Personal Narrative: My Clinical Experience

During my first day of clinical, I encountered an issue that I believe is very significant. As a student nurse, our duty for this day was to follow our health care aide around the ward and assist in completing resident care. The resident required assistance in many of her daily tasks. The health care aide asked if I would perform one of those and do perineal care for her. I turned down her offer because I did not feel comfortable with my skill level. The resident had a bowel movement during the night. There was a significant odour in the room that overwhelmed me. I really wanted to leave the room because it was so unpleasant, but I stayed in the room so that the resident would not be embarrassed. This feeling of embarrassment, I assume,

“How can I be good again? I just lost my wife and son in a car accident. There's nothing in life that can cheer me up. I have become an alcoholic who is now jobless.” I said. My Therapist, Dr. Newman, told me “Trust me, Mr. Smith. Only time can heal your wounds if you allow it to. Well, that's the end of the session, and I want to recall the accident that occurred so we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Week three in clinical was difficult for me, I had a great experience overall but I hated seeing and holding a baby that had passed away at 21 weeks. To know what the family could possibly be going through was heartbreaking. I wouldn’t exactly know what to do if I was with the patient and her family exactly. I do know that I did place her in the room when she was admitted to triage. I do feel good about seeing the scenario play out, while being a student rather than being in the field alone. Other than that I was able to see the beginning stage of labor as well as a C-section. Everyone was so bent out of shape on making sure I eat and that I don’t faint, but it seriously wasn’t bad. As a matter of fact I was too intrigued with the mother rather

I had such a great day at clinical yesterday. I was finally able to see a vaginal delivery and that entire process. When I arrived in the morning, the mom had just received Cytotec, to help induce labor and ripen her cervix. She was forty-one weeks and zero. Around ten thirty in the morning, she asked for her epidural to manage her pain. We bolused her with fifteen hundred milliliters of lactated ringers to prevent hypotension. Shane was the certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA) who administered the epidural. It was very cool watching him administer all the needed pain relief medication before he administered the epidural to make sure that it would be placed in the epidural space in the spine. Then administered a small test dose, waited till a few blood pressures were taken, then administered the remaining about through an epidural pump. After the epidural was administered, I was able to administer her foley catheter. I was so happy that I was finally able to place one. I learned a few tricks from Maura (my nurse) as well. She taught me that it was easier to take the top off of the lubricant syringe and to place the tip of the foley inside of the syringe, that way it will not wiggle around and become unsterile. She also taught me to grab from the bottom of the labia and pull up, that way it ensures that I will have a clear entrance to

I have had multiple clinical practices, however, out of all the experiences during my shifts, there is one particular event that holds great meaning for me. This event happened on my fifth clinical day of this semester, which was the day I first dealt with two clients.

Based on having three courses, a practicum, and an intensive this summer, I was prone to experiencing burnout during the summer of 2017. If I suffer from burnout while participating at the Naaman Center, it can affect my educational involvement and influence me to not be aware of the information that is being shared amongst the clients in group/individual counseling. Nevertheless, since I would be showing signs of fatigue, I would be avoidant of approaching my supervisor about important information this is required for my counseling education and theoretical/therapeutic approach. At the start of the summer, I believed since I had the summers off, I could handle three courses, a practicum, and intensive. Certainly, there were weeks where I

The field of medicine has always peaked my interest as I have been and still am a very accident prone person in and out of the doctor's office and hospital. It began when I was two and broke my left radius and was always going to the doctor to get it checked or to physical therapy to have my muscle strength brought back. I have broken my left arm three other times since the age of two and have had many other health complications, but there was one health issue that was not my own that pushed me over the edge. My freshman year after golf practice, my mom picked me up and on the way home she started experiencing severe cramps. She pulled over and parked her car, and began telling me how much it hurt. A few seconds later her eyes rolled back into

On November 30th, 2015, I ventured to the Santa Monica Convalescent Center to spend time with patients in the dementia ward. At first, I thought I would not enjoy spending almost two hours with people who were unable to be cognitively present due to varying degrees of dementia and Alzheimer’s, which impairs their ability to retain memories and sometimes returns them to an almost baby-like mindset. However, I soon formed several bonds with many of the residents there. A woman named Kathy, a volunteer from nearby Presbyterian church, handed out copies of well known Christian hymns and soon everyone was chiming in as best as they could. I then sat down across from a woman named Alice and asked her about her life. She is an elderly African American woman who answered my questions with very opinionated and interesting answers.

