Reflective Journal

Wellness and Disease Prevention

The major experiences I’ve had in connection with the practicum practice in mental health psychiatry have involved the use of preventive methods in treating patients, most of whom are over 65 years of age, with anxiety disorders. Some of the following measures are usually used to prevent the occurrence of the problems that are discussed in this section: Examination of anxiety symptoms that patients show when they go to hospitals. The patients, the nurses, and other mental health workers would be assessed on their behavior. This would involve restlessness, difficulty in falling asleep, worrying, being unable to concentrate on anything, and many other things. It is important to help these patients in so many different ways because they must form positive relations and social connections. The key determinants of the health status of patients were poverty, poor transport provision, and low-income family systems support.

During this experience, I had the realization of the importance of the role that nurses play in the prevention of disease in susceptible people. The following observations were made: many of the psychological issues encountered by elderly patients can be easily missed by their families, requiring diagnosis. As a future BSN nurse, I found learning about the need for a nurse to have the skills to communicate with a patient, be able to relate to a patient, and act as an advocate for a patient who suffers from anxiety disorders to be extremely important. The importance of social determinants of health was obvious.

Chronic Disease Management

During the practicum, I found it very important to know how to work in teams when dealing with patients who suffer from anxiety disorders. That was because patients who had anxiety disorders also had some problems with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and depression. For this reason, it was necessary for the whole team, comprising the psychiatric nurse, psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, and geriatrician, to work hand in hand. This would allow nurses to see patient behaviors and emotional responses during the psychiatrist’s medication adjustments.

Teamwork was an excellent approach to solving patients’ issues, but it also presented some challenges due to poor communication. Besides, I found that in some instances, due to poor documentation and reassessment, I was not able to determine the poor health status of the patient with anxiety disorders. Such experiences help develop the requirement for communication and coordination in dealing with patients who have chronic illnesses. Through my experience as a nursing student, I have come to understand that nurses are very crucial in the medical team. Nurses are the ones who conduct assessments and immediately make decisions based on the patient’s health condition. As a future nurse, I hope to contribute to the change that will take place among those who suffer from chronic mental diseases.

Regenerative and Restorative Care

At times when someone’s signs and symptoms appeared to require immediate referral to a health care provider during my internship at the Psychiatry Department, I have been in these kinds of situations. Signs and symptoms here are defined with conditions such as anxiety, behavioral changes, emotional disturbance, and high risk of falling by virtue of aging. In this case, the patient will experience several psychological ailments such as panic attacks, confusion, insomnia, instability, and frailty. The responsibility of the nurses will be to watch over patients and give them drugs.

During the practicum period, I have been able to learn more about psychiatric nursing practice and the importance of restoring the health of the patient. The importance of critical thinking, decision making, and teamwork is a major feature of the members of the healthcare team, as at some stage, they needed to make rapid decisions for the safety of the patient in question. From knowing how nurses made their fast actions in these scenarios, it has become apparent to me that the significance of clinical reasoning and communication skills cannot be undermined. As a future BSN-prepared nurse, it is quite evident that fast actions and safety measures should not be overlooked when it comes to restoring the health status of the patient.

Hospice and Palliative Care

During my time in the practicum setting, I observed some patients who had been suffering from different types of psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety disorders, chronic illness, mental health disorders, and physical disabilities. The location of the practicum experience was, indeed, related to psychiatry, but oftentimes the nurses used a palliative approach to make the clients more comfortable. This has been observed when emotional, symptom, medication, and therapeutic interventions have been used to help patients cope with anxiety disorders, depression, chronic conditions, and social isolation.

I have experienced hospice nursing care where not only was a patient’s health problem addressed, but also issues related to spiritual, emotional, psychological, and sociological factors were addressed. As observed, nurses’ empathic care with patients by listening and communicating with patients has helped to alleviate anxiety and build trust between patients and nurses. From experience, I have learned that as a BSN nurse in the future, it is important to respect the dignity and the wishes of the patient in making decisions for them in times of difficulty. In addition, it has been my learning that nurses act as leaders in soothing their patients.

For the 4th assessment of this class visit: NURS FPX 4905 Assessment 4