NR 324 Week 8 Clinical Reflections

Name

Chamberlain University

NR-324 Adult Health I

Prof. Name

Date

Clinical Reflections

During my clinical rotation, I encountered numerous opportunities to demonstrate care and compassion for patients. One of the most memorable experiences was with a 67-year-old male patient suffering from Influenza, which had exacerbated his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His condition had worsened to the point that he experienced significant shortness of breath, necessitating the use of a ventilator. The patient had a medical history that included COPD and coronary artery disease. He lived alone, without family support, as his grown children had moved away. Despite his health issues, he was cooperative and friendly, allowing me to perform a thorough head-to-toe assessment.

He had been brought to the emergency room (ER) due to difficulty breathing. Initially, he was placed on a nasal cannula with 2 liters of oxygen, but as the day progressed, his respiratory condition deteriorated. His oxygen was increased to 6 liters, and he was repositioned into a high Fowler’s position in a chair. However, his condition continued to worsen, and he began wheezing. At that point, the nurse contacted the physician, who ordered a BiPAP ventilator to assist with his breathing. Later in the day, his condition improved enough that he was placed back on a nasal cannula with 2 liters of oxygen. By the afternoon, his oxygen saturation was at 99%, and he seemed stable.

This experience gave me a firsthand view of how distressing respiratory issues can be for patients. The patient was extremely restless and struggled to catch his breath, which was very frightening for me as a first-time caregiver to a critically ill patient. I constantly monitored his vital signs throughout the day, noting fluctuations in his blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels. This experience helped me understand the intense level of care and attention required for patients in respiratory distress.

NR 324 Week 8 Clinical Reflections

This semester’s clinical practice focused heavily on safe and competent care. I had the chance to practice and refine many new skills, including multiple medication passes, glucose testing, and insulin injections. I was particularly proud of my progress with medication administration, as I learned valuable information about each medication I administered. My clinical instructor consistently challenged me to think critically about the drugs I was giving, ensuring that I understood why each one was being prescribed for my patient. This process helped build my pharmacological knowledge.

In addition to medication administration, I also performed subcutaneous injections, including using an insulin pen for the first time. I was taught by my instructor how to properly hang and remove an IV line. Although bed-making seemed like a straightforward task, I realized there is a correct procedure within the nursing process that I needed to follow. My instructor took me through the steps of bed-making, which I found more challenging than I had anticipated.

One area that took up a significant amount of time was patient care documentation. Since this was my first time documenting patient care, it was a bit overwhelming and took my attention away from other learning opportunities. However, I am confident that as I gain more experience, documentation will become more streamlined. Overall, I believe my skill level improved this semester, especially in critical thinking. I began correlating medications with critical lab values, and associating disease processes with corresponding signs and symptoms. This deeper understanding of patient care and assessment marked a significant turning point in my clinical learning experience.

Table: Key Clinical Reflections

Section	Clinical Reflection 1	Clinical Reflection 2
Patient Care Experience	Patient with COPD exacerbated by Influenza, leading to shortness of breath and ventilation	Administering medications, performing subcutaneous injections, insulin pen usage
Clinical Learning	First-time experience managing a critically ill patient with respiratory distress	Gained experience in medication administration, bed-making, and patient care documentation
Skills Acquired	Monitoring vital signs, understanding respiratory management, using ventilators	Increased knowledge of medications, critical thinking in patient care, IV line management

Section

Clinical Reflection 1

Clinical Reflection 2

Patient Care Experience

Patient with COPD exacerbated by Influenza, leading to shortness of breath and ventilation

Administering medications, performing subcutaneous injections, insulin pen usage

Clinical Learning

First-time experience managing a critically ill patient with respiratory distress

Gained experience in medication administration, bed-making, and patient care documentation

Skills Acquired

Monitoring vital signs, understanding respiratory management, using ventilators

Increased knowledge of medications, critical thinking in patient care, IV line management

NR 324 Week 8 Clinical Reflections

References

November 16, 2024

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