Learning from Experiences

Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example

Objective 1: To improve my assessment competency and skills in my clients’ mental health status.

During the practicum experience, I assessed the mental health of 20 clients and improved my experience and knowledge of practical assessment skills. Quality mental health care recognizes patients’ and their families health needs and expectations rather than their illnesses (Slemon et al., 2020). Therefore, I emphasized helping my clients register improved mental health and involved their families in decision-making. The most challenging client I encountered in this context was a mental health patient unwilling to share information about his health status and medical history. As a result, I included his family in the treatment plan to address this problem. This experience taught me that including the client’s family in the treatment plan is critical for realizing positive outcomes.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Objective 2: To identify the most appropriate resources for developing effective treatment plans for my clients.

During my practicum experience, I regularly consulted with my preceptor about the most appropriate resources for managing and treating my clients with mental health problems. Consistent with the recommendations by Liang et al. (2020), I used DSM-5 to diagnose my clients and applied evidence-based practice during decision-making. However, I almost misdiagnosed my client after recommending treatment for depression, yet she was experiencing cyclothymia. From this point, I recognized the importance of using DSM-5 when diagnosing patients to reduce the chances of misdiagnosis.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Objective 3: To assess my client’s response to their treatment plan.

I achieved this objective by monitoring the progress of my clients, interviewing them, and ensuring that they understood every content of their treatment plan. I used observation as the mode of assessment for this objective. Consistent with the recommendations by Ahn and Choi (2019) on an effective treatment plan for mental health patients, I regularly modified care plans for my clients and developed a care plan with realistic objectives that best fit my clients’ needs. However, I experienced a challenge with a patient who did not take medication as prescribed. As a result, she had poor health outcomes, and her mother brought her to the facility for a medication change. The patient later admitted to throwing away the tablets and informing her mother that she had taken her medication. Based on this experience, I will consult with patients on their preferred medication to enhance cooperation in the treatment plan in future.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Communicating and Feedback

To improve my skills and knowledge, I must maintain practice proficiency and continually participate in training and development programs to enhance my competency. Duprez et al. (2021) identified compassion as an essential nurse skill. Ideally, I will constantly witness patients and their families experiencing pain as a nurse, which creates the need to be compassionate. I will also ask my preceptor how to make the most of my experience and the critical expectations she has for me. This approach will help me communicate with my preceptor about my competency efforts.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Moreover, I will need to identify my key strengths and weaknesses and identify strategies that I can use to enhance my nursing competency. As a nurse, I always take formal and informal feedback from my preceptor seriously. There was a situation where my preceptor came and instructed me by word-of-mouth that my shift had changed. In this case, I had to strictly follow these instructions without waiting for formal communication from her. Preceptors should help nurse students translate theoretical learning to clinical practice, and they are required for all levels of nursing education (Wang, Lee & Espin, 2019). Therefore, I recognized the preceptor assigned to me as my mentor and strictly followed her instructions. Furthermore, I developed a strong working relationship with my preceptor to make the learning experience more enjoyable. (Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

References

Ahn, Y. H., & Choi, J. (2019). Incivility experiences in clinical practicum education among nursing students. Nurse education today, 73, 48-53.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Duprez, V., Vermote, B., Van Hecke, A., Verhaeghe, R., Vansteenkiste, M., & Malfait, S. (2021). Are internship experiences during a pandemic related to students’ commitment to nursing education? A cross-sectional study. Nurse Education Today, 10(2), 19-26.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Liang, H. F., Wu, K. M., & Wang, Y. H. (2020). Nursing students’ first-time experiences in pediatric clinical practice in Taiwan: A qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, 91(13), 109-115.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Slemon, A., Jenkins, E., Bungay, V., & Brown, H. (2020). Undergraduate students’ perspectives on pursuing a career in mental health nursing following practicum experience. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(1-2), 163-171.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

Wang, A. H., Lee, C. T., & Espin, S. (2019). Undergraduate nursing students’ experiences of anxiety-producing situations in clinical practicums: A descriptive survey study. Nurse Education Today, 76, 103-108.(Comprehensive Practicum Experience Nursing Essay Example)

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