For my episode of care, I supported a patient with bed wash together with a nurse. I read the care plan and the physiotherapist notes of this patient. I got to know his mobility as bed bound and also assisted by two for personal care. I gained consent from him before offering the wash. I brought all the items needed for the wash that is blanket, bed linen, pillow cases, towels, pads, bowel of warm water etc. To maintain dignity and privacy the curtains were drawn. Throughout the wash we maintained his dignity by covering him after the wash of each part of the body. To maintain his independency he was given some wipes to wash where he is capable to wash. He willingly washed his face. My self and the nurse then supported him with the rest of his body having effective communication with him informing him of every step as we went along. The patient skin, sacrum and all pressure areas were assessed. The sacrum was very red but not broken it was grade 1 so I applied proshield skin care. His bed linen and pillow cases were changed. After the wash he was given a clean gown for comfortability. His hair was combed. I then brought him a sick bowel for him to brush his teeth. This was to maintain his oral hygiene. He also requested to be toileted during the wash. Henceforth after everything he was so refreshed and comfortable. I was filled with satisfaction the patient said thank you to us. In addition, I assisted the patient to order his lunch and supper, I read the menu to him and encouraged and guided him to make a healthy choice. After each meal I completed the food chart Furthermore, I performed and completed the nursing risks assessment sure as the Waterlow, falls and bedrail assessment. The patient was at high risk of developing pressure sore. I ensure that the patient has all the pressure ulcer prevention tools in place. I also maintained 2 hourly turns. . I then documented all the personal care I provided to the patient.

SIMULATION PLACEMENT WEEK 1

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Micheline Atobrah

This reflection relates to the day one of week 1: Maternity Week. Today was a virtual placement for the assessment of the midwifery insight. We were taught what the week will entail. The topics to learn, timetable , group allocation and the group work. The videos to watch, things to study and the eLearning to do on our independent days. From today`s activity I learnt about the role of midwives and the importance of this midwifery insight. Midwife is the first profession a woman contact throughout her pregnancy till birth of the baby and continues with postnatal care. Midwives provide support and care for women to make informed choices of their care. This midwifery insight is also very important because as a student nurse I need to be aware of the role of the midwife since midwives collaborate with other multi-disciplinary team to provide quality of care to the women. We learnt about other activities and topics we will be achieving within the week such as infant feeding, sepsis focus, simulation through forum theatre etc. Today I had chance to acquired knowledge about midwifery and other topics, all that is expected of me by my lectures and the group presentation.

This relate to promoting professionalism and trust. I was in the virtual class on time and participated effectively. I am going to make sure I follow, learn, attend and participate in all the activities for the week as expected of me by my lectures

SIMULATION PLACEMENT

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Micheline Atobrah

This reflection relates to the knowledge I gained in the third week of the simulation placement. In the morning we had simulation session. We had three different scenarios from which some of us participated. In the first scenario intramuscular injection was given to the autism patient. The second scenario was about checking the vital signs and wound assessment using Aseptic Non -Touch Technique (ANTT). The third scenario was about how to communicate with an autism teenage who had a fight at school. Afterwards we had debriefing about the scenarios with different feedbacks. We learnt a lot from the feedback. We also had opportunity to have a autism teenager and the mother.

In the afternoon we had the opportunity to practice the following skills intramuscular injection, wound dressing and assessment using ANTT. I was happy when I manage to open the head of the ampoule bottle easily using the blue dot. The most interesting part was when our lecture asked one of us to stand in front of the class and demonstrate to the whole class how blood pressure is checked manually. I volunteered to do it. One of the lectures became a patient and I demonstrated checking her blood pressure manually to the whole class. Questions and discussion took place while checking the blood pressure.

I learnt a lot from the feedback. It will enable me to do something different should I come across the same situation again. I also gave feedback to my mates on what they did. It was a nice opportunity to re- practice my skills such as intramuscular injection, wound dressing then the checking of blood pressure manually.

Additionally, due to this experience gained I will be more confident in caring for autism patient. After the practical skills I have also become more perfect in intramuscular injection and wound assessment and management using ANTT.

Subsequently, this relates to preserve safety. Therefore before any procedure takes place there need to be hand hygiene, introduce yourself, identify the patient, create rapport and seek consent. Due to preserve safety the six rights of medication need to take place, allergy verified together with expiring date, z – track before the intramuscular injection. It is also very important to assess and manage wound using ANTT method in other to prevent wound infection. I really benefited today.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN NURSING PRACTICE

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Micheline Atobrah

This is reflective article I used for my essay. Nursing Standard 29, 14, 53-59: July 18th 2014. Author: Elaine Bramhall.

This article is about the importance of effective communication skills for nurses. Due to the important information it high lighted about effective communication, it obliged me to use it for my Assessment Guidance A2 essay.

After reading this article I learnt about how effective communication brings about compassionate nursing care. I learnt about the barriers to effective communication for patients. These are the environment, that is noise and lack of privacy for effective communication to take place. Additionally, fear and anxiety and difficulty in explaining feelings are all barriers to effective communication. Barriers to effective communication for nurses are the high workload, staff conflict and fear of asking difficult questions which may make patient more distressed. I also learnt that to achieve effective communication skills, nurses need to demonstrate active listening and develop on it during preceptorship, supervision and mentorship throughout the nursing career. Asking open questions, using pauses and silence, using minimal prompts, paraphrasing, acknowledging and reflecting are all effective communication skills for nurses to use.

After reading this article I used the information I acquired to assist me in writing my essay that is as reference. Subsequently I practised the information I learnt at my clinical placements. Indeed this article is of great benefit towards my nursing career.

This article is relevant to the NMC Code Practise effectively and Prioritise people. It talks about communicating clearly and effectively using both verbal and non -verbal communication methods to patients, relative and colleagues. Actively listening to people and responding to their preferences and concerns can also be seen in this article.