Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Different Aspects Of Patient Care Nursing Essay

Different Aspects Of Patient Care Nursing Essay To help me reflect upon my practice from my first placement to my second placement, I will use Driscolls model of reflection (Driscolls model 2000). Driscolls model uses three stages to help analyse practice; what happened; providing a description of the event, what have you learned; giving an account of how you felt at the time and what you have learned after revisiting the experience and finally your proposed actions for the future and how you are going to implement what you have learned from reviewing the experience (John Driscoll, 2011). Throughout this assignment I will be discussing different aspects of patient care which have occurred during my time in my first and second placement. To maintain patient confidentiality within my assignment I had to gain consent from patients, making them fully aware of why I needed their consent and how their information would be used, following the NMC code of conduct You must respect peoples right to confidentiality (NMC, 2008). During my assignment I will not be using the patients real names due to confidentiality but, I will be addressing them using Patient A and Patient B. Firstly, I am going to reflect on practice using Driscolls reflective model. The first stage is to describe what happened during my experience. While on my second placement, myself and a nurse had to bed bath patient A in a side room. The patient was in the side room due to having Clostridium Difficile (C-Diff) which was found after sending a loose stool sample. I had already gained consent from patient A for myself and the nurse to give a bed bath in accordance with the NMC code of conduct (NMC, 2008) and following this I went to collect the correct equipment to perform the task. As patient A had Clostridium Difficile they needed to be isolation nursed. We isolate nurse to prevent the risk of spreading germs to other patients and staff (NHS, 2010). Outside of the side room there were red aprons and gloves which needed to be put on before entering. Before entering the side room, it is essential to collect all equipment to avoid leaving the room unnecessarily. You need to put on a pro tective apron and gloves to prevent the risk of contamination to clothes and hands (Dougherty and Lister, 2011). Once in the side room, I explained to patient A what would happen. I encouraged patient A to be as independent as possible; however, patient A could only do little due to reduced mobility. I made sure dignity was maintained at all times by exposing only the part of the body I was cleaning. As patient A was less mobile, patient A couldnt fully assist with rolling; however, with support from myself and the nurse, we could roll patient A enough to clean the back and buttocks. To enable this to happen; I put patient As arms across their chest and gently rolled patient A onto their side, I provided support to patient A while the nurse cleaned and put clean sheets on the bed. During the task I communicated with patient A to ensure they felt comfortable, and to keep patient A informed of what myself and the nurse where doing. Driscolls model now asks me to analyse my feelings and what I have learned. Throughout the experience I felt confident in what I was doing as I had gained previous experience on my first placement; however, when I was on my first placement at a surgical ward I was asked to bed bath a patient with the assistance of a Health care assistant, I felt very anxious as I had never been in direct patient contact before and this was the first time I had been in a care environment. Although I had learned about the requirements of personal qualities and how to promote dignity and autonomy which is needed to assist with personal care in lectures at University, I had never put them into practice until my first placement. During this event I have learned what isolation nursing is and why we need to implement it if a patient has contracted certain infections. At first, I did not feel comfortable with the concept of isolation nursing as I had never come across this type of infection prevention and control procedure before; however, the nurse explained to me the importance of putting on a red apron and gloves before entering the room, and explained to me that I need to dispose of my apron and gloves in an orange clinical waste bag for incineration and to wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water before leaving the room to remove and spores, and explained that I should not use my alcohol gel in this situation as it is ineffective at eliminating spores. Infection Prevention and control is a term used to protect people from infections. It is used in healthcare to prevent patients acquiring those infections associated with health care and to prevent the transmission of micro-organisms from one patient to another (Dougherty and Lister, 2011). In the future, if I were to isolate nurse a patient, I feel I would be more confident as I now understand the importance of infection prevention and control procedures such as wearing protective clothing to prevent spreading infections and the process of discarding contaminated waste. On evaluation of this experience, I feel that my communication skills on my second placement have improved greatly from my first placement, as I am now feeling more comfortable with communicating with different people to help establish a therapeutic relationship, as this is very important when delivering patient care. I believe I communicated effectively with the patient and a therapeutic relationship was recognised. I will now reflect upon Organisational Aspects of Care. During my first placement on a surgical ward, I had