Nursing

Reflect on the 3 most challenging patient encounters and discuss what was most challenging for each.

What did you learn from this experience?
What resources did you have available?
What evidence-based practice did you use for this patient?
What new skills are you learning?
What would you do differently?
How are you managing patient flow and volume?
Communicating and Feedback
Ask yourself the following self-reflective questions:

How might I improve on my skills and knowledge, and how do I communicate that back to my Preceptor?
How am I doing? What is missing?
What type of feedback am I receiving from my Preceptor?

INFORMATION
CHALLENGING PART WAS SEEING PATIENTS WHOS NOT SPEAKING ENGLISH AS PRIMARY LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT BELIEFS FOR FAMILY PLANNING

I DID MY ROTATION WITH GYN DOCTOR I SAW A LOT OF PATIENTS FOR PAP SMEAR, FAMILY PLANNING AND WOMENS HEALTH ISSUE

ANSWER

Communication in Nursing

As a student nurse, one learns that nursing has a lot of challenges. Some of the challenges I faced during my rotation included being faced with patients who do not believe in family planning, and also, there was a problem of language barrier where I was faced with patients who do not speak English as their primary language. The essence of the rotation was to learn lessons from actual practice, and therefore, some of the lessons I learned during my rotation is that sometimes Google translate is helpful. As a nurse communicating with a patient is integral to providing quality care (Ali & Watson, 2018). The first lesson I learned was about the importance of communication. Most patients are already feeling vulnerable, and therefore I learned that making them feel at ease helped open up to me. Using simple English helped us communicate better even with the language barrier between us.  I learned that despite the Google translate not being accurate. It enables the patient to feel more comfortable and helps me provide better and compassionate care for the patient as the nurse.

There is evidence-based practice on breaking the language barrier between the patient and the nurse. As a GYN rotation nurse, I needed to communicate clearly with my patient. According to Milligan & Davies (2013), healthcare professionals need to create a language identification tool to ensure effective communication for their patients (Pérez-Stable & El-Toukhy, 2018). In this case, I used Google translate and also involved trusted family members who could effectively communicate to ensure that the patient got the best care available. Another thing I learned is that cultural sensitivity goes a long way in gaining the trust of the patients. Therefore, using simple sentences and communicating in the patient’s native language easily got them to trust me.

I also faced challenges with patients who risk losing their lives but still insisted on not using family planning methods. I empathized with them but tried to convince them that family planning does it mess with their spiritual lives or physical lives and that it would save their lives (Pinter et al., 2016). I ensured that I was convincing and made sure I was not too involved in the patient’s life to the extent they felt like I was intruding. After the rotation, I am learning new languages to ensure that I efficiently communicate with my patients. I have also started attending psychology classes because I need to understand my patients psychologically and understand their decisions.

One of the things I would do differently is improving communication with my patients. I believe communication is key to ensuring that every patient receives quality care, and I felt like I did not communicate effectively with my patients.  What I got from my perceptor is that I have a lot of potential, especially when it comes to communicating with patients because I got many of them to change their minds on family planning. I, however, got from them that I could learn multiple languages to help my patients and that I could also work on my empathy. I learned that patients are more open with nurses who identify with them and that I needed to identify with them more. This primarily applies to women I dealt with and those who do not believe in family planning.

References

Ali, P. A., & Watson, R. (2018). Language barriers and their impact on provision of care to patients with limited English proficiency: Nurses’ perspectives. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(5-6), e1152-e1160.

Davies, C., & Milligan, F. (2013). Development of a language identification tool. Nursing Standard, 27(35).

Pérez-Stable, E. J., & El-Toukhy, S. (2018). Communicating with diverse patients: how patient and clinician factors affect disparities. Patient education and counseling, 101(12), 2186-2194.

Pinter, B., Hakim, M., Seidman, D. S., Kubba, A., Kishen, M., & Di Carlo, C. (2016). Religion and family planning. The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 21(6), 486-495.