The Practice Summary Paper
Practice Summary Paper
Marylou Bryan
Old Dominion University
Practice Summary Paper
There are numerous reasons why I have chosen to pursue my baccalaureate degree in nursing. I felt like my nursing career had stalled. Several nurses I am acquainted with have degrees of higher education. They have shared positive encouragement with me to continue my education. One nurse manager I worked under shared how much her nursing career changed for the better at each level of education she had achieved. She told me, she never regretted any of the time spent on her master’s degree. I wanted to move my nursing career to the next level, so I took their suggestions and got back to school. I wanted to be challenged with new responsibilities and I knew continuing my education was the only way I was going to meet those goals. I wanted to either enter into nurse case management, move into a supervisory role, or be in a role which I could influence policy change. The journey through my baccalaureates has been a slow and rewarding process. I took two or three courses every semester over the past four years. Finally, I am at the completion of the process and beginning to reap the rewards.
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Analysis
I would like to review how the excellent education I have received from all the professors at the Old Dominion School of Nursing has changed me for the better as a nurse. I will examine the eight core competencies of the program outcomes to include critical thinking, nursing practice, communication, teaching, research, leadership, professionalism, and culture which have impacted by nursing care.
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Throughout my nursing education I have worked hard at critical thinking. All the nursing courses within the baccalaureate curriculum have offered me an opportunity to improve on my critical thinking skills. The continued development of my critical thinking skills has helped me to focus on my daily nursing practice with curiosity, investigation, and integration with a fresh perspective. One of my first assignments put my critical thinking skills to the test by requiring me to consider my own professional nursing philosophy. In the assignment I examined the American Nursing Association (ANA) definition of the practice of nursing which gave me clarification regarding the development of my own professional philosophy. I also identified Peplau’s nursing theory of Interpersonal Relations with a focus on the nurse-patient relationship which aligned best with my own nursing philosophy.
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My nursing practice has evolved from a linear perspective into a fuller and well-rounded approach to care through the achievement of multidisciplinary steps to include a view of the entire individual and not just one aspect. This new knowledge of nursing practice was demonstrated in my teaching project. Using the nursing process of assessment, diagnoses, planning, implementing, and evaluating, I was able to create a teaching plan which produced positive outcomes by decreasing the occurrences of fluid volume deficit on the detox unit. The teaching practice on proper hydration has been established as effective care and adopted by the nursing staff on the detox unit. Education on the importance of proper hydration is an important part of my nursing practice leading to the promotion of improved health and better patient outcomes. Since developing this teaching plan on dehydration, I have use it with numerous vulnerable populations to include the intellectually disabled and geriatric populations.
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One of the largest improvements to my overall nursing practice due to the baccalaureate education has been communication. I have found it challenging and rewarding to communicate in an informed manner with colleagues and clients. An example of my improved communication skills was through the course on Theoretical Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice where I reviewed nursing theory and selected one which aligned with my own. I choose the Self-Care Deficit Theory (SCDT) by Dorothea E. Orem for my theory application paper. It is a general theory combining concepts to produce a different perspective of clinical problem solving. It can be generalized and applied to the improvement of health in the numerous patient populations. Each new admission to detox has their own personal self-care deficit and this theory can be applied at any stage. At any given time with each admission to detox numerous Therapeutic Self-Care Demands (TS-CD) can be identified within this patient population.
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The baccalaureate course on teaching required me to enhance my approach and utilize new methods to increase individual and professional outcomes. Working through the teaching project was a lengthy endeavor. This assignment led me to the Standards of Practice and Performance from the International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntSNA). As I created my project, I shared the guidance of the IntSNA and the standards of practice (SOP) with the Director of Nursing (DON) for approval to use the information for education on the unit. After completing my work, the DON suggested I share my teaching assignment with the other nurses on staff. Several of them started using my teaching project with the patients and used the handout I created too. This collaboration lead to the improvement of patient outcomes and decreased the overall occurrence of fluid volume deficit.
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The assimilation of information from pertinent research studies to produce relevant alternative approaches to nursing practice has been the most challenging aspect of my baccalaureates. During the cultural exploration assignment, I did extensive review of research-based on the prison culture. The information I gleaned changed the delivery of my nursing care to reflect the sensitivities related to this culture. I reviewed the size and scope of the prison culture, norms, religion, communication, health, pregnancy, immunization practices, dietary restrictions, environmental factors, and health. The knowledge gained influenced my nursing interactions and changed my clinical approach while working on the detox unit with ex-cons.
