Reflective essay
Leanne Battersby 7024576 BA Hons Adult Nursing Faculty of Health and Wellbeing Sheffield Hallam University 4th December 2007 Introduction to Study, Practice and the Profession of Nursing Reflective essay Word Count 1,107 ISPPN Reflective Essay In this essay I am going to outline my personal strengths and weakness' both in an academic and clinical setting, using Gibb's reflective model. I will also explain how these skills can be built upon. Nursing is a life long learning process in which you continue your professional development throughout your career. The Department of Health (2003) outlines that Continuing Professional Development is a process of lifelong learning for all individuals which meet the needs of patients and which enables professionals to expand to their full potential. The NMC (2004) sets standards and guidance which enables professionals to demonstrate that they are keeping up to date with developments in professional practice and expanding their knowledge and competence. I am at the beginning of my life long journey. In university I will be developing my basic needs to become a newly qualified nurse; however one way I can gain further understanding is by reflecting upon my experiences. Siviter (2004) describes that reflection is the process in which you look at yourself and your practice objectively. Bolton (2005) argues that it is the way you
The History of Nursing
The History of Nursing Discuss the changes that have occurred in nursing over the last two centuries Nursing through the years has improved dramatically due to factors such as the way women were perceived and social reforming. With the advancement of medical knowledge the nursing profession has grown from strength to strength with society understanding the need to train, educate and establish sanitary standards. All of which we can be grateful to many pioneers throughout the years such as Florence Nightingale and Ethel Bedford-Fenwick. In earlier centuries nursing care was usually provided by volunteers who were untrained or those who possessed little training. During the reign of Henry VIII, nurses were seen to be the 'dregs' of society and nursing was considered an unsuitable occupation for 'proper' women, this was undoubtedly due to the fact that hospitals in those days were dirty pest houses were patients usually died and the people who were ill were seen to have brought it about upon themselves. Although prior to this, nuns and monks nursed the sick in monasteries until their king abolished all of the caring institutions. (Encarta Encyclopedia, http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557139_1_5/Nursing.html#s5 accessed 09 October 2004) Modern nursing improved throughout the nineteenth century, one major development being brought about by pioneer Florence
'You must treat information about patients and clients as confidential and use it only for the purpose for which it was given.' This essay explores the above statement taken from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002).
'You must treat information about patients and clients as confidential and use it only for the purpose for which it was given.' This essay explores the above statement taken from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002). The aim of this essay is to demonstrate an understanding of issues that influence professional practice and the ways in which care may be delivered to patients regarding the issue of confidentiality. Reference will be made to published literature to support the views put forward in this essay. Confidential information is information that is either identified by the patient as confidential or is classified as confidential by applicable law or regulation. Confidentiality has long been emphasised in nursing practice. The Nightingale oath states that 'every nurse should be one who is to be depended upon, in other words capable of being a 'confidential nurse' she must be no gossip; no vain talker; she should never answer questions about her sick except to those who have the right to ask them. (Nightingale 1859). This statement shows that confidentiality has long played an important role in nursing care and it still plays a fundamental role in the profession today. However, as the health care has developed in complexity, so the boundaries of confidentiality have become increasingly difficult to define. (Mason and McCall).
What is perspective?
An evaluation and analysis will be conducted on the critical thinking case study, where an important concept, perspective, plays an important role in the decision making process. Details will be reviewed on how an individual's perspective has the ability to impact all the decisions that will be made. It will be analyzed from the point of view that one's expectation from or for another impacts and potentially translates how daily interaction with people is manifested. The critical question that must first be addressed and answered is: What is perspective? According to one scholar, "perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference (or the result of this choice) from which to sense, categorize, measure, or codify experience, typically for comparing with another" (Wikipedia, 2006). One may further recognize a number of subtly distinctive meanings, specifically the Weltanschauung paradigm. This school of thought describes "experiences, beliefs, and values that affect the way an individual perceives reality and responds to that perception" (Wikipedia, 2006). People in all industries and all walks of life operate from and through perspectives every minute and every hour of their lives. It is developed and nurtured over time based on everything that is known and experienced. For example one's ethnicity, culture, religion, and environment creates a certain
A competent communicator can be defined as one who is able to demonstrate the appropriate communicative behaviour in a given situation and at the same time having the motivation to demonstrate this competence
In order to be classified as a competent communicator in both one-on-one conversations and group interactions, certain skills are required by an individual. A competent communicator will understand the 'rules' associated with communication and will be able to display assertiveness, responsiveness and versatility. It is also important that a competent communicator understands that all these skills combined are important in maintaining relationships as well as effectively communicating with another individual or within a group. Communication is the transfer of meaningful information, which allows us to respond to the things occurring around us and in doing so, allows us to interact with one another. Communicating competently requires effective and socially appropriate communication (Trentholm & Jensen, 1992). A competent communicator can be defined as one who is able to demonstrate the appropriate communicative behaviour in a given situation and at the same time having the motivation to demonstrate this competence (Spitzberg, & Cupach,1984). In regards to interpersonal communication, there are three elements which will determine whether an individual is classified as a competent communicator. First, an individual must demonstrate assertiveness. This term is used to describe the speaking skill where an individual gives an honest and appropriate opinion on their own views, while
Compare Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Old Nurse’s Story” with “The Call” by Robert Westall. Which do you think is more successful?
