Nursing Reflective Journal

Reflective Journal #1 The art of effective communication, caring comprehensively and holistically for patients is one of the foundations of professional nursing practice (Thakur, Venkateshan, Sharma, & Prakash, 2016). Specifically, communication is a topic in nursing school that becomes repetitive and is brushed off as common sense, but in practice becomes essential. Nurses are the professionals who have the most contact with patients (Thakur et al.,2016). During my experience throughout practicum, this simple act can change a nurse’s shift entirely. During my most recent shift in the clinical setting my nurse and I were assigned to five patients. One patient was Baker acted, three possible discharges, and our last patient perhaps leaving

At the time it was six in the afternoon when we received the orders and our patient is sitting at the bedside opening a pudding. Sadly, I had to explain to her that there was a miscommunication and that now she would be going for a colonoscopy and she would have to be on clear liquids till midnight. This situation could have gone many ways but having a rapport with my patient she was understanding. After discussing her diet change, we attained all the documents needed for consent, without noticing dietary was never notified of her most recent change to clear liquids. Going into the patient’s room with her spoon full of chicken and rice just after telling her she needed to be on clear liquids is something that would frustrate many, but I just felt empathy for her. Not only did I have to take her food away from her once, but twice and I knew it would not sit well with the patient. I then had to educate her on the fluids she had to drink to prep her for her procedure. She was upset about her food being taken away, and now receiving a big gallon of fluid she had to drink by midnight, and having me hand her document after document to sign. It is a lot to take in and talking my patient through every step of the way was the only way we kept the situation at bay.

This may seem like a silly encounter but going through uncomfortable positions with patients when they are feeling their