This exam I was able to prepare better as far as getting sleep before and having food in my stomach so that I was not focused on other things during it. The other thing that I really tried hard to not do this time is second guess myself. Looking back and going through the remediation process I need to find the happy medium of not seconding guessing myself but also taking the time to not overlook key parts the question. As well as taking a second to logically think through the questions because it turns out reading them through a second time, I would have been able to get more questions right if I had done that. My focus for the next exam will be just that.
Category: Goal Setting (Page 2 of 2)
I am most excited about starting the next phase of my life. I recently solidified the job that I have been waiting for and centering my focus in nursing school around. I have finally been able to see all the pieces start to fall into place. It is nice to see that everything we are taught in school start to come together and feel like it is finally starting to get me somewhere in life. I will celebrate this accomplishment by going on a vacation with my family and friends.
I am most anxious about having the responsibility of a nurse. I am ready for that responsibility, but I am nervous that my judgment will get clouded in times of high stress and I want to be able to make the “best” or “right” decision for my patients in those situations. I will plan my SMART goals based on a few things one being how to prepare myself to feel most confident in my abilities by working on some of my weaknesses now. I will also stay focused on the task at hand by taking it day by day and creating a schedule for myself that includes the time I need for myself for working out, friend and family time, and rest. I learned from the ATI modules how to study and schedule my time most effectively as well as the importance of good test taking habits.
Nurses play a large role in disaster response/management. Depending on the position of the nurse, you can be triaging, activating the response team, providing care to those who are injured, helping evacuate patients, coordinating with other healthcare officials/facilities are just a few. It goes without saying that no matter what the disaster or crisis maybe it is important for the nurse to be prepared and trained. This is why disaster trainings are so important because you never know when something may occur. Being prepared for the worst at all times is important because if you’re prepared hopefully, it won’t actually happen but in the event that it does you have the tools and knowledge to get through it.
When determining between provisions 2 and 5 that is the constant internal battle of being a nurse. How I personally distinguish is when I am off duty or not working, I put myself first so that when I am working, I can be the best that I can be to put the patients first. When you sign up to be a nurse you know that you will never truly get a lunch break and might not pee for 10 hours and that is just the commitment that we make. You can argue that that is not right, but it is the reality, when at work the patients are the priority. I think if take care of yourself and train your body when you’re not at work that will pay off for when you are, the stronger and healthier you are the better off you will be. Nursing is almost like a sport; you must be ready for the game each shift.
My initial thoughts about the use of electronic health records in nursing were that it is used to document vitals, assessment findings, and medical history. I was pretty blind to the fact they can be used for so much more than just nurses and providers. With the presentation from last Wednesday, I was able to see that there are so many more people involved in the process of documenting in electronic health records and without all those various aspects involved that would not allow all the types of healthcare providers to provide the most holistic care possible. To me modern medicine seems more holistic and in my opinion, this is just another step in that direction.
I will apply what I learned about electronic health records to enhance the care that I provide in two ways. One I will take a deeper dive into the charts of the patients that I am working with to see if there is information in there that would be beneficial for me to know in hopes to provide quality holistic care. Two I will take my documentation process more seriously knowing that this can be used to help other healthcare providers down the line, not only will this help healthcare providers but in turn make the patients care and experience better. I always knew that accurate timely documentation is important but not to the level that I do after the presentation from HIN.
Trauma exposure impacts the whole person, as healthcare providers we are not only treating the patient as well as the family. The patient might have obvious physical issues, but they need to be looked at wholistically because in my opinion the psychological and spiritual welling being is almost more important. There can be long term physical ailments but if we ignore the mind and only treat the physical, we are only looking at half of the person. I will apply the trauma informed care principles in all my patient interactions. I think it is important to treat everyone the same and treat them like family. Part of this is addressing their past whether it’s good or bad. I will go into it always assuming that the patient has some form of trauma, personally I believe that everyone has some form whether small or big it doesn’t matter to that person it is a “traumatic” experience and we need to support them in a way that speaks to them the loudest. Long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences can range from physical to emotional/mental and beyond. A few that come to mind right away are PTSD, anxiety, depression, cardiac issues, diabetes (from unhealthy eating and physical activity habits), as well as skeletal abnormalities. I think as healthcare providers this is one of the most important aspects of our care because it helps us develop trust and rapport with our patients, without trust and rapport there is a significant lack in the healing relationship.
There are many factors that influence the health of the vulnerable and marginalized populations. So many that I cannot possibly name all of them in this post. The ones that come to the front of my mind are the elderly, children who are in the “system”, and access to health insurance. People who cannot find jobs that provide them with the opportunity to have access to health insurance or the elderly/early elderly people who are on the cusp of Medicare and Medicaid. There are many factors that go into this but just in the way that we are all raised and brought up in this world sets you up for the person you will become and the opportunities you have. I feel that it also has to do a lot with your personality, there are people who are born into very privileged homes and come into adulthood with inadequate drive and skills to be a successful adult and then there are those who are thought to have no chance at surviving this world and have the most beautiful success stories. Because of this wide range I feel that it is hard to pinpoint very specific ideas as there are so many. Job opportunities, money, support systems, and upbringing are the ones that come to my mind first.
I do not feel that we will ever be able to solve healthcare disparities as this is what makes the world go around. However, I do think that there are always ways to improve. It can be as simple as recruiting and helping people find jobs that provide health insurance. Education is huge and starts young, creating a health conscience vision that our younger population will understand and buy into will make a huge difference. Also providing support groups and systems, the first one that comes to my mind is for new first-time parents, both for moms and dads, it is a team sport. There are also ways that as healthcare providers we can help connect with our patients more by meeting them at their level and learning about where they come from and why they made the decisions they made to put them in the predicament that they are in today. There are so many ways to improve, and it is a revolving door but starting small and working our way up is the only way we can start. We can sit here and think about it and keep coming up with ideas but until people take initiative nothing will change. By taking initiative I don’t just mean the healthcare system workforce, I mean as a country as a whole, everyone needs to do their part in order to live a healthier lifestyle not just those who are providing the care.
