Personal Reflection On Assessing Patient Vital Signs

My second clinical day took place on September 24th, 2015 at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, New Jersey. My preceptor Maria Brilhante, MSN, RN, allowed me to observe the morning huddle that took place with all the nurse managers that are in the hospital. The purpose of this huddle was to keep the director of nursing informed about the census on each unit. I found this processed to be very uniformed and professional because the DON was engaged. The day went on with me attending meetings on how managers could implement plans to contain cost for the hospital. Maria did her daily rounds on her patients and her nursing staff. She has a folder that contains papers on how each nurse is progressing from the time they get off orientation. Her motto to the nurses is, “You are good at what you do, so when I coach don’t take offense. I am only trying to get you to be great”. This boost their confidence which I thought to be important.

Working with the nurse who cared for my ailing grand-aunt, was a life changing experience. I would assist with bathing, grooming and toileting as well as reading to my aunt a couple of her favorite mystery novels. Evening though my grand-aunt 's condition was irreversible, I felt at peace because her nurse made sure she was comfortable and her needs were met. The compassion, empathy, work ethics and support the nurse provided for my family and grand-aunt during this difficult time resonated with me, the nurse inspired me in so many ways and even encouraged me to pursue a profession in nursing.

I've very adaptive to new technology such as programs used for online documentation and electronic MARS. Other registered staff in my unit often comes to me for problem solving and troubleshooting with our online documentation program. I always put my patients first and I take the time to listen to my patients & families, no matter how busy my schedule may be. I work well under pressure and in a solo or team environment. I strive to become more knowledgeable in nursing in order to provide the best care I can to my clients In order to excel at my profession and passion I need to do everything I can to make myself better. As part of that, I did not stop with Bachelors, I did my masters, then I did Medical-surgical certification & I am also certified preceptor, have certification from UCF. My upbringing developed my core beliefs of community, family, loyalty, compassion and honesty. It also taught me that all things worthwhile require hard work. I love being a nurse, but recognize my yearning for more. I love nursing and have enjoyed my time as a floor nurse although my work experiences are acutely based, I have observed the direct relation between primary and acute care. As a nurse primarily working with patients, I have observed how patient miseducation, miscommunication, and

Prior to beginning the nursing program the only patient contact that I had was in an outpatient clinic setting and had often thought how great it would be to become a nurse. As my preceptor clinical experience has come to an end, I can being to look back and reflect on my experiences not just over these past few months, but from the beginning at Avalon Care Center my first exposure to a long term care facility. Which at that time had made me question, if nursing is the right career path for me? Since then, I have had many wonderful experiences from being able to watch an open heart surgery for a valve replacement and a total neck resection for throat cancer with, jaw reconstruction with the use of the patient fibula. Still to this day, I

I have worked in every area of the hospital and nursing homes in my nineteen years of clinical practice as a nurse. I have excelled and enjoyed the care that I have provided over the years. I have been a charge nurse wherever I have worked and enjoyed brainstorming and critically thinking through what needed to be done for a patient when they were not doing well. I have prevented many code blues and have been a preceptor to many excellent nurses.

I have been a nurse for the past 25 years, and started my career on an orthopedic unit at Flint Osteopathic Hospital. After six years of developing my assessment and clinical skills as an orthopedic nurse, I decided it was time to challenge myself and apply for a position in critical care. I started working in

Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.

The experience I gained at the cardiology clinic and the hours shadowing at the Methodist Hospital emergency room are a pillar for the career of my choice. I want to be able to help those in need in my local community hospital. I feel the urge to give a hand to those that have guided me through the right path, from teaching me right from wrong to encouraging me to strive to be the best in life. At the Methodist hospital, I learned how to obtain patient’s medical history and entered data into Cerner, and I obtained consent from patients before procedures such as diagnostic imaging and casting. I observed physical examinations being performed by the physician assistant and it taught me that it is necessary to have knowledge to be able to diagnose and treat conditions and that interpersonal skills are essential for this career. Currently, I work for the department of health where I triage and register patients, assist physicians and nurse practitioner in the examination of patients, and assist with maintenance of inventory supplies and

Growing up around three female nurses in my family has sparked an interest in working in the medical field; being the introvert that I am, I decided that it was best to become a medical records field technician in Surprise Arizona. Being a big part of my life has I was growing up, my Nana and my two aunts Phyllis and Theresa all took upon the same career choice and became nurses. On February 14, 2012 I went with my Nana and my sister to the nursing home where my Nana works and passed out cookies for Valentine’s Day. While I was passing out cookies with my sister, I was able to see how the staff interacted with the patients and helped them if was needed, it made me realize that one day I would like to work somewhere in the medical field, but

I’ve had many wonderful experiences as an RN, all leading me to make the choice to advance my career in nursing. One experience in particular involves

On September 28, when we went to Tripler Army Medical Center, I was placed in the Cardiac Ward. At that time, I was able to learn so many diagnosis dealing with the patients. The nurse had briefly explained what was going on with each individual patient and the type of treatments they are doing to help. She had also neatly clarified each medication she was giving them and told me exactly what it was used for. I was able to get an experience of hands on by taking a patient’s temperature. I had shadowed as she did so many things to make the patient feel comfortable and did everything to the best of her ability to make them happy. She had taught me how to record every piece of information about the patients on the computer by showing me what

The purpose of this journal is to reflect on my experience and skills gained during my clinical placement at Ben Taub Hospital. On my first clinical day, I was excited and nervous at the same time. My first placement was in the PREOP/PACU area. I was assigned to help a patient who had been in the PACU area going on 2 days. Normally, once the patient comes from surgery they are only in the PACU area for a short period of time before they are discharged home or given a bed in another area of the hospital. This particular patient still had not received an assignment for a bed. The physicians would make their rounds to come check on him daily. The patient was a 28-year-old Hispanic male, non-English speaking, he had a hemicolectomy. He had a NG tube, urinary Foley catheter, and a wound vac. My preceptor had just clocked in and she needed to check on the patient’s vitals and notes from the previous nurse. Once she introduced me to the patient and explained while I was there, she then asked me to check his vitals. (Vital signs indicate the body’s ability to regulate body temperature, maintain blood flow, and oxygenate body tissues. Vital signs are important indicators of a client’s overall health status (Hogan, 2014). I froze for a quick second. I have practiced taking vitals numerous of times and I knew I could do it correctly. I started with the temperature first, when I was quickly corrected on a major mistake I had made by my preceptor. I HAD FORGOT TO WASH MY HANDS and PUT

Vital signs are measurements of the body’s most basic functions. They are very useful in detecting and monitoring medical problems. There are five main types of vital signs which are temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and pain. They can be measured in a medical setting, at home, at the site of a medical emergency, or elsewhere.

This Friday, September 15th, I had my clinical observation experience in the ED. I was there from 7:00 am till noon, viewing the flow and duties of the nursing staff on the unit, as well as practicing the skills I have thus learned in school. Throughout most of the morning, I followed Jessica, who had been a nurse in the ER for ten years. It was an insightful experience that broadened my previously limited knowledge of the roles and experience of an emergency nurse.

This essay aims to provide a discussion of vital signs and how they are relevant to contemporary nursing practice. This is done by;