Name
Capella University
NURS_FPX6030
Instructor’s Name
October 7th, 2024
Practicum Overview
The practicum is a connecting link between the book knowledge and clinical practice, where students get a chance to implement their learned knowledge in clinical facilities offering health care. In the context of Assessment 2, this experience places the students directly in and around healthcare delivery facilities such as the hospital, clinic, or specialized centers in which they will be assigned to work under tutors or mentors. This type of exposure helps students to gain critical thinking and clinical reasoning that will aid the student in making sound decision making in his or her patient.
For instance, an article by Jafri et al. (2022) emphasize on prospects of clinical internships for nursing students and the way these experiences assist the students once they move from experiential learning to learning in a practical field. This research shows that clinical internships enhance the clinical competence of students and help increase student confidence in the delivery of patient care. In my practicum, I found out that caring for overweight autistic teenagers has other challenges that are not found when dealing with normal teenagers. The blend of theoretical knowledge with practical skills gave me useful information about the patient care organization with a focus on the specifics of patients’ needs and behaviors when managing healthcare facilities for vulnerable populations.
Reflection on Practicum Experience
It can be assumed that through the practicum I obtained a broad understanding of the issues that overweight autistic teenagers have. I had to deal with the medical and psychological aspects of their treatment, and it was so stimulating to try to find a prompt way of thinking. Thus, most probably, addressing both obesity and autism challenges simultaneously must be viewed as one more area to consider cooperation with the necessary healthcare professionals as crucial for managing the mentioned problems. These challenges would have availed self and professional development chances.
In a study by Gattermann (2020), the author evidenced that process integration across various fields is essential for the enhancement of patient care mainly in cases that seem difficult at first sight. This has implications for my practicum experience because a specialized healthcare team would have helped in the management of my patients. Through evidence-based practices and collaboration, I likely gained a better understanding of how to deliver tailored care to overweight autistic teenagers, ensuring their unique needs were met.
Preceptor’s Role as a Mentor and Supervisor
My preceptor would have been very involved in my practicum by providing mentorship and supervising my practicum process. My preceptor ensured I was fully oriented and supported throughout to help me handle the complexities of the healthcare facility and equally handle difficult cases. Not only I were trained in my professional craft but I was also empowered to manage patients by myself.
A study by (Amod et al., 2023) underscores the importance of mentorship in nursing; the study observes that positive preceptor-student relations foster enhanced leadership skills in the students. When coordinating therapy sessions and supervising overweight autistic teenagers under my preceptor’s supervision, I probably gained crucial leadership competencies. This form of mentorship equipped me so well for similar future supervisory roles where I could also develop the quality of a mentor.
Goals and Objectives of Practicum Experience
If my practicum was in a clinical setting, I might have had the broad objective of enhancing the more positive treatment outcomes for overweight teenagers diagnosed with autism. This was done by developing care plans that focused on their health and their behavior too. Key objectives likely included:
- Formulating personal care procedures that may help address specific health problems associated with obesity and autism.
- Improving my behavioral skills for managing patient’s cooperation and changing their behavior to a healthier one.
- Referral for nutritional counseling and need to incorporate into their diet as well as other lifestyle changes.
Strategies for individual patient care and behavior change in children with special needs must be adopted and followed as pointed out by (Schuman et al., 2024). It probably was an example in my practicum practice as I sought to design and deliver care approaches that touched on both physical health promotion and behavior change for overweight autistic teenagers.
Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Professionalism
Integrated working is a crucial component of the healthcare sector, more so in a patient with medical and psycho-social disorders. Throughout my practicum, I have probably worked in a team with physicians, dietitians, psychologists, and nurses to provide comprehensive care. Openness, organization, and commitment were important to making sure patient needs were met accordingly.
According to (Ghanmi et al., 2024), there is a need to adopt teamwork where different practitioners turn into associations to offer consistent patient care. My interaction skills would have been useful in managing various healthcare givers to meet the multiple needs of overweight teenagers with autism. Adhering to professionalism regarding the patient’s interest, especially in delicate situations made patient-centeredness the most important thing.
