7th May 2025 Learning Log

Today we learnt about assessing children, what is including in an assessment and how adults differ to children. I now know that even if the patient is not the child to look at the children that may accompany the patient observe the surroundings. I will now take this into consideration when visiting my patients.

In the afternoon we looked at health promotion for children and young people and how Adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) affected later life. Social determinants of health (SDOH) which include education, economic stability, social & community, neighbourhood and access to healthcare these determinants impact a persons life and can help you thrive or struggle if you lack in a certain area.

KSB:

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

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

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical and behavioural health and well-being

K13: Understand the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours and lifestyle choices to mental, physical and behavioural health outcomes

K14: Understand the importance of health screening

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

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

S6: Act as an ambassador for their profession and promote public confidence in health and care services

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

S13: Apply the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people

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

S15: Identify people who are eligible for health screening

S16: Promote health and prevent ill health by understanding the evidence base for immunisation, vaccination and herd immunity

S23: Work in partnership with people, to encourage shared decision making, in order to support individuals, their families and carers to manage their own care when appropriate

S39: Recognise when people need help to facilitate equitable access to care, support and escalate concerns appropriately

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

31st January 2025

Emotional intelligence and Resilience

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions as well as recognise others emotions. The skills include:

• empathy
• social skill
• self awareness
• self regulation
• motivation

Pharmacology

The principles of pharmacology are Pharmacokinetics this is what the body does to the drug when it is administered; ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion) and Pharmacodynamics what the drug does to the body. Pharmacology is the science that looks at the composition, effects and use of drugs. There are different routes of medication these include oral, nasal, ocular, topical, inhalation, injection, rectal and vaginal. Following these slides I have learnt about the science behind medication.

KSB:

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care

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

K27: Understand the principles of safe and effective administration and optimisation of medicines in accordance with local and national policies

K28: Understand the effects of medicines, allergies, drug sensitivity, side effects, contraindications and adverse reactions

K29: Understand the different ways by which medicines can be prescribed

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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

23rd January 2025

Musculoskeletal and Integumentary system

The musculoskeletal system gives the body structure, support and movement it is made up of:

• bones- support the body and give it shape
• muscles- enable movement by contracting and pulling on bones at joints
• tendons- connect muscles to bones allowing for movement
• ligaments- connect bones to other bones providing stability at joints
• cartilages- cushions joints and reduces friction between bones

There are 206 bones in the body and are made of different types; long bone, short bones, flat bones, irregular bones and sesamold bones. There are different types of muscles in the body skeletal muscle fibres, cardiac muscle fibres and smooth muscle fibres.

The integumentary system consists of the skin, hair, nails and glands it acts as a protective barrier from external elements, regulates temperature and eliminate waste. The skin is the largest organ in the body which regulates it temperature, provided sensation and produces vitamin D.

The following subjects provided me with knowledge that will aid me in the exam.

KSB:

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

S26: Meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health

16th January 2025

Communication, learning disabilities and mental health

Communication is a key part of life as health are professionals we may come across barriers when trying to communicate with those who have learning disabilities and mental health needs.

Learning disabilities affect who a person’s brain processed information this can be caused by genetic factors, brain injury or infections before birth. The are different types of learning disabilities these range from mild, moderate, severe and profound. Conditions associates with LD can be down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and Asperger’s syndrome. People living with LD can have comorbidities such as heart defects, diabetes, respiratory conditions and obesity. Reasonable adjustments should be made if this make communication easier for those with a LD and we should always assume they have capacity. You may face challenges with communication so you may want to seek support from the LD team.

Awareness on mental health is increasing. Nearly half of people with a mental health condition have a long term health condition and have a short life expectancy. Certain group of people are at risk of mental health; minority ethnic groups, people with learning or physical disabilities, people with addictions, LGBTQIA+ community, carers, homeless people, asylum seekers, ex-armed forces, people experiencing domestic abuse or people with sensory impairments. In reality anyone can be at risk of mental health issues. It is important that you understand how to speak to someone going through a crisis as they can interpret things differently.

Knowledge gained on these subjects can be put into practice and give me a better insight.

