Table of Contents
Changeover
Moral principles
Interaction
Analytical Reasoning
Occupation
The colleges, and society in general, expect that nursing students will continue to progress from nursing student status to nurse practitioner status. Transition is a process. It is necessary to integrate different experiences and skills. Practical experience in an Intensive Care Unit is one of the required lessons. Students should gain knowledge and essential skills about critical care. Students are exposed to ICU nurse roles. I was able to gain experience in ICU nursing. This paper describes my experience. This paper covers transition, care, health, communication standards, critical-thinking, vocations, and other areas.
TransitionTransitioning from being a student nurse to practicing on the floor is stressful, especially in the intensive care unit. When my preceptor quizzed me, it felt like I’d forgotten everything. It was difficult at various points to understand the purpose of my actions and to apply everything I learned. As I continued to work, and as my preceptor taught me and my peers, my job became easier.
In order to prepare for my future as a nurse and to transition into that role, I often think about a quote from high school: “Success does not mean failure, it only means courage.” (Winston Churchill). This quote is important to me because the transition from student nurse-to-practicing nurse can seem overwhelming. But I must know that every nurse who has transitioned from being a student to becoming a practicing one has made mistakes and is still learning. I recently read an article that gave me some good ideas on how you can solve problems while transitioning. Assess the situation, identify the stressors and what is preventing you from moving forward.
(Hunt, 2016). My second method involves seven steps. The steps are:
I. I. Identification of issues
II. Understanding the interests and concerns of those (affected)
III. Write down the options or possible solutions
IV. Options Evaluation
Selecting the best option
VI. Documenting your agreement
VII. Monitoring and evaluation of contingency plans, agreements, and evaluation.
I always consulted my team, but (Hicks, n.d.). I always asked my team for their opinion (Hicks.
EthicsWhen i think of nursing ethics, i think of nonmaleficence. We discussed these principles as we began our nursing program. These are the core principles of nursing and ethics, as they protect patients and provide protection. The concepts that are important to these concepts include “not harm”, being good, honesty, and following through with your commitment. Ethics conflicts are common in ICUs. Ethics are often a problem. I have faced many ethical issues. The ANA code of ethics states that the autonomy of the patient must be respected at all times. Patients have the right and responsibility to direct their treatment (Kim,2015).
When I looked at my experiences, it was often the times when ethics came into play. In some cases, patients’ families will decide to place them on comfort-cares so that they can die in peace. Some family members would say they didn’t want to do this, but they did see that it was sometimes what the patient wanted.
For my nursing future, I expect that there will be many ethical dilemmas. I have to keep in mind that I am not there to agree with my patient, but to represent and respect their wishes. It would be great to gain more knowledge about working with palliative patients, in order to understand and educate myself. Especially as I want to continue my career in critical care with adults or children.
Nursing is all about caring for others and yourself. A good and caring nurse is a must. My experience has taught me that the best nurse cares for their patient sincerely. It is important to comfort and support patients in ICU. Patients are afraid of death and other things, but they are most vulnerable. ICUs have a high death rate. The person caring for the patient should be able to offer support and help them find a friend. Always, I tried to establish a relationship with patients. I could understand patients’ concerns and offer support. It was not as easy as I had thought. I feel prepared though for the next few years.
I think that nurses have a major role to play in promoting good health. Nurses can make a difference in the lives of their patients and their families by educating them on evidence-based information.
Nursing is a profession that allows you to do so many things. I could promote health promotion in education, research or practice.
CommunicationCommunication in the ICU involves both the verbal and non-verbal expression. Nurses must tailor their messages to make them clear. Delivering the message requires both verbal as well as non-verbal clues. It is very important to have the ability to communicate concepts and ideas through body language and facial expressions. Communication can sometimes be difficult in intensive care because many patients are being intubated. However, you should still speak to your patients and inform them of what is happening or will happen next. You never know if patients will hear you or be ready to receive what’s coming. Communication with family members is essential to ease anxiety and ensure that they understand the situation. Using pictures, icons, and symbols helped patients who had difficulty communicating. A skill I developed in my practice is the ability to soothe difficult patients. Patients and their families can be difficult. While it is important to communicate effectively, it can be difficult to calm down patients and family members.
When I consider standards of practices, I immediately think of ‘ADOPTED. This standard outlines a method for conducting your nursing practice. Analyze the data collected from the assessment to identify the problem or diagnose. You must then personalize your expected outcomes based on the patient’s situation and the data you have collected. Create a plan and implement it to achieve the desired outcomes. For me to understand the standards, I first had to be shown what I should do and how I should behave at work. After that, I had the chance to practice ADOPIE. It was difficult at first but I eventually was able implement and evaluate plans. ADOPIE helped me to understand that it is an effective tool for ensuring that my Standards of Practice are always followed.
Critical ThinkingCritical reasoning is crucial to the ICU, and especially to the ICU. Things can happen quickly. A nurse’s ability to think rationally is essential. Think about the best way to speak with patients, their family, and how you will treat them. Jonathan M Sharples (2017, Jonathan M Sharples) says that the ICU is a place where critical thinking skills are required. In my clinical experiences, I had to use critical thinking. I had to consider the reasons for giving my patients the medication. I also needed to consider what vital signs I should check and other factors before I administered the medication. The right dose for the patient, drug and time.
VocationInitially, people used to tell me that nurses are difficult and they tend to stop at a certain point. It is a very different experience for me. It feels like my calling is becoming more clear as I work harder at this profession. I am called to be a nurse. My shifts, no matter how long they are, are enjoyable. I also enjoy the nighttime work and its complexity. The challenges I’ve faced in my practice have pushed me to learn and improve more.
In school we learned the qualities of an excellent nurse. A good nursing should be compassionate, caring and empathetic. They must also be emotionally stable and adaptable. It was only through passion and experience that I learned these qualities. My list of qualities has improved. I’ll admit, I struggled to be emotionally stable prior to my ICU practice. Now I’m better. I can now make fast and ethical judgments, as well as think critically. After seeing the practice standards first-hand, I now have a better understanding of them. I can conclude with complete satisfaction that my ICU practice was a great success. I feel well-prepared to become a nurse in the future.
