• Track Progress: Regularly check your progress toward each goal. Use tools like spreadsheets, journals, or apps like Trello or Asana to keep tabs on tasks.
• Adjust and Reflect: Periodically reflect on what is working and what’s not. Be willing to adjust your plan as necessary. For example, if you find a particular learning approach isn’t effective, pivot to something else.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize your achievements, even the smaller milestones, as this helps maintain motivation.

6. Stay Proactive

• Time Management: Prioritize important tasks and avoid procrastination. Use techniques like the Pomodoro technique, time-blocking, or the Eisenhower matrix.
• Seek Feedback: Regularly ask for feedback from mentors, peers, or supervisors to help improve performance and get a different perspective.
• Anticipate Challenges: Think ahead and foresee potential barriers to your goals. Develop contingency plans or have strategies in place to handle obstacles proactively.
• Stay Consistent: Consistency is key to any long-term growth. Even if it’s just small actions, do something every day to stay on track.

7. Leverage Networking and Mentorship

• Mentorship: Find a mentor who can guide you, provide feedback, and support your development. This could be a senior colleague or someone in your field you admire.
• Networking: Connect with like-minded individuals, attend events or join online communities to stay engaged in your professional field.

8. Adapt and Learn

• Embrace Failure: View challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow rather than failures.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay open to new ways of improving. The PDP learning plan should evolve as you grow and as your goals shift.

Example of Proactive Continuous Development Plan:

1. Goal: Improve technical skills in data analysis.
   • Action Steps:
     • Research available courses and select the most suitable one (1 week).
     • Dedicate 5 hours per week to online course and practice exercises (4 months).
     • Complete a real-world project to demonstrate new skills (2 months).
   • Review Timeline: Check progress every month and adjust as necessary.
2. Goal: Improve leadership and communication skills.
   • Action Steps:
     • Attend a leadership workshop within the next 3 months.
     • Take on small leadership tasks at work (e.g., leading team meetings).
     • Seek feedback from colleagues after leading a project.
   • Review Timeline: Reflect on communication and leadership growth every 6 weeks.

KSBs addressed:

K1. Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements

K2.  Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health

K3. Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and well-being required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care

K9. Understand the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people

K10. Understand the principles of epidemiology, demography, and genomics and how these may influence health and well-being outcomes

K14. Understand the importance of health screening

K15. Understand human development from conception to death, to enable delivery of person-centred safe and effective care

S1. Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements

S2. Keep complete, clear, accurate and timely records

S3.  Recognise and report any factors that may adversely impact safe and effective care provision

S5. Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register: Standards of proficiency for nursing associates Annex A & B (NMC 2018)

S7. Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and people at all stages of life and with a range of mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health challenges.

S8. Recognise signs of vulnerability in self or colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health

S9. Develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues

S14. Promote preventive health behaviours and provide information to support people to make informed choices to improve their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing

B1. Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences

B2. Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice

B3. Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness

LEARNING LOG YEAR 2 10 05 24 completed

LEARNING LOG YEAR 2 03 05 24 completed

Apprenticeship Learning Log

Date of Learning: 26/07/2024

Time: 09:30-1630

Title of learning activity: Wound Care: Suture/clip/drain removal.

Diary of Learning activity

Today we reflect on

A wound is any damage or injury to the skin or body tissues, typically caused by external factors like cuts, abrasions, punctures, or burns. It disrupts the normal structure and function of the tissue, potentially exposing underlying structures such as muscles, tendons, or bones. Wounds can be classified into different types, including:

• Open Wounds: Where the skin is broken, such as cuts, abrasions, or lacerations.
• Closed Wounds: Where the skin remains intact, but internal tissue is injured, like in contusions or bruises.
• Acute Wounds: Wounds that heal within a normal timeframe, often from a single event (like a cut or burn).
• Chronic Wounds: Wounds that do not heal properly or take a prolonged time to heal, often due to underlying conditions like diabetes or poor circulation.

Wounds vary in severity and may require different levels of medical attention, depending on factors such as size, depth, and location.

Wound healing generally occurs in four main stages, each crucial for repairing and restoring the skin or tissue. These stages are:

1. Hemostasis (Stopping the Bleeding):

This is the initial response to a wound. Blood vessels constrict to reduce bleeding, and platelets gather at the site to form a clot, which prevents further blood loss. Clotting factors also help initiate the healing process.

2. Inflammatory Phase (Cleaning the Wound):

In this stage, the body’s immune system responds to the injury. White blood cells (like neutrophils and macrophages) remove bacteria, dead tissue, and debris from the wound site. This phase also involves the release of growth factors that stimulate the next stages of healing. The wound may be red, swollen, and warm due to increased blood flow.

3. Proliferative Phase (Building New Tissue):

New tissue begins to form, including collagen and extracellular matrix. New blood vessels (angiogenesis) grow to supply nutrients to the area. This phase also involves the formation of granulation tissue, which fills the wound, and the development of a new layer of skin (epithelialization).

4. Maturation (Remodeling):

This is the final stage, which can last for months to years. Collagen fibers in the wound are rearranged, and the tissue strengthens. The wound fully closes, and the scar matures, although the scar tissue will never be as strong or as flexible as the original skin.

The process is complex, and various factors, including nutrition, infection, and overall health, can affect the speed and success of healing.

Skin closure devices are tools used to close or seal wounds, cuts, or surgical incisions to promote healing and reduce the risk of infection. Different types of skin closure devices are available, each designed for specific situations or types of wounds. Here are some common types:

1. Sutures (Stitches):

Absorbable Sutures: These dissolve naturally in the body over time, eliminating the need for removal (e.g., Vicryl, Monocryl).

Non-Absorbable Sutures: These must be removed after the wound has healed (e.g., Nylon, Silk, or Prolene).

2. Staples:

Staples are often used for larger, linear wounds, such as surgical incisions, as they are faster to apply and provide strong closure. They’re commonly used in the scalp, abdomen, or chest.

3. Adhesive Skin Closures (Skin Glue):

These are medical adhesives used to bond the edges of a wound together. Common brands include Dermabond and Histoacryl. They are often used for smaller cuts or surgical incisions and are quick to apply, leaving little to no scarring.

4. Sterile Adhesive Strips (Steri-Strips):

These are thin strips of adhesive material that are placed across the wound to hold the edges together. They are often used for minor cuts or after sutures are removed to prevent the wound from reopening.

5. Wound Closure Clips:

These are small, plastic clips that are applied across a wound to keep it closed. They’re similar to staples but tend to be used for smaller, superficial wounds.

6. Tissue Adhesives (Fibrin Sealants):

These are more advanced adhesives that use fibrinogen and thrombin to help the blood clot and close the wound, often used in surgeries or to seal internal tissues during operations.

Each of these devices has its advantages and is chosen based on factors such as the size, location, and type of wound, as well as the desired cosmetic outcome and healing time.

KSBs addressed:

K1. Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements

K4. Understand the principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice

K6. Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice

K16. Understand body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology, social and behavioural sciences as applied to delivery of care

K19. Know how and when to escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice

K22. Know how to meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health

K23. Know how to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care and skin integrity

K41. Know the roles, responsibilities and scope of practice of different members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team, and own role within it

S1. Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements

S2. Keep complete, clear, accurate and timely records

S3. Recognise and report any factors that may adversely impact safe and effective care provision

S30. Recognise when a person’s condition has improved or deteriorated by undertaking health monitoring, interpreting, promptly responding, sharing findings and escalating as needed

S38. Prioritise and manage own workload, and recognise where elements of care can safely be delegated to other colleagues, carers and family members

B1. Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences

B2. Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice

B3. Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness