Experience of an Undergraduate Student Nurse in Australian Hospital through the Gibbs Reflective Model - Personal Statement Example

Reflection of the experience I had as an undergraduate student nurse Introduction Reflective practice is an important process that enables one to not only reflect on a past experience but also gather information from the experience and thus learn from it. This enhances the capacity of the person to learn from the experience as well as handle similar situations that may occur in the future (Andre & Heartfield, 2011, p. 64). In this paper, I use the Gibbs reflective model as a framework to reflect on the experience that I had as a registered student nurse in one of the rural hospitals in Australia. The reflection is based on my personal philosophy that student nurses working in rural hospitals in Australia must be flexible enough to handle a wide variety of medical conditions that arise in the course of their practice. This is because of the shortage of specialised resources that is usually experienced within such settings as well as the need to gain valuable experience that may be useful later in their practice. Stage 1: Description It was my first year of practice as a student nurse in Australia before progressing to the next level in my training. I had been posted to a small country hospital in southern Australia. I was working as a member of a small team of professionals, most of whom were generally experienced in the field since they had worked as registered nurses for a considerable period of time. On my first day on duty, I found myself handling a completely complicated case about which I did not have prior experience. I was in the accident and emergency section when a middle aged man was brought in with severe chest pain. Although I had learnt a lot about such cases during my year in college, I must admit that the emergency case that I found myself handling that morning was completely new; nothing similar to the theoretical knowledge I had gathered during my training. Needless to say, our team had already been stretched to its limits due to the huge number of special cases pouring into the facility. Although my seniors were in charge, I had to play a key role in conducting the rapid primary assessment as well as the initial assessment of the patient’s condition. Throughout this process, I was asked to do a number of things which were hitherto new to me. After conducting subjective and objective assessment on the patient, I concluded that he was not showing features of ischiatic pain. It is then that it was decided that the doctor be consulted immediately. I was the one assigned the duty. However, the doctor on duty was very busy handling other cases that were of equal importance to the current one. I had to wait for some time before getting the audience of the doctor about my patient and finally getting him prepared for the theatre. It is then that I breathed a huge sigh of relief. However, since the patient had been wheeled into the hospital, I had been obliged to handle his case all on my own. With lack of prior experience about the situation and little exposure to such a case, I must admit that I had a rough time handling the case. Stage 2: Feelings The way the other members of the team conducted the process left me completely confused. Since I was a student nurse, I would have expected that the senior practitioners in my team would take the opportunity to explain to me a number of important aspects of the way they were handling the case. However, many of them did not bother to explain any of the complex tests and assessments that were being carried out. Furthermore, at one point, I was required to handle specific steps of the tests which I was not well prepared to handle. To say the least, the other members were less cooperative and expected me to learn on the job and do it pretty fast. Also, the fact that it took a long time for the doctor to respond to the case of the patient yet it was an emergency took a toll on me. Since the doctor was handling a number of equally important cases, he cannot be blamed. I think that the blame is on the entire healthcare system in the country. With the shortage of healthcare staff in general, such cases are common (National Health Workforce Taskforce, 2009, p. 45). Also, since this was a small hospital in rural Australia, the shortage of enough specialised equipment as well as other resources is a common phenomenon (Humphreys & Wakerman, 2010, p. 5). This was to blame for the delay. Stage 3: Evaluation First, my learning experience as a student nurse was undermined by the nature of the relationship I had with the registered nurses who were in the team I was in. It has been identified that it is important for student nurses to have a positive relationship with the registered nurses during their placement period (Levett-Jones & Lathlean, 2009, p. 347). This is because such a relationship enhances their capacity to learn and use the practical experience to build on the theoretical knowledge gathered in college (Nayda & Cheri, 2008, p. 5). However, in this case, since the registered nurses in the team did not allow me to ask questions but rather treated me as though I were a fully registered nurse, the opportunity to learn in a positive environment was hampered. This undermined the essence of the clinical placement which, according to Chang and Daly (2012), serves as a preparatory phase of training and is meant to provide an opportunity for applying the theoretical knowledge learned to an actual clinical experience. Second, my experience as a student nurse at the hospital undermined my sense of belongingness to the hospital. According to Levett-Jones, Lathlean, Higgins and McMillan (2010, p. 9), nursing students require time to be allowed to fully settle in a hospital environment. This process of transition requires support from the other registered staff working directly with the student. In my case, since I was completely new at the hospital, it would have been prudent for the staff to allow me time to familiarise with my surrounding and the culture of the