Researching about the Topic
I was a little bit surprised to see that cases where mentally ill patients suffer from different medical conditions do exist. Instead of just being surprised and doing nothing, I think I was even more inspired to know more about the different aspects of professional nursing practice.
We were tasked to prepare a presentation with a complicated and compound nursing patient’s case on the background. At first I was kind of puzzled as to how we can sort things out, and be able to prepare a valuable presentation backed by reference books and scholarly and peer-reviewed journals. But we were able to come up with the decision to use the different nursing theories that are applicable to the case and an evidence-based research approach.
The process of finding reference books went quite easy. The whole team read thick book chapters about the cultural and professional aspect of the nursing practice. The difficult part came when we started to look for similar recorded cases wherein there’s a mentally ill patient suffering from a painful medical condition. There we discovered that such cases were not really uncommon because just like normal people, mentally ill patients are also bound to be ill and visit hospitals to seek medical attention (Fink, 2009).
Learning Experiences
I learned a lot of things, thanks to the complex nature of our case. At first, I did not really expect that such cases could easily be approached in a simply yet very organized and composed manner. I learned that nursing isn’t just about delivering the right type and amount of healthcare service to the patient; it actually comes with a lot of considerations (Miller, 2006). I learned that for a nurse to exercise his knowledge and practical expertise, he has to deal with the other aspects such as the cultural, professional and ethical aspects of nursing first.
How will you use this knowledge in your future practice?
I strongly believe that I can use the knowledge I was able to attain from the assignment in almost any part of my future practice. Now I know how where I should stand as a medical professional. I ought to be respected the same way I pay respect to the patients. Should I take the clinical path of nursing, I can surely use my knowledge about the cultural and professional aspects of nursing in giving medical care to my patients. I will surely be able to minimize unusual and awkward situations between me and my future patients. Should I take the academic path of nursing, I will surely be able to teach my patients something useful that they can also use in their future practice.
Linkage to Theory of Above Reflections
I would like to emphasize on the theory that describes how a holistic nursing care should be. I can see that the nursing practice is not just all about medical knowledge and expertise. The holistic nursing care theory actually tells that a nurse has to know how to deal with his patients physically, spiritually, mentally and culturally & religiously (Ferry, 2006).
Linkage to a Graduate Attribute
One graduate attribute that I can link to our presentation is a nurse’s being able to see things from his patients’ point of view. Surely, if a nurse can see things from a patient’s point of view, conflicts and misunderstandings between a nurse and a patient in a hospital or clinical setting will be greatly minimized. The nurse will be able to sense the possible needs and preferences of his patient even at first glance (King, 2001). Personally, I would want to be able to acquire such skill or attribute in the future because I think it would really boost my confidence and my way of handling patients.
Works Cited
Fink, S. (2009). The deadly choices at memorial. Accessed April 2012.
Miller, J. (2006). Opportunities and obstacles for good work in nursing. Journal of Nursing Ethics.
King, G. (2001). Perceptions of International wrongdoing and peer reporting behavior among registered nurses. Journal of business ethics.
Ferri, R. (2006). Nurses and the media: The center for nursing advocacy. Journal of Nursing Practice.