to take many observations including; Respiratory Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Temperature, Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. On the surgical ward, immediately after surgery the above observations needed to be taken every hour. During my second placement, which was on a medical ward, observations are taken every 4 or 8 hours depending on the needs of the patient; however, if the Doctor or Nurse deems the patient to be at risk, the observations are increased. When carrying out all observations, it is vital the patients Early Warning Score chart is available, as this is where all observations are recorded. This assessment tool is divided into sections relating to the types of observation you are taking. Within the sections is a colour code to indicate if the recording is of no, low, mild or high concern. All observations need to be recorded, as anything that is not written down did not happen. When recording in official documents all information needs to be eligible and correct and needs to have the date and time it commenced (NMC, 2008). The first time I had to assist with taking observations, I was very nervous as I had never taken them before and was unsure of how to approach the patient as I had not yet formed a therapeutic relationship with them. I found it difficult to take patients temperature as I was not sure how far into the ear canal I should put the tympanic probe; however, I asked my mentor for advise and she said that what I was doing was correct which gave me more confidence the next time. With regards to the patients Early Warning Score, I always record each result as soon as it has been measured to make sure I do not forget, or mistake it for something else. When recording any result, it is vital to check if the patient has any parameters set, most patients on my second placement had parameters set. Patients would have parameters set if the EWS parameters are not specific enough to the patient. Once all observations have been taken it is essential to note whether the patient has an early warning score or not. If the patient does have an early warning score, it is imperative to tell a staff nurse immediately as this could be a sign of something severe. Measures and documents vital signs and responds appropriately to findings outside the normal range (NMC, 2010) Another observation which I found difficult was respiration rate. I learned at University to be discreet when looking at a patients respiratory rate, as, if the patient knows what you are observing, they are more likely to alter their breathing rate, which gives you a false reading. On my second placement, I feel more confident with taking observations; however, I still struggle with respiration rate. I now know that I can observe the patients breathing while checking their pulse; however, if they start to talk or their chest does not make significant movement I find it takes me a while. When taking observations now, I feel much more confident with the layout of the Early Warning Score Chart and knowing when it is necessary to inform my mentor or staff nurse. Over a period of time, my skills will develop sufficiently, and I will gain more experience helping me to understand what is appropriate for the patient; nevertheless, I feel as a first year student nurse, my skill level when taking observations, recording them and my knowledge of an Early Warning Score assessment tool is what it should be. I will now discuss Nutritional and Fluid Management in accordance to Driscolls reflective model. While on my second placement, a medical ward, I had to care for patients who needed assistance with eating and drinking. During meal times, some patients required assistance with eating and drinking, such as; cutting up their food into reasonable sized pieces which they could independently manage. On one occasion I was asked if I could feed a patient, to which I agreed. I already had my apron on, so I approached patient B to ask if it was OK for me to assist them with their dietary needs, to which they answered it was, I then proceeded to wash my hands to prevent contamination of infections (NMC, 2008), (NICE, 2012). I brought patient Bs dinner straight from serving to ensure it was hot and manoeuvred patient Bs table to a comfortable position for myself to avoid over stretching, and prevent spillage of food, then sat patient B upright in their bed to prevent choking and, made sure they w ere comfortable and presentable before starting to feed to maintain patient dignity and autonomy (NMC, 2012) .Throughout the meal time, I was careful not to rush patient B with their eating, and I encouraged them to drink plenty. I acknowledged when patient B wanted a rest, and when they were full, trying to encourage patient B to eat as much as possible before indicating the need to stop. Patient B had a food and fluid chart as they were at risk of malnutrition. A food chart provides suitable evidence of a persons nutritional intake which acts as a valuable resource for all members of a multi-disciplinary team; dieticians and nurses to assess whether a dietary treatment plan is necessary for the particular patient (Freeman, 2002). It was my role, once patient B had finished their lunch to complete the charts accurately. All through the experience I was very nervous as I had never assisted someone with food and drink, and I had not yet developed a therapeutic relationship with patient B. On my previous placement, a surgical ward, most patients were independent with food and drink so did not require support, or monitoring on a food chart due to the majority of patients having healthy diets, therefore I did not have a great opportunity to learn what they are, or how to fill them in correctly. However, on my second placement