hospital. Besides, since the emergency case that I faced was quite complicated, it would have been better if the nursing staff had used the opportunity to prepare me adequately and offered assistance in the course of the tests and decision-making process. On the other hand, I used the experience as a positive learning experience. Happell, Cowin, Roper and Cox (2013, p. 18) observe that since undergraduate registered nurses have the opportunity to work with highly experienced team members in a variety of situations, it is important that they learn from the experiences. Stage 4: Analysis In my opinion, I should have welcomed the experience with open arms and used it as a learning experience at the first instance rather than panicking. Although the members of my team were not as supportive in helping me make sense of the situation and learning from it in a comfortable environment, I should still have taken the initiative to learn from it in the first place. This is because many undergraduate registered nurses in Australia as well as the rest of the world report that their experiences in clinical practice at first were characterised by similar experiences (Doody, Tuohy & Deasy, 2012, p. 684). Although it is true that the case was handled relatively well, taking into consideration the resources that were available to the team, I still think that the case would have been handled in a much better way if there had been much cooperation and efficient response from the other specialists involved. This is especially true when one considers the issue of palliative care in particular, which requires a lot of collaboration; whether the case is an emergency or not (Mayer & Murphy, 2013, n.pag). Stage 5: Conclusion From the description of the event and analysis of how things were done, I can conclude that several issues were at play. The first one is the actual lack of sufficient personnel in many country hospitals in Australia. I think that this situation is affecting not only the overall services offered to patients but also the morale of the staff in such hospitals. The second one regards the way practising nurses treat student nurses in the course of training. Although it is always ignored, it is a fact that the way student nurses are treated during their attachment in hospitals determines their overall attitude towards their careers. Stage 6: Action Plan I would aim to use every experience that is new to me as an opportunity for learning. I would also seek to develop an attitude that helps me take the initiative in handling new medical cases during my practice. This will not only help me to manage my feelings during times of emergency cases but also enable me to cope effectively with the dynamics of working in a small country hospital in Australia. Conclusion From the points I have raised in this reflective essay, I can conclude that student nurses need to show a high level of flexibility and dynamism when practising in small country hospitals in Australia. This is because of the nature of healthcare in such hospitals which is characterised by shortages of resources. Also, the need to be flexible is created by the way registered nurses treat student nurses. With many patients requiring specialised treatment, student nurses are called upon to handle a wide variety of cases well beyond what they had envisioned before. References Andre, K. & Heartfield, M. (2011). Nursing and midwifery portfolios: Evidence of continuing competence. Melbourne: Elsevier. Chang, E. & Daly, J. (2012). Transitions in nursing: Preparing for professional practice. Sydney: Elsevier. Doody, O., Tuohy, D. & Deasy, C. (2012). Final-year student nurses’ perceptions of role transition. British Journal of Nursing, 21(11), 684-688. Happell, B., Cowin, L., Roper, C. & Cox, L. (2013). Introducing mental health nursing: A service user-oriented approach. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Humphreys, J. & Wakerman, J. (2010). Primary healthcare in rural and remote Australia: achieving equity of access and outcomes through national reforms. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCoQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.health.gov.au%2Finternet%2Fnhhrc%2Fpublishing.nsf%2FContent%2FBA7D3EF4EC7A1F2BCA25755B001817EC%2F%24File%2FCHAPTER%25209.pdf&ei=iTHiU9jSLom70QX19oDIAg&usg=AFQjCNH1Pj-HdHZPG34E0OztrrMvFmnETQ&sig2=IFcJEhqVZ_6_lBfllvMjSw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.bGE Levett-Jones, T & Lathlean, J (2009). Don’t rock the boat: Nursing students’ experiences of conformity and compliance. Nurse Education Today, 29, 342-349. Levett-Jones, T., Lathlean, J., Higgins, I. &McMillan, M. (2010). The duration of clinical placements: A key influence on nursing students’ experience of belongingness’, Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(2), 1-9. Mayer, D., M. D. & Murphy, R. (2013). Palliative care at the end of life: A rural family perspective. In, C. A. Winters (Ed), Rural nursing: Concepts, theory and practice, Chapter 8. New York: Springer. National Health Workforce Taskforce (2009). Health workforce in Australia and factors for current shortages. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CBwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahwo.gov.au%2Fdocuments%2FNHWT%2FThe%2520health%2520workforce%2520in%2520Australia%2520and%2520factors%2520influencing%2520current%2520shortages.pdf&ei=rx7iU7SGOqPT7AbzkYCgAg&usg=AFQjCNEJyfxig8UIzOOH7CILkvrFhpbDsA&sig2=BzSKrUSWJVSeceFza3hbgw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.bGE Nayda, R. & Cheri, J. (2009). From enrolled nurse to registered nurse in the rural setting: the graduate nurse experience. The International Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health Research, Education, Practice and Policy (Online). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=books&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CBwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rrh.org.au%2Fpublishedarticles%2Farticle_print_900.pdf&ei=RiXiU7vnHJOW0QW50IG4CA&usg=AFQjCNGbfCYS-BQimh2YMl-tiO7wa5f8dg&sig2=X5ODkguqlXb8C_RLxorx5g&bvm=bv.72197243,d.bGE Read More