Nursing Placement

Question 1

Health education plays a very important role in the promotion of health through empowering individuals to make informed decisions and choices concerning health issues. Management of Diabetes is not an easy task and healthcare professionals today focus on education as an important tool in the management of diabetes. ADA (2011) opine that the ultimate goal that as nurses we ought to accomplish in the education of patients with Diabetes is to change human understanding and behavior through imparting knowledge. In an education program, that I was involved in, teaching on injection techniques of insulin was an essential part of the program. First, the injection technique is shown to the patients and their family members, then a calculation of the necessary units of injection per session, then selection of injection sites, and finally equipment and drug handling and storage to prevent contamination issues. Finally, education in other general aspects including issues of diet, body weight maintenance, and hypoglycemia prevention are covered (Brown et al., 2018). It is important to note that these Diabetes educational activities qualify concerning the general role of health education in the promotion of health (Nam et al., 2011). Community health is critical and health education is one of the most important aspects of community health. Being placed in a community health facility at Canberra hospital allowed me as a nurse to engage in a diabetes management education program and it was relevant to the general purpose of health education in promoting community health through allowing patients and their families to make informed decisions through the acquisition of knowledge from the program.

Question 2

The Ottawa Charter bases its health community policy on five action areas that are essential for the general success of Australian health promotion. The charter seeks to ensure that social justice and health outcomes of Australian citizens are put into consideration. One of the action areas is strengthening of community action (McQueen & Salazar, 2011). Canberra Hospital is a community hospital makes it essential for healthcare professionals working there to ensure that community actions are strengthened with the aim of ensuring that the wellness and prevention of illness for the patients are ensured. The healthcare providers could seek to empower the community by ensuring that the individuals pick out their own health care priorities and seek actions to fulfill these priorities (Keleher & Parker, 2013). Examples of actions that these healthcare professionals could partake include developing online forums in the various social media platforms where community members can share ideas and explain their problems. The healthcare professionals then provide professional advice and solutions to these problems. Taking advantage of information technology, which today is used in all sectors, could be a very essential tool for strengthening community action. By strengthening community action, the wellness of the citizens and general prevention of illness is ensured. The community becomes empowered when they gain control in action taking and decision making concerning their own health issues (Roden & Jarvis, 2014).

Question 3

As human beings, we all have certain beliefs, values, and attitudes that grow and develop as we continue to live in this world. Family, community, friends, and experiences are essential parts of the attitudes, values, and beliefs. Culturally based assumptions in healthcare include the focus on the individual where every patient is to take responsibility for his or her own health. Moreover, during the diagnosis and healing process, the patients are not considered as partners and this gives the healthcare practitioners authority as they are often considered as the experts. Effective communication is essential in the communication between practitioners and the patients and the practitioners themselves. Cultural differences are a hindrance to effective communication in healthcare but as practitioners, there is need to ensure that even with the cultural differences communication remains effective (Loftin et al., 2013). Some strategies could be employed to ensure effective communication in situations of communicating with patients from different cultures. One major method is trying to minimize stereotyping though it is an inevitable practice (Drevdahl, 2018). Minimizing stereotyping is one way of ensuring that intercultural communication is successful. According to Harkess & Kaddoura (2015), the practitioners need to undergo further training on intercultural communication and this would be essential in the acquisition of skill, knowledge, and awareness to improve the effectiveness of intercultural communication.

Question 4

Placement is an essential part of a nursing student’s career and its importance is founded on the growth of a nursing student into a professional nurse (Brynildsen et al., 2014). The experience at Canberra hospital is important, as it will aid my professional development as a professional registered nurse. The experience was near my expectations as I was able to learn a lot from the nurse managers, other registered nurses, and the doctors. Situations were different on a daily basis but one main aspect is that the patient comes first and his or her safety is paramount to the nursing profession. McKenna et al. (2010) state that as a nurse, patient care is the main job description and through taking care of many patients at the hospital, I learned to put their safety and needs first. Being in a community hospital, Canberra provided me with the opportunity to interact with patients from different cultural backgrounds and through this; my intercultural communication skills were improved (Warne et al., 2010). The ride was not always easy as some mistakes occurred though minimal. Through these mistakes and corrections from the nurse leaders, I was able to improve and grow as a nursing student. With all the aspects of patient safety, intercultural communication, and part of leadership, I believe that my growth as a nursing student into a registered professional nurse was boosted a great deal.