KSB:

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

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes

K13: Understand the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours and lifestyle choices to mental, physical and behavioural health outcomes

K17: Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care

K18: Understand and apply the principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments

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

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

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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

S10: Provide, promote, and where appropriate advocate for, non-discriminatory, person-centred and sensitive care at all times, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments

S20: Recognise people at risk of abuse, self-harm and/or suicidal ideation and the situations that may put them and others at risk

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

14th November 2024

Sensory and Immune system

Self directed learning

The Immune system is made up of organs, cells and chemicals that fight infection. The main parts are:

• Antibodies- help the body fight microbes and toxins they recognise antigens identifying them as foreign. The antibodies mark the antigens to be destroyed.
• White blood cells- important part of the immune system. WBC move through blood and tissue in the body looking microbes such as bacteria, viruses and parasites them they find them WBC attack.
• The lymphatic system- made up of lymph node, lymph vessels and WBC  throughout the body used to manage fluid level, react to bacteria and deal with cells that cause disease.
• Spleen- a blood filtering organs that removes microbes and destroys old and damages red blood cells.
• Thymus- monitors blood content and produces white blood cells called T-lymphocytes.
• Bone marrow- spongy tissue found in bones, produces RBC our bodies need to carry oxygen, WBC figh infection and platlets help to clot blood.

The skin is the biggest organ on the body and has bacteria killing properties.

Sensory System

• hearing
• sight
• smell
• taste
• balance

The ear helps us to hear and aids balance. It is divided into 3 parts

• Outer ear collects sound waves and directs them to the middle ear.
• Middle ear transfers sound waves to the inner ear
• Inner ear converts sound waves into nerve impulses which are transmitted to the brain.

The eye helps us to see and are supplied by the optic nerve. The walls of the eye has 3 layers of tissue; outer fibrous layer, middle vascular layer and inner nervous tissue layer. This self directed learning will help me with my exam on the body systems.

KSB:

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

S17: Protect health through understanding and applying the principles of infection prevention and control, including communicable disease surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship and resistance

9th January 2025

Digestive System and Critical thinking

Today we looked at the digestive system which starts with eating and drinking then food moves along the digestive system and is digested to absorb into the blood and lymphatic circulation to be used by the body cells. Food that cannot be digested and broken down is excreted from the digestive tract this forms faeces which is then eliminated from the body through defecation. We looked at the structure of body body involved in the digestive system. These resources will help me learn about the digestive system which will be included in the exam.

In the afternoon we looked at critical thinking this explores ideas and all points of view, weighing up different arguments. Clinical thinking needs to be included in our essays as we are completing a reflection.

KSB:

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

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

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

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)

7th February 2025

For protective learning I spent the day working on my essay revising the final draft before submission.  I revised for the Anatomy and Physiology exam. I look at the different body systems and went over the lesson resources this revision will help me to complete the exam.

KSB:

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

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

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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

6th February 2025

Catheter care and Medication Management.

Today we looked at catheter care and continence care highlighting the different products that can be used from incontinence pads and barrier creams. During the skills session it was demonstrated how a catheter is inserted for male and female. Male catheter is longer than a female catheter. Different types of fixtures can be attached to a catheter for the urine to drain into such was sheathes, leg and night bags and valves. We also looked at urinalysis and interpreted the findings; what indicates an infection. This session has informed me how to care for a catheter and how to interpret urinalysis.

In the afternoon we looked at medication management including the category of medications; General sales (over the counter), pharmacy only, prescription only and controlled drugs. The BNF is a guide for medications and heath professionals refer to this guide for patients. Before you can administer medication you have to ensure you are competent to do so this starts by knowing the rights of medication;

• Right patient
• Right medication
• Right time
• Right dose
• Right route
• Right documentation
• Right to refuse

Not following this process can result in medication errors. When this occurs the reporting processes must be followed and duty of candour completed as it is the patient how could come to potential harm. This session will enable me to start administering medication under supervision.

KSB:

K1: Understand the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and how to fulfill 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

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care

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

K7: Understand the importance of courage and transparency and apply the Duty of Candour

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

K27: Understand the principles of safe and effective administration and optimisation of medicines in accordance with local and national policies

K28: Understand the effects of medicines, allergies, drug sensitivity, side effects, contraindications and adverse reactions

K29: Understand the different ways by which medicines can be prescribed

K30: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments

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

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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)

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

11th February 2025

For protective learning I spent the day working on my essay revising the final draft before submission.  I revised for the Anatomy and Physiology exam. I look at the different body systems and went over the lesson resources this revision will help me to complete the exam.

KSB:

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

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

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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

10th February learning log

For protective learning I spent the day revising for the Anatomy and Physiology exam. I look at the different body systems and went over the lesson resources this revision will help me to complete the exam. I also continued to work on my essay revising the final draft before submission.

KSB:

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills

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

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

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

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