I have enjoyed working with Toni on ICU. She goes above and beyond for patients and their families. She is caring, kind and compassionate towards patients aswell as staff members. She is going to be an amazing nurse and I wish her all the best!
I have enjoyed working with Toni on the ICU. She is friendly and professional and goes above and beyond for patients. I have really enjoyed working with Toni
I wish Toni the best with her future career in Nursing!
During a CCOT outreach shift, Toni shadowed me and had the opportunity to observe a peri-arrest event, which provided her with a valuable insight into the management of critically ill patients.
Additionally, she observe a comprehensive assessment, through which she gained an understanding of key clinical features and management principle’s replated to respiratory failure.
Toni was professional and introduced herself to patients as soon as they entered the clinic room. She was all empathetic to patients.
Toni has successfully met all of her learning objectives during her placement. She has received good feedback from staff on the unit and has reached out for support from the pre-reg team when she has needed it. I have confidence that Toni will be a brilliant nurse when she receives her NMC registration.
Toni communicated well and looked after my Husband very well.
Toni’s bedside manner is really good and she is really helpful. She will make a good nurse.
I had the opportunity to observe the insertion of a nasogastric (NG) tube. An NG tube is a tube that is inserted through the nasal passage, passed down the throat, and positioned into the stomach. Medication can be given through this aswell as liquids and foods. It is often used for patients that are unable to take fluids or foods orally.
From this, I have learned the importance of accurately measuring the NG tube before insertion. This involves measuring from the tip of the nose to the earlobe, and then down to the sternum, to ensure correct placement. The tube is marked with numbers, which are essential for tracking the depth of insertion.
The procedure is classified as a clean technique, which means sterile gloves are not required. After measuring, the tip of the tube must be lubricated to ease insertion through the nasal passage.
I found this particular experience challenging, as the patient was confused and became distressed during the procedure, shouting and screaming. I made sure I focused on reassuring her, using calm communication and distraction techniques to help reduce her anxiety and maintain her cooperation throughout the procedure.
I had a learning day about CKD, renal dialysis and AKI on the 23/05/25.
Although I have had a whole placement on renal dialysis in the past, I found this beneficial to my learning and growth to develop my knowledge in this long term-condition and a opportunity to learn new things. I learnt that AKI is a syndrome not a diagnosis and health care professionals use KDIGO which stands for Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes. KDIGO provides national guidelines and is a nonprofit global organisation developing and implementing evidence-based practice guidelines.
I learnt that the prevalence of AKI is because of factors such as diabetes is increasing in individuals. I also learnt that hyperkalemia is when potassium is to high above 5.5. This can be life threatening for people that have renal disease/AKI. The normal ranges for potassium is 4.0- 5.0 and it is crucial to the heart function and can cause arrhythmias if it is too low or too high.
I also learnt that it is important to check patients creatinine. This is because when patients become ill less creatinine is generated which can result in a decrease of muscle mass. Creatinine also assists in the results of the EGFR score which is the kidney function/stage (1-5).
The management of CKD is iron and epo to manage anemia, managing the underlying cause for example diabetes, control the patients blood pressure and finally prepare for renal dialysis or kidney transplant.
Overall, this learning day made me feel more confident in renal and how to meet patients needs and carry out necessary assessments.
I spent the day with a critical care nurse which was a good opportunity to expand my knowledge in ITU.
During the outreach, we reviewed a patient who had recently been stepped down from ITU. I was able to observe the thorough assessments carried out by the critical care nurse, which included chest auscultation, pulse oximetry, and a series of holistic questions which aimed at evaluating the patient’s overall condition and led to interventions.
I also had the opportunity to observe a peri-arrest situation. Although the environment was intense and fast-paced, it was managed effectively by the multidisciplinary team. Watching their coordinated efforts, clear communication, and rapid assessments was a valuable learning experience, and it showed the team’s commitment to providing the best possible care for the patient.
I learnt the difference between type 1 respiratory failure and type 2. These results are shown on a ABG. Type 1 is a low paO2 of 11.0KPA and a normal PcO2 of between 4.5-6. Type 2 is a low/normal paO2 and a high pco2. Patients with type 1 respiratory are required optiflow or cpap on the other hand, patients with type 2 require bipap.
I also learnt the normal range for PH is between 7.35-7.45 and a patient below 7.35 is acidotic and a patient above 7.45 is alkalotic.
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. It helped me learn more about critical care and the role of a critical care nurse and how different team members work together to support patients. I found it interesting and it made me want to keep learning more in this area.