I have made multiple discoveries about my professional practice by completing this course. The first discovery is about effective communication with my patients. I have realized that I have grown in confidence and knowledge to offer culturally competent health education and convey discharge instructions to patients. I can attribute this to the cultural competence and clinical communication skills I have acquired over the past two years.
The second discovery is my improved skills in holistic care. I was able to care for diverse patients, including non-English speakers. I applied technology to engage them and address the communication barriers, resulting in improved satisfaction during their hospital stay. Patient involvement in the treatment process is the foundation of quality patient-centered care (Meehan, 2012).
My third discovery relates to interprofessional collaboration. I consider professionalism is an important value in my practice. However, initially, I experienced challenges working with some members of our team, especially with regard to clinical communication. Following this experience, I gained skills on interpersonal communication that will enable me to collaborate effectively with other professionals in clinical decisions to deliver quality patient care.
My awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses has grown throughout this course. One of my strengths that surfaced through reflection journals is reflective practice. I proactively sought evidence and support from senior nurses to assess clinical problems, learn from personal experiences, and recommend interventions. Through critical reasoning, I will be able to offer evidence-based care, become a lifelong learner, and make proactive attempts to learn from the situation for years to come (Meehan, 2012). My strengths also lie in cultural competence skills, use of health informatics in communication and disease surveillance, effective time management, and teamwork when caring for patients with complex needs. I have also gained experience in patient teaching and effective clinical communication through shift-to-shift reporting.
The course also gave me an opportunity to reflect upon my weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. I found it difficult communicating with members when in the spotlight due to the feelings of inadequacy in my skill level. To improve self-confidence in skills, I often engage my colleagues in professional socialization. My other challenges include the inability to determine medications and use most equipment. However, this semester, I have had great experiences administering medications safely and competently. I believe my skills in patient assessment and triaging have increased greatly.
Multiple resources and abilities are necessary to influence the outcomes of clinical situations. The idea of reflective practice is a hallmark of the nursing profession. Learning from previous experiences and professional collaboration can help overcome the identified weaknesses of self-confidence, medication/equipment use, and communication. In addition, I can apply my strengths in addressing complex patient needs. Informational resources, including journal articles and publications, can be utilized to support evidence-based care and update my professional skills. Using these resources and personal strengths, I will develop confidence in my skills, abilities, and experiences to achieve optimal outcomes in a clinical situation.
To achieve the competencies stated at the beginning of the course, I have completed research papers and assignments on various topics. I have had an opportunity to read and synthesize scholarly literature, which constitute a hallmark of evidence-based care. Through the practicum project component of the course, I have been able to apply research evidence in my practice – nurse collaboration. Through the practicum experience, I have been equipped with skills in interprofesional collaboration and the development and implementation of quality initiatives to improve specific unit-level outcomes (Meehan, 2012). I also realize that the practice of holistic care can be achieved through reflective practice, the provision of culturally competent care, and patient involvement in care. I intend to embrace these concepts throughout my professional career.