I had witnessed a health care assistant filling in a food chart, so I used my initiative to ask what they were and how you fill them in, so I knew what to do if a situation arose where I needed to complete it. As I had never assisted anyone with feeding before, I felt inadequate and uncomfortable in case I put too much or too little onto the cutlery or fed the patient slower or faster than they would usually eat. On reflection of this experience, I feel I communicated well with patient B to ensure I was appropriate with my actions and that I met their nutritional and fluid needs. I believe I completed the food and fluid charts accurately, leaving me feeling confident if a similar situation occurred. If this situation arose again, I now feel confident I know how to approach it, after gaining experience on my second placement with helping patients with food and drink. I now consider myself to have acquired the correct knowledge and skills to not feel inadequate as I previously had, and I now know what to do when assisting with feeds and completing the required charts, giving me more self-assurance when I approach patients. I will now reflect upon the skills cluster; medicines management comparing my first placement and my second placement as a first year student nurse. Throughout my two placements subcutaneous injections were commonly used. The injection I will be talking about is Tinzaparin because it was used on both the surgical and medical ward. Tinzaparin is a low molecular weight heparin and is used for the treatment and prevention of blood clots (British National Formulary, 2011). During my first placement; a surgical ward, Tinzaparin was frequently used and I had previously observed my mentor administering the injection. After observing my mentor, she asked if I would like to administer the injection, to which I agreed. I had never given an injection; only to a model when learning the technique in University, so I felt very apprehensive. Before giving the injection I would gain consent from the patient, explaining what I would be doing and where on their body I would be administering the injection as there are various places subcutaneous injections can be given. I would ensure I would not be giving the injection into the same sight as the previous day as this can affect absorption rate (Dougherty and Lister, 2011). The patient gave me full consent to give the injection into their abdomen so I would continue to prepare. Prior to giving the subcutaneous injection, I checked it was the correct; drug, dose, patient, route, date and time and if it was signed by a doctor. If this was all correct, I would proceed to cleanse my hands to prevent contamination of medication. To administer the injection I would gently pinch the skin to lift the adipose tissue away from the muscle, removing the needle sheath and inserting the needle into the skin on a 45ÃÅ'Ã…   angle then releasing the skin. I would withdraw the needle quickly and apply pressure with a cotton wool ball (Dougherty and Lister, 2011). After giving the injection I would make sure all sharps were disposed of correctly and all documentation was completed and countersigned by my mentor. When on my second placement administration of subcutaneous injections was common on the evening medication rounds. I now feel less apprehensive about giving a subcutaneous injection as I have had practice and my professional skills have developed; however, I feel I need to increase my confidence, which will happen after I have given more injections. This is my first time in a health care environment; I had never observed anyone giving injections before my first placement. I found giving an injection daunting, especially if the patient was underweight; however, my mentor on my first placement said my technique was OK which calmed me down and gave me more self-esteem. I am definitely happier with the technique of administering a subcutaneous injection and I no longer feel as hesitant as I did on my first placement. On evaluation of medicines management, if I were to give a subcutaneous injection again I would feel less anxious as I now have practice and all relevant paper work completed to say I am competent. Even though the practice in placement has developed my skills greatly, I do not feel confident giving a subcutaneous injection to an underweight patient. I would communicate more with the patient, putting them at ease with my ability to administer the injection and I will continue to use the correct technique shown to me in University. After reflecting on my practice from placement one and two of my first year as a student nurse, I now know what I need to do to develop my skills throughout my second year as a student nurse. To show my development I will keep an up to date portfolio of my achievements to provide evidence of meeting the required competencies. To develop my skills as a second year nurse, I will continue to work closely with my practice mentors and academic mentors, seeking help and advice when needed to ensure I am professional and knowledgeable in my career. I will gain more experience as a second year, participating in different aspects of a nurses role to help further my development as a nurse. At all times I will work within my limitations as a student nurse and I will abide by University and work protocols to maintain a safe environment for myself, colleagues and patients. I aspire to nurse patients in a holistic manner, having a greater input into decisions about patient care, putting into practice all what I have learned by implementing the essential skills clusters. I will continue to treat all patients as individuals, maintaining their confidentiality and building therapeutic relationships to ensure I am promoting their health needs.

