Placement Coursework Example

Placement Coursework

1. I reflect that a patient’s personal hygiene need is the main principle of maintaining the preservation of health and well-being, such as cleanliness in order to perform the high quality of patient’s comfort, treatment, and dignity. In this case, a nurse plays a key role in the accomplishment of the effective patient’s recovery by adopting the professional skills of the maintenance of a patient’s personal hygiene.
2. To my mind, if a patient does not want to undertake personal hygiene, a nurse should not impose his/ her own principles, influence, or manipulate the patient. In this situation, it is recommended to explain the patient that maintaining the cleanliness of eyes, mouth, nose and nails is the very important in relieving the pain and reducing discomfort. Moreover, the nurse should holistically view the personal care of a patient and explicate him/ her that a personal hygiene is a vital factor in the prevention of skin injuries, and spreading of infection.
3. Eye care can be performed by cleaning an eye with the purpose to remove a caustic substance or a foreign body, using medical equipment (such as sterile dressing pack, gauze swabs, clinical waste bag, etc) in order to relieve the discomfort and pain. Furthermore, if a patient wears contact lenses or glasses, before cleaning these aids, it is recommended to consult with the patient’s optician.  Additionally, if a patient has sore infection, it is advisable to identify the type of this infection and after that to take the appropriate treatment.
4. In order to perform mouth care on patient it is highly recommended to clean an oral cavity. Additionally, a nurse should daily inculcate the oral assessment (application of baseline, monitoring the response to treatment or therapy, and identification of a possible infection). 
5. By assessing a patient’s skin, it is advisable to pay attention to its temperature, level of protection, excretion, and sensation.
6. In order to prevent pressure damage to the skin it is recommended to have regular skin examination, to use non perfumed toiletries including soap, to apply high-qualified moistures, to avoid skin rubbing and talcum powder that extremely dries the skin, and to eat healthy food. Benefits of these measures: healthy skin, the inability of arising prolonged wetness on the skin and prolonged pressure, bruises or scrapes.
7. The signs of discomfort are clearly seen, since the person feels humility and self-disgust; shows inferiority and rearing, has bad mood, blood pressure, cry of pain, anger, rushing, and loss of scope. Moreover, the person is irritated and extremely nervous.
8. A nurse should treat pain or stress of the patient by application of holistic diagnosis, proficient psychological attitude, using of necessary medical remedies, and utilization of alternative treatment, such as massage, yoga, acupuncture, aromatherapy, or herbal remedies.
9. The hand decontamination is used before performing a diagnosis of a patient (it means any haptic contact), before sterilizing procedures, after the diagnosis of a patient, and touching his/ her equipment or clothes. I would use an alcohol rub when I do not have proper condition for the hand washing, since an alcohol rub is its alternative. Moreover, I would use this substance when I need to sanitize some staff, and after visiting of the restrooms. Moreover, an alcohol rub can be used on cuts and infected places of the body.
10. The role of the nurse in maintaining standards of hygiene/cleanliness is significant, since he/ she is responsible for the health, life and effective treatment of the patient.  By maintaining hygiene, a nurse can considerably reduce the level of infections, and transmissible diseases.

Communication

1. I have seen the following nonverbal skills within my practice area: facial expressions, body movements and posture, gesture, eye contact, space and voice.
2. I reflect that seen communication barriers can significantly affect the flow of communication and lead to aggression or mental exhaustion. One of these barriers is inattention that can be overcome by an attempt of the listener to understand the speaker. The second one is emotion that can be solved by changing the topic that can be irritating for the communicators. The third one is information overload that can be overcome by the control of the information flow and the reproduction of vital points.
3. I reflect that signs of aggressive situation are overreaction to the situation, bad mood, intolerance, abusive language, and abhorrence to surrounding. To my mind, a good idea of dealing with aggression in a general hospital setting, a community setting and within a mental health placement will be an application of the ten de-escalation skills. as Among them are identification of the causes of anger and its warning signs, understanding, avoidance of overreaction, demonstration of an attempt to listen, agreeing, apologizing, and asking the anger person why he/ she was upset.
4. I had an experience of taking care of my cousin’s child. Personally, I used verbal and nonverbal cues of greetings. To the verbal cues, I can refer the application of tolerant words, and painting of maps, while playing with him. To the nonverbal cues, I can impute smiling face, an eye contact, and warm facial expression. These cues significantly helped me to understand the psychology of the child, his way of thinking, attitude to the adult world, and manner of communication.
5. Self-awareness is important, since it is a unique way of the perception of our inner world. Moreover, it helps to stabilize our psychological spheres, such as id, ego, and alter ego.
6. I speculate that I can become more self-aware in relation to my interactions due to control of my emotions, words, voice, and body language. 
7. Within interprofessional teams, the confidentiality of patient information is protected on the higher level, since interprofessional health providers clearly understand their role in medicine, and vitality of a patient’s confidentiality. They share their diagnosis, personal effective ways of recovery, and innovative approaches of treatment by paying attention to consent from a patient (independent agreement from the patient before providing the treatment) and mental capacity (a structure that helps vulnerable people to make decisions).

Student self-assessment

I can significantly develop my knowledge and skills by improving my personal self-awareness, effective application of verbal and nonverbal communication devices.