Professional Goals in Nursing - Essay Example

            The day provided an opportunity to learn a lot of things. For example, I learned how to administer blood to a patient, which is one of the objectives of the course. This process involves a lot of due diligence. The blood must be tested and proved to be negative for HIV/AIDS. Besides, it must be compatible with the blood group of the patient. This is so serious that two nurses have to check it before it is administered. In addition, a nurse has to stay with the patient in the first one hour after the procedure. The nurse has to check the vitals of the patient every 15 minutes in the first thirty minutes and then 30 minutes afterward.

            The high point of my day was doing a successful blood draw. I was very excited because I had tried doing the same a couple of weeks ago without any success. However, my excitement was cut short when the instructor alerted me to a document because I had forgotten to fill my chart on lung assessment. This disturbed me since it was the third time I had forgotten to do the same within the last few weeks. Moreover, one of the objectives of the course is to develop nurses who know how to chart procedures. As a result, I was forced to examine myself so as to unearth the reason behind this worrying trend. I realized that I was getting caught up in trying to learn different things as much as possible when I am on the floor. This is because I only have one clinical day in a week and feel that I should observe all the procedures being performed.

            In addition, I believe that I should try as many of them as possible. Inevitably, my zeal to do it all involves an opportunity cost in forgetting to do some documentation. Consequently, I will restrict myself to observing and trying just enough procedures to ensure that I am not only learning new things but that I am also fulfilling all my responsibilities.

            All the patients received great care from a team of qualified and dedicated healthcare professionals. However, the hospital should introduce a communication program to enhance the communication process between nurses and their patients. Also,  I have to care for anxious and sometimes demanding patients and families. My patient and caring nature enables me to perform my duties in a professional and cheerful manner.

            Furthermore, an encounter with a middle-aged woman altered my world view on plastic surgery. As a person, I have always scorned the idea of using plastic surgery to enhance our beauty. However, this patient talked to me about the low self-esteem she had before and how this procedure had improved herself-image and confidence.  This enabled me to understand the impact it had on the lives of some people.

            The next professional goal is to internalize the charting process. This is because it is the most important that a nurse should learn. In order to achieve this goal, I will ensure that I chart each procedure that I observe and participate in. In addition, I will my instructor to teach me how to do it efficiently.