Reflection Journal
This reflection journal also allows students to outline what they have discovered about their professional practice, personal strengths and weaknesses, and additional resources that could be introduced in a given situation to influence optimal outcomes. Each week students should also explain how they met a course competency or course objective(s).
In each week’s entry, students should reflect on the personal knowledge and skills gained throughout the course. Journal entries should address one or more of the areas stated below. In the Topic 10 graded submission, each of the areas below should be addressed as part of the summary submission.
New practice approaches and that one. On New practice approaches
Sample Answer
I’m delighted to be nearing the completion of this course program; it’s a significant milestone in my personal and professional development as a nurse. This program has given me the ability to view situations in a new light. Throughout the course, I have covered several topics such as interprofessional collaboration, new practice approaches, and ethical considerations in healthcare. Throughout this paper, I will reflect on what I have learned and how these have impacted my view as a nurse. New practice approaches; This includes new solutions to improve the quality of care provided to the patient. Different healthcare institutions use different approaches to deal with challenges in their settings. As a nurse, it would be essential that I constantly research new practices either from other institutions or from research. Discovering new ways of practice will be essential in ensuring that patients receive quality care and advancing nursing practice. Interprofessional collaboration; nowadays, interprofessional collaboration has become a common healthcare practice. Throughout the course, I have learned the importance of interprofessional collaboration and ways to make them more successful once in practice. As a nurse, I need to communicate effectively, respect and recognize other professions’ roles in the collaboration team. Ethical considerations and culturally sensitive care: I need to strictly observe four ethical principles, including autonomy, nonmaleficence, justice, and beneficence (Goldsberry, 2018). When interacting with patients, I need to respect their decisions regarding their health. Patient decisions are greatly influenced by their cultural background and beliefs; I need to ensure that I’m culturally sensitive to patients when interacting with them. For example, Jehovah’s witnesses believe that blood transfusion is inappropriate, and as a nurse, I need to respect that.
Health care delivery and clinical systems; In this week, I learned different aspects of quality and safe health services, including health promotion, disease diagnosis and anticipation, and treatment and management of the disease. I also learned how to apply the different aspects to ensure a healthy society. For example, health promotion can be used to advocate for behavior change in the community leading to the adoption of healthy lifestyles. I also learned about the various institutions and agencies involved in healthcare delivery and their role in regulating the industry. This information is vital in understanding the regulations and the processes required to change some of the regulations for better practice. Ensuring human dignity is maintained for all patients has taught me that all human beings are made in God’s image and therefore deserve to be treated with respect. As a nurse, I should not judge the patient based on their situation, status, or other standards; instead, I should provide care and ensure that their dignity as human beings is maintained (Veet et al., 2020).
Population health concerns; I learn about the major health concerns in the community, such as hypertension and diabetes, which pose a considerable threat in the future. This concern also leads to other critical diseases such as stroke, kidney failure, and heart failure. Addressing these health concerns through health promotion and patient education as a nurse is necessary to curb their increase in the community. Role of technology in improving health care outcomes; use of technology in healthcare has increased rapidly over the past years. Technology has several applications, including patient data management, disease prediction and diagnosis, and monitoring of patients’ health, which improves health outcomes. Therefore, as a nurse, it is, therefore may role to research the best healthcare technology and integrate them into the care process to improve outcomes (Koivunen & Saranto, 2018).
Health policy; policies are essential in the regulation of the practice. They are set to ensure that the best care is provided to the patients and protect the care providers. I also learned about the role of nurses in the development of policies and how I can contribute to the development and changing policies to ensure better practice. Health disparities; I covered disparities existing in society. I also learned about the different community resources which can be used to overcome the identified disparities (Koivunen & Saranto, 2018). This information will be important in helping the communities to overcome the disparities and achieve optimal health. Leadership and economic models; I learned about the importance of nurse leadership and why it is necessary to develop leadership skills. As a nurse, it is essential to have leadership skills to get involved in decision-making processes at the executive level and serve as a guide for other nurses to improve the quality of care. Knowledge of economic models is vital in designing appropriate care procedures that are right for the community in which care is being provided. The course has thus changed my perception of nurses and their roles in the delivery of quality care (Lamb et l., 2018).