Monday, January 20, 2020

How does Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men portray the position of women Ess

How does Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men portray the position of women in 1930's America? 'Of Mice & Men' by John Steinbeck is set during the depression and highlights the extreme economical and social problems through each character. We see them all aspire to live the 'American Dream', while in pursuit for this life disregard one another and do not acknowledge the importance of friendship, in the world of isolation. Loneliness and dreams are recurring themes through out the novel. Curley' s wife is a key figure with in the novel. On a social level she embodies the position of women during the depression and the way in which their emotions had been ignored. George and Lennie are warned of her by candy when they first reach the ranch. He describes her as ' tart' because she's only been ' Married two weeks and got the eye?', we already have am instant dislike about her and we still haven't met her. Steinbeck has purposely not given Curley's wife a name, which highlights the concept of women's social position during the depression and how they seemed to be viewed as nothing more than a mans possession. In this case she is nothing more than Curley's possession We first meet Curley's wife in the barn house; her presence is almost striking. Her appearance seems to embody the image we had constructed from candy's description; provocative and very suggesting. "She had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made-up. Her fingernails were red" The use of the colour red puts emphasis on the idea of her being a seductress and like a scarlet woman. However it also represents danger; and we are already aware of Lennie's attraction to red. The description of her movements is a projection of her sensuo... ...r she dreams more of being recognised by the masses, she craves the attention that she lacks in the farm. She seemed to view Curley's proposal as a chance for an escape to a better life. We begin to feel sympathy for her, she is trapped in a marriage were she doesn't like her husband, and can't make friends due to his tight rein. Although her fate is tragic, the way in which Steinbeck describes her in the moments after her death is as though she is the opposite person we met in the beginning of the novel. This is significant description in the play; it helps define what Curley's wife and many other woman of that time were, beneath the clothes and make-up. Beneath the actress and the role she played into, was nothing more than a young girl; "The ache and attention were gone form her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young".

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Evaluation of Maladaptive Behavior Essay

Maladaptive behavior is commonly observed in children who have troubled family lives or low self esteem (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). In this case, there could be several reasons that the child is exhibiting and engaging in maladaptive behavior related to his environment at home. Using a variety of theories of moral development as well as a question-answer evaluation of the parenting styles of the child’s parents, the maladaptive behavior seen in the child as well as a solution will try to be understood. Different types of maladaptive behavior are attributed to different problems. While most parents simply believe that their child is misbehaving, maladaptive behavior is usually classified in groupings such as attention-seeking or revengeful, behavior inappropriateness (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child being observed exhibits both types of maladaptive behavior, which can most likely be explained by moral development theories and poor parenting. For the behaviors such as repeating swear words, throwing food on the floor, drawing on the walls, and screaming in public, it is most likely a result of a self esteem or attention-seeking issue. The child is trying to get in trouble to get attention from the parents (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child knows these behaviors are bad as Kohlberg states, â€Å"younger school-aged children tend to think either in terms of concrete, unvarying rules†¦or in terms of the rules of society†(Feldman, 2011; p. 311). However, the child also knows that participating in these behaviors will result in attention from the parents. The child is obviously aware that these actions are not societally accepted because it is likely that they have not observed them in their teachers, parents or other powerful authority figures (Feldman, 2011). In this area of maladaptive behavior, it would seem that the parents might have an uninvolved parenting style. To determine if this is true, the parents should be asked questions about their involvement with the child and how concerned they are with aspects of his development other than their role as a provider. The following questions would suffice: Do you believe that your only job is to feed, clothe, and shelter your child? (Feldman, 2011) Is there any child abuse or neglect in the family? (Feldman, 2011) How involved with your child would you say you are on a day-to-day basic, specifically related to disciplining their behavior? (Feldman, 2011) These would all be important to ask because if their answers indicate that they are neglectful, uninvolved in disciplinary as well as other areas of development, or confused on their role as a parent, they may be uninvolved parents. According to the textbook, â€Å"Children whose parents show uninvolved parenting styles are the worst off†¦their parents’ lack of involvement disrupts their emotional development, leading them to feel unloved†(Feldman, 2011; p. 317). This could make them act out in an attempt to get the attention of their indifferent or detached parents. The reasons behind the child’s behavior of hitting other children in daycare and ignoring direct commands from parents may be more along the lines of revengeful maladaptive behavior as it is intentional causation of harm to another student or person (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). According to Piaget, children in the heteronomous stage, which happens in the early years of childhood, believe in immanent justice, â€Å"the notion that rules that are broken earn immediate punishment†(Feldman, 2011; p. 309). For this child, it is possible that he does not understand that his behavior is unacceptable even if he is mad at another student. This is probably the result of permissive parenting by the parents. The student most likely has never known that his behavior is bad because permissive parents such as his â€Å"provide lax and inconsistent feedback†¦and place little or no limits or control on their childrens behavior† (Feldman, 2011; p.316). To determine if this is true of the parents’ style of discipline the following questions could be asked: Do you expect a lot from your child in the areas of behavior? Would you ever be punitive or clear and consistent in your limits with your child? It they answer that they have few expectations, would rarely limit their children, or are inconsistent with their discipline it is possible that their permissiveness is causing the child to act badly in school and disregard their correction when it is given. Based on the observation of the parenting styles the child sees at home as well as the information from the moral development theories, it is clear that the parents are most likely at fault for their child’s maladaptive behavior. If they want their child to correct his behavior, they should engage in more authoritative parenting as children raised in this parenting style â€Å"fare best†¦are independent, friendly with peers, and cooperative† (Feldman, 2011; p.317). The parent should, as a part of this parenting style, be firm and set clear and consistent limits on their children. Additionally, induction, or discipline paired with explanation, can also be used so the child knows what they did and why it was wrong and can correct it in the future (Lee, 2013). References Feldman, R.S. (2011). Life span development: A topical approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lee, M. (2013, April 1). Class #28: Prosocial Behavior, Values, and Spirituality. GPSYCH 160: Life Span Human Development – Section 8. Lecture conducted from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Maladaptive Behavior. (2003). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://disease.disease.com/Therapy/Behavior/maladaptive-behavior.html

