My first clinical experience was at St. Vincent hospital on a geriatric unit, when I was a second year nursing student. During my time there, nurses often approached me to provide small learning experiences and teach students how to be efficient. When a nurse on the unit asked for help with a bed bath for a patient with whom I was not familiar, I agreed. I wanted to get as much experience as I could. The nurse led me to the patient 's room right away. At the door, the nurse announced to the patient that it was time for a bed bath, and the patient protested. The patient stated that she did "not want a bed bath" and that she preferred to be left alone. I observed signs of a lot of pain from the patient such as grimaces and groans as she spoke.
…show more content…
The reason is because in the situation of providing a bed bath, it involves private areas that people are used to taking care of themselves. No one wants to depend on another person unless they have to, and acting disrespectfully impacts their dignity. There is no excuse for the nurse 's rude reactions to the patient during the bed bath. Even though she technically acted properly in terms of completing her duty to provide a bed bath, she should have been more considerate of how the patient was feeling vulnerable and experiencing distress. Additionally, I value having empathy for others and having the patience to take the time to discuss what is bothering the patient. I value pain management, as it greatly impacts the patient 's experience. Finally, my moral experience as a nurse has forced me to become more aware of possible ethical situations. Before this incident, I thought ethical situations involved extreme situations of life or death. Therefore, I was not prepared to make a decision or how to act in order to come up with a solution. I value being educated and aware of the effects of my decisions, and have learned to take the time to read policies recommending different courses of action. I have also learned to speak directly to the patient, instead of just blindly following the lead of someone I feel is my
The reason is because in the situation of providing a bed bath, it involves private areas that people are used to taking care of themselves. No one wants to depend on another person unless they have to, and acting disrespectfully impacts their dignity. There is no excuse for the nurse 's rude reactions to the patient during the bed bath. Even though she technically acted properly in terms of completing her duty to provide a bed bath, she should have been more considerate of how the patient was feeling vulnerable and experiencing distress. Additionally, I value having empathy for others and having the patience to take the time to discuss what is bothering the patient. I value pain management, as it greatly impacts the patient 's experience. Finally, my moral experience as a nurse has forced me to become more aware of possible ethical situations. Before this incident, I thought ethical situations involved extreme situations of life or death. Therefore, I was not prepared to make a decision or how to act in order to come up with a solution. I value being educated and aware of the effects of my decisions, and have learned to take the time to read policies recommending different courses of action. I have also learned to speak directly to the patient, instead of just blindly following the lead of someone I feel is my