Organisation: Calvary Health Care
Job Title: Registered Nurse
Word Limit: 300 Words Per Point
Location: Calvary Health Care
Professional practice
My professional practice of providing the highest level of holistic patient centred care to all patients is something I pride myself on. I’m able to do this whilst successfully adhering to the professional, ethical and legislative framework of the hospital or facility I am employed by.
During my placement at the Canberra Hospital (CH), a patient I was looking after was going into surgery. I received handover from the peri-operative nurse, and following correct procedures, I discovered that the consent form was not signed. I immediately called the surgeon to come and sign the consent form. This safeguarded me within the legal framework of the hospital, as no patient can go to theatre without a completed consent form.
My professionalism is further demonstrated in my clinical placement at Calvary Hospital, I had a patient’s next of kin request that no information was to be given to any other family member but them, as the family was going through some issues. I had a family member come to me the following day and I explained that as part of patient confidentiality I could not provide them with any information.
Healing, Hospitality, Stewardship and Respect are all values that resonate with my nursing practice. Healing is my focus and is imperative to providing great nursing care. Giving genuine hospitality to every patient and family member that I am nursing is one of my biggest strengths. Stewardship is required in my job everyday, making sure that the correct planning occurs and the right resources are being used. Respect for my patients, family members, colleagues and doctors, has a big impact on the experiences others have with me and is extremely important.
My personal values and belief inform my professional practice and are aligned with the duties and responsibilities of the role.
Critical thinking and analysis
Practicing within an evidence based framework is something that I have developed throughout my studies, student placements and my current role as a Registered Nurse. I have a focus on always making decisions and providing my nursing care based on the most current, relevant research available, drawing upon my own experiences and clinical knowledge, along with my seniors’ experiences. By implementing the Seven Steps of Evidence Based Practice, I have been able to improve the health and safety of my patients while also providing care in a cost effective manner to improve the outcomes for both patient and the healthcare system.
In my current role at Queanbeyan Residential Care Facility, part of my role is working in the dementia unit. I make sure that I always read evidence based journals and articles in order for me to better understand dementia management. During an afternoon shift one day, I found a resident who was being very aggressive. I checked his medication chart and found that he was on PRN Haloperidol injections and it was 24 hours since his last dose. I decided the appropriate course of action was to administer his PRN antipsychotic drug. This settled him down, which prevented any incidences occurring and the situation escalating.
I understand the importance of professional development and am always proactive in participating in any learning situation or course that will further develop my nursing practice. Having completed many courses throughout my studies and nursing, it has allowed me to demonstrate competency in performing many duties such as Basic Life Support, Aseptic Technique, Infection Prevention and Control, Manual Handling, Child Protection Training Evaluation, Fire and Emergency Procedure Management, Workplace Safety, Hand Hygiene, Scrubbing, Gowning and Gloving to name a few. The above examples demonstrates how I utilise critical thinking and analysis in my practice.
Provision and coordination of care
The five placements I completed during my studies, and my current role working as a Registered Nurse in Aged Care, have all been a mix of acute and sub acute environments. I have experienced nursing in both and have developed the required skills and knowledge to provide correct, safe and evidence based care to patients in both settings.
Whilst I was on a student placement at National Capital Private Hospital in the surgical ward, I was involved in preoperative admission. As part of my duties, I had ensured the proper care of my patients using assessment tools and checks. These included utilising the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk assessment to ascertain the pressure injury risk, conducting head to toe assessments to check skin integrity and vital signs checks to get a Modified Early Warning Score (MEW) in order to ensure safe patient care.
In my current role in Aged Care, working as a Registered Nurse I have a lot of responsibility, pressure and need to be able to work successfully unsupervised. I always use the appropriate nursing processes and procedures when dealing with all residents. I ensure they are safe and are receiving the appropriate nursing and care, in line with the policies and procedures of Queanbeyan Residential Care Facility. By providing safe and quality care to residents, I set a good example to my peers and carers, and lead by example.
As demonstrated above, through my passion and utilizing my skills and knowledge, I am able to utilise the nursing process to provide a safe environment and excellent evidence based care to patients in both an acute and sub acute environment.
Collaborative and therapeutic practice
In my practice, I understand the importance of demonstrating and providing effective interpersonal communication skills within my team and also to patients, their families and members of the community. This is crucial to the success of my role and the nursing care that I provide. I have a genuine, polite nature and always come to work with a smile on my face with my full focus being on work and my patients. My communication style is clear and polite. I provide thorough information to my patients, for handovers and when dealing within a multidisciplinary team.
In my current position at Queanbeyan Residential Care Facility, I recently had one of my residents with Dementia and Parkinson’s disease, have a fall. As I was the Registered Nurse on duty, it was my responsibility to ensure the safety of my residents which I demonstrated through nursing assessments such as checking for vital signs, injuries and informing the relevant stakeholders of the incident. After completing my assessments and calming the resident down and putting her back into bed, I decided the correct treatment for this resident was to commence hourly post fall neurological observations, which I conducted myself. Fortunately for the resident she had no injuries. Subsequently, I contacted the resident’s daughter to advise her of what had happened and the progress of her mother. Additionally, I contacted the residents General Practitioner and Physiotherapist for a post incident review. The outcome of this scenario was a positive one for all involved. The resident didn’t sustain any further injuries, and I communicated effectively to all parties reducing any stress and worry. I believe that communicative and collaborative approaches to therapeutic practice are central to good practice and is demonstrated through the above example.