Friday, January 3, 2020

Gender Based Pay - 1060 Words

Over the generations society’s view of women has changed drastically; but these changes are not done yet. It will still take a long time for the necessary changes to occur. The stereotypical view of women is for them to be house wives. Their duties are to take care of the home and children; clean the home, dishes, laundry, and feed and raise the children to name a few. The Huff Post stated in an article, â€Å"Women still earned only 77 cents for every dollar that men earned in 2012, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau† (Women). Many forms of legislation have been put into place over the years to try and correct this but it is still a major problem today. Legislation such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Equal Employment†¦show more content†¦This legislation also does not take into account that women, if they are the primary care giver, will need to take extra time off for children. With this in mind, the employers can pay a male more with the reasoning that they are not a liability to the company. Males will not have to leave early due to children; they will not have to take time off ahead of time for children’s activities, and will also not have to leave for emergencies with children. This legislation has a large loophole that lets employers do this. (Equal Pay Act) By closing this loophole, women will also be able to break the â€Å"glass ceiling†. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines that glass ceiling as, â€Å"an unfair system or set of attitudes that prevents some people (such as women or people of a certain race) from getting the most powerful jobs† (Merriam-Webster). The last act mentioned, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, only guarantees the persons a chance at the job, or the possibility of getting the job. This means that when an employer is hiring, they must advertise that they are not discriminating. The company cannot refuse to interview a person on the basis of religion, sex, gender, age, or race. This act does not guarantee that the employer can hire based on these criteria. A company can hire they’re ideal persons from a large group and pick out only males if the interviewer prefers males. This is a loophole that needs to be closed.Show MoreRelatedGender Based Pay And Promotion Discrimination1104 Words   |  5 PagesAlvarez and Moser explore the claims of gender-based pay and promotion discrimination that is fast emerging as the latest challenge for employers seeking to reduce litigation risks. These claims are from recent jury verdicts, pending legislation in Congress, and headline-grabbing court decisions. These court de cisions and legislative initiatives raise the specter of a flood of class claims against employers for pay and promotion discrimination. I will use this source for ground for my argument. 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