• Identify two areas in which you were effective (and why) and one or two areas you should improve (and why).
In simulation this week, I was effective in remembering the majority of the steps for the head to toe (I always seem to forget orientation and capillary refill). I quickly realized at the end if I had left out any steps and by the end of simulation I felt much more confident in completing a head to toe exam.
I also did a good job of noticing what my peers missed during their head to toe exam. I was also effective in moving at a good speed for all my assessments. I took around 8 minutes to do my head-to-toe. All the parts of my assessment flowed together well and I did not hesitate over what to do next. In my opinion, the …show more content…
It is easy to silently do the head to toe and check each part of the body without warning the patient that you are about to listen to their chest with your stethoscope, move their gown, move the bed, etc.
• What steps can you take to make the improvements you have identified? What resources and practices will enable you to succeed in those areas?
To improve the patient’s understanding of what is going on, I will need to make sure I explain what I am doing before I do it. The main resource I can use for this is another person, specifically another nursing student or instructor. It is easy to catch what you’re doing wrong when someone else is assessing your skills and informing you of what they liked/disliked about your practice head to toe exam.
• What goals will you set for yourself next week? How will you prepare yourself to successfully accomplish those goals?
Next week, I would like to feel comfortable walking into the hospital and organically and proficiently completing head to toe exams. Sometimes it is difficult to move equipment and other objects out of the way, while interacting with the patient and collecting your data. I will accomplish this by practicing next week, specifically keeping my stethoscope clean without contaminating anything else in the room, just like we talked about …show more content…
This allowed me to check for a blood pressure that I might have missed if I only pumped the blood pressure pump up to 100-120. Since I knew they had a history of hypertension, I was not extremely surprised by their blood pressure that was 135/75, although I would still notify a nurse that this was higher than normal.
• Describe a disorienting or challenging situation that you encountered today. Discuss your feelings of anxiety, confidence, and organization as you approached the situation. What would you like to improve upon? If the situation occurred again, what would you do? Would you act differently? Is there a skill you can develop or something you can learn to help you to be better equipped next time?
Once challenging situation that I encountered today was taking vital signs with another nursing student while she completed the head to toe exam. While I consider vitals to be the “easier” part of the physical assessment, I initially felt lost while I was working around her. I did not want to get in her way and I wanted to wait for a good time to let the patient know what I was doing. Not that I will have have/be an assistant nurse, but I want to improve on working with another nurse and being able to designate who does what, and do so in a way that is efficient. If this situation occurred again, I would feel better about getting I needed to get done without feeling like I
In simulation this week, I was effective in remembering the majority of the steps for the head to toe (I always seem to forget orientation and capillary refill). I quickly realized at the end if I had left out any steps and by the end of simulation I felt much more confident in completing a head to toe exam.
I also did a good job of noticing what my peers missed during their head to toe exam. I was also effective in moving at a good speed for all my assessments. I took around 8 minutes to do my head-to-toe. All the parts of my assessment flowed together well and I did not hesitate over what to do next. In my opinion, the …show more content…
It is easy to silently do the head to toe and check each part of the body without warning the patient that you are about to listen to their chest with your stethoscope, move their gown, move the bed, etc.
• What steps can you take to make the improvements you have identified? What resources and practices will enable you to succeed in those areas?
To improve the patient’s understanding of what is going on, I will need to make sure I explain what I am doing before I do it. The main resource I can use for this is another person, specifically another nursing student or instructor. It is easy to catch what you’re doing wrong when someone else is assessing your skills and informing you of what they liked/disliked about your practice head to toe exam.
• What goals will you set for yourself next week? How will you prepare yourself to successfully accomplish those goals?
Next week, I would like to feel comfortable walking into the hospital and organically and proficiently completing head to toe exams. Sometimes it is difficult to move equipment and other objects out of the way, while interacting with the patient and collecting your data. I will accomplish this by practicing next week, specifically keeping my stethoscope clean without contaminating anything else in the room, just like we talked about …show more content…
This allowed me to check for a blood pressure that I might have missed if I only pumped the blood pressure pump up to 100-120. Since I knew they had a history of hypertension, I was not extremely surprised by their blood pressure that was 135/75, although I would still notify a nurse that this was higher than normal.
• Describe a disorienting or challenging situation that you encountered today. Discuss your feelings of anxiety, confidence, and organization as you approached the situation. What would you like to improve upon? If the situation occurred again, what would you do? Would you act differently? Is there a skill you can develop or something you can learn to help you to be better equipped next time?
Once challenging situation that I encountered today was taking vital signs with another nursing student while she completed the head to toe exam. While I consider vitals to be the “easier” part of the physical assessment, I initially felt lost while I was working around her. I did not want to get in her way and I wanted to wait for a good time to let the patient know what I was doing. Not that I will have have/be an assistant nurse, but I want to improve on working with another nurse and being able to designate who does what, and do so in a way that is efficient. If this situation occurred again, I would feel better about getting I needed to get done without feeling like I