Clinical/Lab Experience Fall 2020
ONLINE CLINICAL PLACEMENT
In the winter semester of 2021, my clinical placement on chronic illness was moved online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This posed a challenge, however, I was still able to develop my knowledge with the use of the program Shadow Health, which provided me with an abundance of experience related to nursing assessments and interventions as well as medication administration.
Over the semester, I spent approximately 40 hours completely the online modules for two courses involved with Shadow Health: Gerontology and Leadership. Then,I attended a weekly clinical debrief to discuss my experiences with my clinical instructor and peers. I was responsible for providing care to a variety of computerized patients will a range of acute and chronic illnesses. For example, I developed my experience related to pain, memory impairment, constipation and end of life care. Further, I successfully completed leadership activities related to skills such as conflict management and advocacy. I also completed formal lab testing on the following skills: medication administration, catherization, tracheostomy care, wound care and nasogastric tube insertion.
Over the semester, I completed a total of five Nursing Care Plans related to the treatment of illnesses and health concerns for geriatric patients in addition to over 50 drugs cards from clinical, lab and in-person simulations. I also completed two SILO assignments.
I will admit, I struggled to keep up with the workload. However, I tried my best to be resilient and make changes according to the feedback received in order to augment the quality of my in-person skills and written work.
LAB/SIM EXPERIENCE
Over the semester, I was successful in developing several hands-on skills in the lab environment related to acute illness. I achieved my goal to pass all five formal lab tests and develop skills related to the following areas of practice:
- Head to toe assessments
- Wound/Stoma care
- IV Medication administration
- Respiratory assessment & chest tube care
- Urinary catheterization
- Tracheostomy care
- Insertion of NG tubes
- Neurological assessment
- HEENT assessment
- End of life care
Further, I completed threein-person simulations that helped consolidate the hands-on skills that I developed in lab.
Artifacts
WORK EXPERIENCE: CONSOLIDATING KNOWLEDGE
Personal Support Worker (April 2020-Present)
Over summer 2020, I had the opportunity to work as a Personal Support Worker in a long-term care home that was struck by COVID-19. In fact, all but one resident tested positive for the virus in addition to dozens of staff members. This experience tested my passion for nursing; I was faced with challenges such as severe staff shortages, limited PPE/resources and the risk of contracting COVID-19 while living with my parents, one of whom is considered immunocompromised. In the end, my perspective was that the work needed to be done whether I was going to be there or not - the world will always need health care workers. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to develop my clinical skills and receive an education that will lead to me to a career where I can help others achieve and/or maintain their health. I am inspired by the health care workers who face challenges like those I did everyday.
After taking NURS 3021, I feel that I have a better understanding of the role of a nurse in a health care setting. I've learned that a nurse's scope of practice is even wider than I imagined, and their work is invaluable. Further, I feel prepared to help those who suffer from chronic illness and familiarize myself with those illnesses that I may not have studied. After completing drug cards and care plans, I have been able to understand how medications and nursing assessments/interventions are intertwined in a lot of cases of chronic illness. Although this clinical placement was online, I still feel as though my theoretical knowledge was consolidated to some degree, especially since I was able to work as a Personal Support Worker. With my experience over the summer and from NURS 3021, I am able to acknowledge how a person's health is dynamic and is related to contextual factors. I am hopeful that I will be able to experience the aspects of clinical that were missing this semester due to the online format in the near future. In fact, I am currently working as a MedTech at a long-term care home, which involves shadowing a Registered Nurse in completing medication administration, so that I may be able to do this independently if the need arises.
Trent University Housing Services (September 2019-Present)
Over the past three semesters, I have had the opportunity to work as a Service Center Assistant at Trent University Housing Services. Here, I am responsible for tasks such as handing out mail, assisting students with lock-outs and answering questions related to living in residence. This job has enhanced my oral and written communication skills as well as my leadership skills, as a senior SCA, and time management skills, since I spend the majority of my time working independently. These skills will be useful as a future nurse.
Although this job is not associated with the health care field, I feel that it has provided me with a range of experiences that may be applicable in my career as a nurse. For example, I am often tasked with problem-solving based on each students individual wants/needs, which relates to the idea of patient-centered care. Further, good oral and written communication is a crucial skill as a nurse because it is important to be able to pass on information in a clear and concise manner to ensure that patients receive safe, timely and appropriate care. To say more, working for Housing Services is all about customer service. I think in some ways, since nursing is such an interactive profession, nurses who have hands-on experience in customer service may feel more prepared to handle difficult social situations.
GOALS & FOLLOW-UP
As part of my first SILO assignment, I developed three SMART goals for myself that I feel I have made great progress towards achieving over the course of the semester:
#1 - "By the end of the semester, I will be able to identify the related nursing interventions and various treatment procedures for each chronic condition in the geriatric course in Shadow Health.”
In completing five nursing care plans, I was able to learn more about a variety of common health problems for geriatric patients. Further, discussing the related assessments and interventions further enhanced my knowledge of said conditions.
#2 -“By the end of the semester, I will be able to confidently and successfully perform a complete geriatric syndrome assessment in Shadow Health.”
For the last geriatric module on Shadow Health, I received a DCE score of 100% on my first try. This demonstrates my ability to perform an effective geriatric assessment.
#3 -“By the end of the semester, I will be able successfully give report in the form of an SBAR."
Each week in debrief, we touched on the types of information that should be included in an SBAR report. I hope to put my knowledge of this tool "to the test" when I enter clinical in the summer of 2021.
Myocardial Infarction Seminar Facilitation
The following is a link to my Seminar Facilitation Presentation on Myocardial Infarction which I completed in the fall semester:
References
Getty Images. (2020). Nurse Clipart Image. [Digital image]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/nurse-with-mask?mediatype=illustration&phrase=nurse%20with%20mask&sort=mostpopular
Rampton, J. (2016). Jim Rahn Quote Image. Entrepreneur. [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/271873
© Copyright Greta Hanneman - Nursing Portfolio