Exercising of Theoretical Nursing Practices on the Actual Field - Paper Example

Introduction

During my clinical placement, I was assigned to the aged care home where most patients had dementia. Dementia involves memory loss, impairment in thinking, and a reductive involvement in social practices (Dewing & Dijk, 2016). Reflection of the situations in my nursing practice would help me engage in similar cases in future. Evaluation, assumptions, observations, and feeling are part of the reflection process. According to Gibbs (1998), he designs a reflective cycle that describes the situation, evaluates the developed feelings in the event, evaluates the case, critically analyzes the situation, provides a conclusion, and creates an action plan that would help other nurses that would experience the same condition. Below is a detailed description of the Gibbs Reflection Cycle on an incidence I encountered while working under clinical placement and how I critically analyzed the situation.

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Description

In this segment, working as a nursing practice student, I was expected to provide a full description of the situation I was involved. An elderly patient was admitted with a case of dementia. The patient's older brother informed the nursing team that the ailing person was a 78-year-old male. I learnt that the patient's details had to be noted down for the purposes of future referencing and relating back to the resources. According to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC, 2012), the patient's information should be confidential. It was therefore against several healthcare policies to disclose the patient's information to the public. The patient was admitted in a state of anxiety and was not in a stable condition to describe what he was feeling. His kin informed the nursing team that the patient tried to stab himself immediately after his moods shifted drastically. The nursing team administered risperidone that helped the patient reduce his outburst behavior (Horrigan & Barnhill, 1997). My nursing supervisor reminded me that risperidone helps a patient calm down during an uncontrolled state of moods. The team later continued with the responsibility of chronic care as I curiously observed the procedures. Through the supervision of one of the qualified nurses I was assigned to, I assisted in observing the patient's progress and recording the psychological improvement during the caring period. I was indulged in creating a friendly communication with the patient so that he would be open to relay his current feelings.

Feelings

This is the second section whereby I was supposed to reflect on the feelings towards the situation (Andrews et al., 2006). As the patient was admitted, I was utterly anxious and wondered how such a case is handled. The nursing supervisor in charge of my placement took me through the steps of having a productive chronic care process. Later as I conversed with the patient when he was calm, I assisted in providing treatment without anxiety. I felt that my developing expertise in the field was helpful since the patient later showed symptoms of mental improvement.

Evaluation

In the evaluation stage, I was tasked with the role of reflecting on the positive and negative effects of the situation (Forrest, 2008). These effects have to be evaluated before and after the incidence took place. One of the negative impact was that the patient had not been diagnosed with dementia before the situation. The other adverse effect was that in the first procedures of the treatment, I was anxious as I could not handle the patient's outburst behavior. The positivity of the incidence was that the patient got medical treatment that stabilized his condition. The nursing team quickly and critically analyzed his situation and administered a suitable drug that calmed the patient. Another positive effect was that I was able to control my anxious feelings and I managed the situation as I assisted in treatment and conversed with the patient throughout the chronic care procedure.

Analysis

In this section, I ought to assess the whole situation and provide consequences and procedures that controlled the situation (Quinn, 1998). The patient acted in an outburst behavior longer since the admission process was sluggish. The patient was late for admission since he had not been diagnosed with dementia earlier. The effectiveness of the qualified nursing team stabilized the patient's condition. After observing the nursing practitioners, I was done with anxiety and was able to lend a hand with the treatment of the patient without further ado. I was engaged with the patient in a social mannner such that he was free to relay all his confidential information to me.

Conclusion

When the patient came in, I should not have panicked about the situation would be handled. I watched the qualified nursing team administer treatment to the dementia patient. I should have composed myself and practice the knowledge I attained in my nursing profession. The patient's outburst behavior made me anxious about my assistance in providing further chronic treatment. I learned that such a situation requires critical thinking to provide quick treatment before the situation gets worse. I discovered that I was educationally equipped with the required knowledge on providing treatment for mentally challenged patients in future.

Action Plan

For such complex situations, I should be ready to expect such behavior to avoid anxiety in the treatment process and should try to assist the nursing team (Finlay, 2008). Since the next similar situation would not be the first, my current situation should be a proper example of how to handle future cases. Though I did not handle major therapies on the patient, I should improve on the courage of exercising my knowledge fast to avoid further self-infliction of pain on the patients. The admission process should be done as communication therapies are administered to the patient. I should be zealous in conducting similar treatments on patients to attain adequate experience in this chronic care field.

In summary, the Gibbs' reflective system was a proper cycle to reflect on the different steps in the care of dementia as a chronic condition. The whole event of the chronic care process was worthwhile. My experience in the field is now a notch higher since I can describe a situation, develop feelings towards the case, and evaluate the condition. I am now proficient to developing an analysis of the event and provide an action plan that other nurses should refer to when handling a similar case.

References

Andrews, G. J., Brodie, D. A., Andrews, J. P., Hillan, E., Thomas, B. G., Wong, J., & Rixon, L. (2006). Professional roles and communications in clinical placements: a qualitative study of nursing students' perceptions and some models for practice. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 43(7), 861-874.

Dewing, J., & Dijk, S. (2016). What is the current state of care for older people with dementia ingeneral hospitals? A literature review. Dementia, 15(1), 106-124.

Forrest, M. E. (2008). On becoming a critically reflective practitioner. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 25(3), 229-232.

Finlay, L. (2008). Reflecting on reflective practice. PBPL paper, 52, 1-27.

Gibbs, G. (1988). The reflective cycle. Kitchen S (1999) An appraisal of methods of reflection and clinical supervision. Br J Theatre Nurs, 9(7), 313-7.

Horrigan, J. P., & Barnhill, L. J. (1997). Risperidone and explosive aggressive autism. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 27(3), 313-323.

Nursing, A., & Council, M. (2009). Standards and Criteria for the Accreditation of Nursing and Midwifery Courses leading to Registration, Enrolment, Endorsement, and Authorisationin Australia-with Evidence Guide. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, Canberra.

Quinn, F. M. (1998). Reflection and reflective practice. Continuing professional development in nursing: A guide for practitioners and educators, 121-145.