REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT OF A CLINICAL SCENARIO ~

(AN ASPECT OF NURSING CARE)

Reflection on Clinical Practice – First Placement (Year 1)

The following essay is a reflective account on an event that I, a student nurse encountered whilst on my first clinical placement in my first year of study. The event took place in a nursing home. All names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the patient (NMC, 2008).
Throughout this essay I shall be using Gibbs model of reflection. The following reflective account also forms one aspect of the EC hour’s directive, namely that of caring for clients with mental health problems.
I have chosen to reflect on the event described …show more content…

I proceeded to gather together the equipment I needed and approached Mrs. Lewis. As I pulled back the bed covers to gain access to the PEG feeding tube my mentor stopped me and reproached me for not saying hello to Mrs. Lewis first. My mentor informed me that I should always introduce myself to a patient first and explain to the patient what I was going to do. My mentor told me that even if a patient is not able to communicate it doesn’t mean that they cannot hear you, see you or understand; the patient may still feel anxious but not be able to show it. In introducing myself I would have put the patient at ease making the process easier for both of us.
At this point I felt quite small and rather angry with myself at not remembering such a basic thing which is so important in nursing: to communicate with all patients using any means at your disposal as a nurse and a professional. Communicating with patients is the most important thing nurses do.
My mentor then started to converse with Mrs. Lewis, I learnt some interesting facts about Mrs. Lewis’ life and background but more importantly I learnt from my mentor how to communicate with the patient. For the remaining time of my placement I continued to administer Mrs. Lewis’ her medications all the while remembering to talk to her and explain what I was doing and why, this made me feel positive and much more confident too. The confidence I gained helped me