March 1st marked my first day participating on the floor of Good Samaritan West Highlands. Although I had previously been to Good Samaritan, this was the day I would become directly involved in the care of the residents there. Seven other nursing students joined me for this clinical rotation. Among those seven, I recognized a few of classmates Nancy, Skylar, Lauren and Chase. The goal of my clinical rotations is to gain actual nursing experience in a real-life setting and practice the skills and theory I have learned in my nursing classes. To aid in this learning process, my instructor, Roberto, paired each patient care assistant (PCA) with two nursing students. I was expected to shadow the PCA and begin to learn how to provide basic care for the …show more content…
I have to learn to trust my abilities when I provide care for a patient. Confidence is still something I am working on, but I will continue to provide the best care I can. I noticed that residents would open more and interact with me when I let them direct the care. I learned to never forget that everyone has a unique story, and these residents are no exception. Most of the residents are more than happy to assist me in my learning and it is up to me to become proactive and utilize the resources I have. Next time I will be more direct and approach the residents rather than waiting for someone else to initiate an interaction or care activity.
Action Plan
I will continue to learn resident’s names and utilize therapeutic communication. It was clear the residents appreciated when I would remember his or her name and the room number. I will work on my organization skills and continue to write down my questions or concerns on my notepad. When interacting with patients, I will strive to ensure I am approachable and give them all of my attention. In the future, I will become more confident and proactive when interacting with my