My first clinical I felt my greatest accomplishment was not being shy and hesitant. The first day we had clinical was the first day that I got the opportunity to float to another floor, I was very nervous at first. Going into a new place for anyone is different at first because you don’t know what to expect. I think what made my experience so great was the endoscopy nurses and doctors, they were some of the nicest and helpful people I’ve met so far. I got a wonderful opportunity to learn next to the doctors doing the procedures and also see other roles of the healthcare team like the nurse anesthesiologist.

Images flashed in black and white across my eyes. I gazed in complete and utter silence with my mouth cracked open. My vision clouded as pools of tears swelled in my eyes like miniature water balloons. I furrowed my eyebrows and shut my eyes briefly as a small stream of salty water traveled down my freckled cheek and onto my paper. I was in my college history class watching a film focusing on the concentration camps during the holocaust. Skeletons of people, smoke stacks wheezing death in the air, and the look of despair ran rampant throughout the camps. It was in these solemn moments of watching the video that I was rocked to my core and heart was touched; I realized that I was going to become a missionary doctor.

The next step after hearing from the neurosurgeon was getting Miranda through the pain of the surgery. Kevin decided he would take night shifts and I would take days. One of us had to be there at all times as her advocate. So, I was there from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm and Kevin was there the other 12 hours. Twelve-hour shifts are hard especially on a body like mine, which had just gone through two surgeries in the past four months. My first shift began as soon as Miranda requested us to come to her in the PACU unit, which is the first place a patient goes after surgery at that hospital. Kevin and I went in together, but he left so he could sleep and come back for the night. I sat in a chair beside her bed for about seven hours without a break. The unit was in constant motion with people coming out from surgery and heading to their rooms for recovery. Miranda’s breathing would not stabilize so we waited longer than most patients. Grandparents and friends were not allowed in the unit so I was on my own. It was odd. I had been there twice because of my surgeries, but this time I was there for Miranda. They gave Miranda a pump for her pain and it did help her

This week I had rotation at Genesis and also Cumberland Hall. Genesis was very different that what I expected. When I think of a “rehab” I think of people all sitting around with major withdrawal symptoms, a very strict schedule, multiple one-on-one session, and with no smoke breaks. At Genesis, throughout the day the client was able to do their own thing until the scheduled group session and smoke breaks. I was placed on the male unit and I was very surprise of the self-awareness that I experienced. Just listening men talk and tell their stories brought on a whole new prospective and quickly changed the image of the addict stereotype. While I was there we also established that all the clients was first timers and all fathers, and afterwards I was able to sit and think about how grateful I am to have my father who’s not an addict. I have had the luxury of always having a clean and sober father; which I had taking for granted.

Growing up our fears circle around things like monsters under the bed and in the closet, but once we reach the adolescent stage the monsters are a lot less physical. We almost become like superheroes unable to be harmed, indestructible. Situations where we are the ones lying in the hospital bed are few and far apart. I had forgotten I am not invincible, and rather than blowing off the amount of pain I was in I should have done more about it.

I was able to make connections between the clinical and the lectures. I was able to apply the knowledge I learned from lectures and our assigned textbooks, readings, and videos to clinical. Over the course of the semester, I became much more comfortable being on the floor at the psychiatric hospital. I was able to see the symptoms the patient presented with and make connections as to what their diagnosis was. as well as the as well as see the therapeutic effects of the medication they were taking. My clinical provided me with exposure to patients with borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder. I was nervous about clinical simply because I didn’t know much about mental

My clinical project is currently in the implementation phase, and my project objectives are being met on time. My clinical project is projected to be complete on time. The initial reception from the nursing staff was better than expected. I feel this is due to several nurses have worked or currently work at other health care systems that have multidisciplinary sections that must be filled out by all disciplines in order to finalize and print the patient’s discharge instructions. This computerized step is a safety feature that helps ensure all patient education, and follow-up care is addressed prior to discharge. Staying focused and keeping my goal narrow has been the most challenging part of this project.