Compare Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story" with "The Call" by Robert Westall. Which do you think is more successful? Most ghost stories have certain conventions that we expect them to follow, such as vulnerable characters and supernatural goings on. The ghost stories "The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell and Robert Westall's "The Call" both follow some of these conventions. In ghost stories there is often an isolated setting, such as a wood or a house with land all around it and no neighbours. When people are isolated there is no one around to help when help is needed, and sometimes there is no way of contacting people, making people susceptible to bad things. Most of the time the main character of a ghost story is a young woman or a child, because they are seen as vulnerable; children because they are young and impressionable and young women because they are thought of as weak, and an easy target for ghosts and other bad things. Ghost stories are often set in large old mansions or castles with lots of wings and quarters where ghosts can hide. Quite often there is bad weather such as thunder and lightening, heavy rain, fog and snow. The bad weather can create a spooky atmosphere and also a sense of vulnerability and isolation. Sometimes the bad weather in ghost stories brings down telephone lines, so there can be no communicating with people, adding to the
Urban problems
URBAN PROBLEMS - Pamphlet Towns grew rapidly from the beginning of the eighteenth century This created problems of: * Suburban growth * Appalling Slums * Pollution * Disease One of the most difficult problems was finding space for all the people who needed to live in the towns * No cheap public transport until mid-19th C. * Most had to be able to walk to work * In new industrial towns thousands of back to back houses were built close to coal mine or factory * Larger houses w/gardens built in suburbs for middle class - cheaper * They travelled to work by horse drawn buses or carriages * Too expensive for working class Cheap public transport began: * 1860's - horse drawn trams * 1862 - Opening of first London underground BY 1750 London had about 750,000 people living in it whilst most other towns had no more than 50,000 - huge problems for London * Most lived in squalid slums * Death rate high - 3/4 children died before age of 5 POLLUTION & DISEASE * Working class houses were built as cheaply and as close together as possible * Streets and houses filthy * Sewers running down middle of streets weren't wide enough to carry off refuge * Overflowed into streets * Those that were wide enough went straight into rivers * Rivers main source of drinking water * Unsurprising that Cholera spread so quickly * Middle class house may look cleaner, but sometimes
The Foot's Steps Through Time.
The Foot's Steps Through Time The body is an amazing machine. The hundreds of systems inside of us are constantly working together to manage the many things that we as humans do. However with out the ability to walk life would be very different, and feet are an immense help in doing this. The foot, along with the overall human body has changed a great deal through evolution to become what it is today. Millions of years ago, long before humans were around there were what many people believe to be our ancestors: Primates. These creatures essentially known as monkeys, began as just that and through millions of years are believed to have evolved into Autralopitecus afarensis whom over about 3 million years, evolved into human beings as we know them today. Research has shown that the bone structure of the Autralopithecus afarensis is very similar to that of humans today. "Some of the bones in the feet are slightly curved, and look like the bones you would expect to see in a human ancestral who climbed trees."i Through the years, the primate's body slowly evolved into human form in order to meet it's needs as the environment changed. Because of these changes in the body structure and of the environment there became new demands on the foot. Now that less time was spent climbing and instead walking face-paced on the ground became more prevalent the anatomy of the foot was
Perform a patient case study that will focus on the appraisal of the nursing model used in practice, culturally specific components of care, health education and promotion, and the multidisciplinary approaches to care provision.
Health, Society and Care Provision The aim of the assignment is to perform a patient case study that will focus on the appraisal of the nursing model used in practice, culturally specific components of care, health education and promotion, and the multidisciplinary approaches to care provision. All names in the case study have been changed to protect the patients' identity, to conform with The Code (2008) and Data Protection Act (1998). Edna is an 87 year old female, has a good quality of life and is busy socially. She lives alone and has been widowed for ten years, yet has plenty of family and friends close by. She is self sufficient, does her own cooking and cleaning, and drives to see her friends. Edna's previous occupation was a dinner lady at the local school where she served for over 30 years. She is a devout Roman Catholic and goes to Church every Sunday. Edna has previous medical history of hypertension, angina and arthritis, all of which are controlled with medication. More recently she had urinary problems and was suffering from incontinence. She was referred to the urology consultant and after tests, he discovered a blockage in her bladder that would require an operation for its removal. She was then seen by the specialist urology nurse who explained the procedure and went through the pre-operation checklist with her. Edna was admitted onto the ward in
Discuss how development of self-awareness in the nurse may assist him/her in delivering patient care
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ENGLAND Module title: Psychology and Communication within a context of Nursing Module Number: 6190 Title of Assignment: Discuss how development of self-awareness in the nurse may assist him/her in delivering patient care Submission Date: 30th May 2000 Student Name: Steven Perks University Number: 99024365 Word Count: 2204 CONTENTS PAGE Page No PART 1 - TOPIC DISCUSSION Discuss how development of self-awareness in the nurse may assist him /her in delivering patient care. 1-8 PART 2 - REFERENCE LIST A full reference list, using the Harvard referencing system. 9-10 Discuss how development of self-awareness in the nurse may assist him/her in delivering patient care. Self-awareness skills are vital for all therapeutic interaction and development of such skills should be built into all training programmes (English National Board 1987). This essay will attempt to identify a variety of theories based upon the concept of the 'self' and acknowledge the importance as well as the problems in becoming self-aware. The author has chosen this topic to gain insight into the importance of developing self-awareness, as Stein-Parbury (1993) comments the more nurses understand about themselves, the easier it becomes to understand patients.
