Charles- the nurse in charge for that day gave us the greatest of welcome's and was glad to have us on board. He instantly provided us with a room to station ourselves and gave us a brief history of himself. He also spoke about the unit in terms of what was appropriate to do, which patients to avoid and a few hospital policies. Then, the moment of truth- the floor was ours! My Instructor walked us to the patient lounge and instantly a patient loudly introduced herself and began shaking everybody's hand.
I have always be cognizant that my relationship with patients exists solely to meet their needs; not my own. That said, I practiced for many years in the home infusion and home health industries. The need to relate to patients and achieve optimal patient outcomes is less structured then in the hospital environment. When bringing a plan of care into the patient’s home setting, I have found that a nurse must address patient needs which are very diverse and holistic. In this context, I have met the patient’s needs in many innovative and sometimes unique ways.
The hospital had a hard time retaining employees and one motive for the class was helping new nurses feel more comfortable and helping us have meaningful, fulfilling employment. In this class we learned about a lot of things but we learned about Julia Brenner’s theory and it has always since stayed with me. I now work in the recovery area of a much larger hospital and have worked in several departments. I have gained a lot of great experience and I have seen my growth described by Brenner’s model. Most importantly though, is probably the fact that I borrowed ideas from that class and from Brenner’s model and have instituted parts into the orientation of new staff-members within my current department.
Florence believed it was the nurse’s job to put the patient in the best possible condition for healing, I believe this to be true as well, but do not feel it is a job just for the nurse. We have so many more professional types that specialize in various areas that I feel it is the “teams” job to put the person in the best possible condition for healing. Florence believed in community health nursing and working with the government. I believe this to be a part of the nurse’s job as well. In my definition I also stated to empathize with the patient and to listen to the patient.
This is especially true for professional nurses who are asked to assume frontline leadership roles such as that of charge nurse.” To put nurses in roles without the training and organizational skills, can lead to disastrous results. In the past, leadership development programs were reserved for nurses in managerial or executive roles but with the rising patient acuity, decreased lengths of stay, staff
I have been thinking about changing my career to become a midwife for a few years. Having been working with families as a portrait photographer I heard a lot of stories about birth and how important the role of midwife was. Talking to my close friends and clients about pregnancy and labour I appreciate the importance of being empowered by being listened to, informed and supported throughout a major event in their lives. I believe I could be a good midwife as I am responsible and dependable, caring, intuitive and flexible. I have good communication skills and motivation to work on my own as well as being a strong member of a team.
I spoke to the patients associate staff nurse, as I felt these visits seemed almost pointless and I wasn’t even sure if Sally was religious, but could not decline the chaplain due to her lack of capacity. The staff nurse explained that when Sally first came to the ward, before her dementia had rapidly deteriorated, she used to request and enjoy the company of the hospital chaplain. These visits had been present for a few years now, and although Sally’s mental state has declined, the staff nurse said she felt it important that she carried on her wishes as this helped maintain their identity and individuality. I was pleasantly surprised to learn this, as although Sally did not show much happiness from the visits from the hospital chaplain, knowing she used to, helped me to why they carried it on. This experience has shown me the importance of the service the hospital chaplain’s provide to some patient’s life, not just for their cultural and spiritual needs but their social needs as well.
Attending this group meeting was a great experience to me. The overall conclusion of the meeting was to understand the importance of the nurses well-being to be able to care for patients and how great of a need there is to solve this issue. There was not a conclusive answer or decision. However, I was surprised that there were a great number of participants and each of them were very enthusiastic in putting a great effort to solve this dilemma. The effort of focusing on health public policies could be spearheaded by nurses, along with other healthcare professionals, in collaboration with
I loved going with her and see what she was doing like taking care of other people and help them get well. That is when I realized my passion for nursing and I wanted to be like my mom, a nurse, to help and care of others. When we look up the word “nurse” in the dictionary, we will read something like “somebody who cares for a sick person.” I believe that there is more into that simple definition. Nursing is a very powerful profession, it allows people to influence and touch lives. I am very willing to achieve this big responsibility.
I have done extensive research and I have never given up on becoming one. Being a mother of two, I have learned to have patience which I think is one of the characteristics a great nurse possesses. Nurses have some of the most fulfilling jobs and they require a lot of heart. Being a nurse requires you to be good at connecting on a genuine level with patients. Patients do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.