This course has broaden my knowledge and clinical skills through comprehensive assessment across all ages, races and gender. The nursing foundation, theory and physical assessment courses has all come together to play a vital role on APN. In this past eight weeks, I have learned that not everything is cut and dry when it comes to patient’s complaints and symptoms as to what we may actually think at the initial assessment. I love the fact that we learn how to take the patient’s complaint, assessments, disease process, labs and etc… and put it all together piece by piece in reaching a definite diagnosis. This class has prepared me for the role of APN to meet each individual goal and health outcome regardless of gender, race and disease process.
The role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) in health care has been identified as a critical role in the goal to provide high-quality health care. APRNs have a bigger role to play in the health care system and it is important that students are provided with relevant and valuable knowledge as well as experience that improve their abilities. Achieving course objectives are critical for APRNs with the goal of contributing positively to the health care system. As a future APRN, I place high priority on life-long learning and the development of other people’s skill sets. All duties associated with health care require a dedication to excellence and selflessness. These are two components of learning that will improve the capabilities of
Nursing is a knowledge-based profession within the health care sector that focuses on the overall care of individuals. According to The American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), “defines nurse practitioners as registered nursed who have received graduate-leveling nursing education and clinical training, which enables them to provide a wide range of preventative and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. They deliver high-quality, cost effective care, often performing physical examinations, ordering tests, making diagnoses, and prescribing and managing medication and therapies”. Nurse Practitioners are able to specialize in a particular area, such as family and adult practice, pediatrics, and women’s health; and refer patients to other specialist when necessary. Some Nurse practitioners work under the supervision of a physician; while others run their own practices.
The American Nurses Association (2008) has defined the FNP, under the broader title of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), as one “who is educationally prepared to assume responsibility and accountability for health promotion and/or maintenance as well as the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patient problems, which includes the use and prescription of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic i...
It is important to evaluate which learning style your patients prefer in order for them to best understand what needs to be done for the maximum appropriate outcome. Licensed practical nurses are advocates and that’s someone who supports and supplies information to their patients. Advocacy often involves standing up in support of a patient and their rights. This is especially true when patients are not able to protect their own rights. When filling the role of counselor, Licensed Practical Nurses can help patients and families explore ideas and feelings towards healthcare and illness (8 Roles of the LPN). Some patients have a difficult time accepting a disease or its treatment options. As a practical nurse you consult with RN supervisors regarding patient care and assessments. In some settings LPN 's communicate directly to physicians. Communicating information to the proper people assists in increasing the effectiveness of care plans (Role). As practical nurses we are only one part of a patient care team. Other important members include RN 's, CNA 's, physicians, physical/occupational/speech therapists, dietitians, volunteers, and more (8 Roles of the LPN). With such a large team, every member has their own scope of
As a NP in the urgent care field K.W. analyzes lab data during many visits. This competency focuses on skills, understandings and integrative abilities and this helps the APN with basic foundation in being able to translate results into the proper patient outcomes (National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, 2012).
A big part of nursing is reflection. Now that my sophomore year is nearly over, I can see how much I have grown and how much knowledge I received. Throughout this semester I have been faced with many thrilling experiences and frightening experiences. I have learned a lot through my gerontology clinical, pharmacology and fundamentals courses. Now that I am in clinical it seems that everything is coming together. Practicing in fundamentals and then practice on a real person has been very beneficial. Once I have performed a skill and tested out I’ve notice I am likely to remember how to do the skill again in practice. In this paper I am going to review some of the main objectives I felt were beneficial to me and will always be an important part of nursing practice.
During the final stage broadening the perspective, the APN is starting to settle in in his/her new role, the NP experiences realistic expectations and a feeling that they are competent. During this phase, I will focus on identifying my strengths and work on strengthening them further. I will do this by seeking for biannual and annual evaluations from management/administrator. I plan on making changes in my work environment in order to increase the care delivery system.12
Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P., (2011). Fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
The nursing process is one of the most fundamental yet crucial aspects of the nursing profession. It guides patient care in a manner that creates an effective, safe, and health promoting process. The purpose and focus of this assessment paper is to detail the core aspects of the nursing process and creating nursing diagnoses for patients in a formal paper. The nursing process allows nurses to identify a patient’s health status, their current health problems, and also identify any potential health risks the patient may have. The nursing process is a broad assessment tool that can be applied to every patient but results in an individualized care plan tailored to the most important needs of the patient. The nurse can then implement this outcome oriented care plan and then evaluate and modify it to fit the patient’s progress (Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P., 2011). The nursing process prioritizes care, creates safety checks so that essential assessments are not missing, and creates an organized routine, allowing nurses to be both efficient and responsible.
The role of the nurse is diverse and complex, and is not only concerned with the patient’s body, but also their mind and soul. Nurses are not simply trained to perform tasks, but are trained to be professionals who utilize evidence-based practice with a compassionate and empathetic approach to care. These tasks carry a heavy weight and responsibility, and require that we treat all patients with honor, dignity, and respect. While I had a small idea of these things before beginning school, their gravity has become more of a reality in recent weeks. I hope to be a nurse who utilizes evidence-based practice combined with excellent patient-centered care to touch my patient’s lives and care for them in meaningful
Real time feedback was extremely impactful on my assessment skills as I was given the opportunity to immediately correct or tweak portions of my assessment practice. Receiving immediate feedback and continuously having to answer “why questions” from my preceptor, provided me the opportunity to identify gaps in my clinical knowledge on a daily basis. Reflection and incorporate of the feedback was beneficial as it prevented the repeatedly practicing and adoption of incorrect techniques in my physical assessment technique. Assessment skills that are both practical and efficient are vital for nurses in the acute care setting. RN’s in critical care preform comprehensive head to toe assessments in order to “elicit any abnormal signs to identity and correctly report the medical problem.” (Crimlisk & Grande, 2004, p.3) This learning activity increased the efficiency to which I was able to perform accurate assessments. Accurate and well-organized assessment skills assist with time management, completing an assessment correctly the first time saves time, and time is crucial in the ICU. Development of competent assessment skills in a timely manner this semester directly contributed to achieving my overarching
Potter, P. A., & Perry, A. G. (2009). Fundamentals of nursing (Seventh ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier.
Dillon, P. M. (2007). Nursing health assessment: Clinical pocket guide (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Co.
Weber, J. R., & Kelley, J. H. (2014). Health assessment in nursing (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
This journal is a reflection of my experiences and lessons learned thus far within this course. Upon my reflecting, there were lessons that stood out the most. Also, there are nursing practices in my associate’s degree of nursing program (ADN) that correlates with the standard of care that was recently discussed. This reflection also prompt me to consider more in depth the necessary skills and attributes to become a competent nurse.