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Over the past four years I have experienced an evolution of leadership in my nursing practice through the defining of a professional philosophy, increased responsibility, and growth toward support of evidence-based standards. The assignment on ethical issues gave me a new understanding of how the legal and regulatory processes impact the nursing care practices and the delivery of health care. The exploration of this assignment gave me a view into how the legal system currently criminalized and stigmatizes pregnant woman with substance use disorders. As a nurse in the detox clinical environment I directly experienced the impact of the legal system on young post-partum woman. I was able to communicate hope and demonstrate compassion to these young women and encourage them to use healthy educational goals as guidance to improve outcomes for these individuals in my care.
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My nursing behaviors and attitudes exhibit a refreshed professionalism through the practice of implementing evidence-based care. The assignment which best demonstrates this is the philosophical principles of autonomy within the nurse-patient relationship. I strongly believe patients deserve to be informed and allowed the freedom of autonomy to make healthcare decisions which they feel benefit themselves, not to be persuaded by the medical profession, one way or the other. Basically, to meet the patient right where they are, providing patient centered care. I identified patient well-being, health care preferences, and advocacy as valuable aspects within my professional nursing philosophy. The Peplau’s nursing theory of Interpersonal Relations identifies the focuses on the nurse-patient relationship which promotes all three of these principles within the framework of decision making during clinical nursing practice.
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Learning about customs, and social behaviors of a society of people other than my own has cultivated a deeper awareness in me as a nurse. The course on global health truly expanded my world view. I created a website based on extensive research of the Chinese culture. I included information regarding health indicators, education, healthcare system, culture, religion, occupations, lifestyles and gender norms of China. Each phase of research added to my curiosity and fascination for a culture which is different from my own. This project gave me a new perspective of others culture and how it effects the nurse-patient relationship.
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Appraisal and Summary
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this journey into a baccalaureate’s degree. I knew I would gain knowledge, but I had no idea how it was going to change my nursing care. My mind was opened to all sorts of new and challenging information in each nursing course which took my nursing care to a new level. I believe that I gained improvements in all eight nursing core competencies. Every course gave me an opportunity to work on my critical thinking skills and to improve my nursing practice. My communication skills evolved. I was able to gain a new approach to teaching strategies which had a positive impact on patient outcomes. I learned how important current relevant research is to the creation of evidence-based practice and its effects on nursing care provided in facilities. I also developed a new perspective on the role of a professional nurse leader in the healthcare industry.
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I have recently accepted a job with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) in the Office of Integrative Health. I know I would not have been qualified for this position if it weren’t for the education, I received at Old Dominion University School of Nursing. Within this new position I will have an opportunities to apply all the knowledge gained from this baccalaureates education to help improve the lives of the intellectually and the developmentally disabled population in Virginia. The exploration of nursing theory and philosophy has given me a new understanding of the importance of clarifying one’s own professional values, and the motivation to pursue those values.
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My nursing practice has evolved into a deeper understanding of the world picture with increased compassion and honest caring for the individual. Prior to this level of education, I didn’t fully understand the impact of research on the establishment of evidence-based practice. The process which Old Dominion University school of Nursing professors took through the lay off of course work gradually elevated my new understanding of the profession of nursing. Step-by-step each course took my knowledge to the next level. Prior to beginning the process, I felt I was a good, caring, responsible nurse, but now I have a conception of the bigger picture. The awareness of why nurses set the standards of care, and advocate for the best possible outcomes for the patient population. I know I have become a better listener due to my expanded curiosity about culture. Today I know that I can absolutely make a difference in a patient’s life using research and the implementation of evidence-based practice.
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Conclusion
After reviewing the eight core competencies of nursing, I can truly see how much I’ve changed as a nurse. The growth of knowledge I have experiences through each assignment, through each discussion board, and every quiz has changed my nursing practice greatly for the better. With the understanding of nursing theory, nursing philosophy and nursing research I am now in a position as a nurse to improve the quality of live for a vulnerable minority population. I’m very grateful to have had this experience.
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