Thus far, I have only had one day of patient care interaction since my instructor was ill this past week for clinical. However, I had a very beneficial experience during the third week. I was able to meet and communicate with other healthcare professionals in the unit. My biggest communication challenge so far has been attributed to my nerves. It took me a full day to feel comfortable interacting with patients and other healthcare providers. Clinical rotation is a huge adjustment that takes some time to get used to. I would classify this as a challenge or barrier because my nerves may have been apparent to my patient since it was my first day. Ultimately, this would have affected the quality of care that the patient was receiving. It is important for nurses to be confident in their care so that they can earn a patient’s trust. I spoke in a professional manner and made sure to ask my patient if there was anything I could assist her with and I checked in on how she was feeling numerous times. I also made sure to note any nonverbal communication that may have differed from the patient’s words. I can overcome my clinical anxiety with more patient interaction. I plan on spending extra time with patients to better understand how to be a patient advocate. In addition, I can improve on my listening skills when talking to patients and their families. It would also be beneficial to observe how other healthcare professionals interact with patients.
Throughout the day, I interacted with nurses and a PCA. It was important to ask questions when there was any uncertainty or an educational opportunity. I communicated with the PCA that I was going to take my patient’s vitals at 1100. By doing this, the PCA knew that the patient’s vitals were going to be reported. I consider this a success since I made sure to communicate the care that was going to be provided. If I did not communicate with the PCA, then the patient’s vitals may have been unnecessarily taken twice and the patient may lose our trust. It is critical to communicate with the health care team when providing care.