Leadership and Management Skills Development
This practicum afforded me chances to develop leadership and management skills as a teacher. When assuming tasks like scheduling and supervising the therapy and the patients, familiarizing myself with the healthcare center’s functioning including following the legal requirements and striving for higher quality, I may have developed my leadership skills. Well, these would have provided me with all the confidence and the practical skills to lead and enhance the care of the patients.
On the topic of leadership in healthcare specifically in the management of patients with multiple health issues Cummings et al (2021) explain the usefulness of leadership in healthcare. As I am exercising leadership during my practicum, I can understand how I can impact change in care delivery and patients. These skills will also be valuable in the future as I advance into other higher levels of nursing.
Research and Evidence-Based Practice
An important part of my practicum experience could have implied the need to conduct studies and use best practices to advance patient care. It is quite probable that reviewing the findings of recent publications, analyzing clinical data, and using interventions that were identified by the authors of the publications interfered with creating the conception of therapy for overweight autistic teenagers. This approach not only helped me develop my clinical competence but also my capacity to practice based on evidence.
According to Meng et al (2022), when health education and evidence-based interventions are incorporated into diabetes management, the patient’s condition is noted to get better. Likewise perhaps in my practicum, I may have been formulating individualized patient treatment plans based on the best and current research work for my overall patients’ benefit. The understanding of various constituents of research during the process of my practicum would have assisted me in providing proper pertinent decision-making as well as enhancing the clients’ care.
Completion of Hours
Completing the required practicum hours involved participating in a range of activities, such as collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, managing patient data using electronic health records, and contributing to the development of individualized care plans. These course experiences supported not only the practicum in detail but also gave me an essential practical experience that could be useful later in my nursing practice. It was a great advantage that during the whole practicum, my involvement as a direct caregiver and in administrative functions reinforced my acquired clinical competencies. Through interacting with patients, dealing with data, and being involved in planning for caring I expanded my capacity to work in complex healthcare. The accomplishment of these hours is a feat that signifies my effectiveness as a healthcare professional who has applied academic learning together with clinical skills in a specialized care arena.
NURS FPX 6025 Assessment 2 References
Amod, H., & Mkhize, S. W. (2023). Supporting midwifery students during clinical practice: Results of a systematic scoping review. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 12, e36380.https://www.i-jmr.org/2023/1/e36380
Cummings, G. G., Lee, S., Tate, K., Penconek, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., Paananen, T., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2021). The essentials of nursing leadership: A systematic review of factors and educational interventions influencing nursing leadership. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 115, 103842.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0020748920303333?via%3Dihub
Gattermann J. (2020). Ethics, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration law.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00761-020-00831-5
Ghanmi, N., Bondok, M., Etherington, C., Saddiki, Y., Lefebvre, I., Berthelot, P., Dion, P. M., Raymond, B., Seguin, J., Sekhavati, P., Islam, S., & Boet, S. (2024). Optimizing teamwork in the operating room: A scoping review of actionable teamwork strategies. Cureus, 16(5), e60522.https://www.cureus.com/articles/251970-optimizing-teamwork-in-the-operating-room-a-scoping-review-of-actionable-teamwork-strategies#!/
Jafri, S. M., Vitous, C. A., & Suwanabol, P. A. (2022). Palliative care education in surgery. Annals of Palliative Medicine, 11(2), 871–884. https://apm.amegroups.org/article/view/71120/html
Meng, J., Du, J., Diao, X., & Zou, Y. (2022). Effects of an evidence-based nursing intervention on prevention of anxiety and depression in the postpartum period. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 38(3), 435–442.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smi.3104
Schuman, Z., Trombka, M., Lovas, D. A., Brewer, J. A., Vago, D. R., Gawande, R., Dunne, J. P., Lazar, S. W., Loucks, E. B., & Fulwiler, C. (2020). Mindfulness and behavior change. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 28(6), 371–394.https://journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/fulltext/2020/11000/mindfulness_and_behavior_change.3.aspx
