Practicum Experience Time Log and Journal, Essay Example

In the modern era, healthcare practice represents new challenges for nurses to provide high quality care and treatment in order to promote recovery and wellbeing for patients. A significant component of this process is the ability of patients to administer self-care to preserve their quality of life. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory supports improved quality of care, using key nursing principles in order to achieve effective patient outcomes, including self-care in the health and development domains (Current Nursing, 2012). Nurses must demonstrate the impact of these domains in enabling patients to achieve greater quality of life and wellbeing.

Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory

Orem’s Theory of Self-Care represents several domains, including the following: 1) Self-care, which supports individual care to promote greater health and wellbeing; 2) Self-care agency, which supports the human ability to perform self-care activities, based upon age, the surrounding environment, life experience, and the availability of resources; 3) Therapeutic self-care demand, which is comprised of specific methods that are commonly used to achieve the desired results; and 4) Self-care requisites, which support actions that are specifically designed to improve self-care outcomes (Current Nursing, 2012). Universal self-care requisites embody many of the basic needs of daily living, such as food, air, and water, in addition to hazard prevention and routine body functioning (Current Nursing, 2012). Self-care also includes seeking medical attention when necessary, as well as assisting others who cannot care for themselves, perhaps through nursing intervention (Current Nursing, 2012). Self-care also engages individuals with a specific care plan for which they are responsible for executing (Current Nursing, 2012). These factors support self-care in other practical ways, such as the treatment of asthma in adolescent youth (Altay and Cavusoglu, 2013), and the treatment of chronic illness (Riegel et.al, 2012). Orem’s theory supports the ability of individuals to manage self-care characteristics that will have a positive influence on patient outcomes.

Practicum Goals and Objectives

1. I will develop strategies to discuss with my preceptor regarding Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Model to enable patients to administer their own self-care activities in the home environment.
2. I will work with my preceptor to develop my skills in addressing differential diagnoses for patients whom I observe in the clinical environment.
3. I will consider different methods of symptom management for patients whom I observe in order to identify the best possible treatment to alleviate these symptoms effectively.
4.  I will conduct a physical examination on at least one patient under the direct observation of my preceptor in order to obtain an accurate assessment of my current skills and techniques.
5. I will identify areas where Orem’s Self-Care Model might be effective, including enabling patients to recognize health concerns and to obtain clinical guidance in a timely manner, using individual education and guidance in this process.
6. I will acquire new and practical forms of knowledge that will support my clinical practicum experience, including evidence-based practice solutions to common problems, and will discuss these with my preceptor.
7. I will seek to improve my level of cultural competence in order to work with patients from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

Week 1 Journal Entry

My first week of clinical experiences was enlightening and provided me with an opportunity to address some of the challenges that I will face in the coming weeks. I met with my preceptor to discuss preliminary objectives, and she encouraged me to consider my future peers, including their ages and levels of experience, in order to obtain a well-rounded approach to communication that will encourage improved patient care and related outcomes (Propp et.al, 2010). My preceptor encouraged me to develop a strong rapport with my colleagues in order to identify mutual goals and objectives and to recognize the importance of communication across different age groups and experience levels (Propp et.al, 2010). I believe that these efforts will enable me to establish positive approaches to working with nurses and patients on many different levels (Propp et.al, 2010).

Conclusion

The clinical practicum experience provides many lessons to apply to future settings and experiences. It is important to identify some of the critical factors that represent a means of shaping patient outcomes in a favorable manner, using nursing knowledge and experience as a guide. These concerns support my ongoing growth and development in such a way that I will acquire important skills, knowledge, and practical decision-making abilities in order to improve my nursing capabilities. The practicum experience also supports the exploration of different nursing theories, including Orem’s Self-Care Theory, as a means of engaging patients in their care so that they are able to care for themselves effectively in the home environment. There are critical factors to consider in supporting enhanced communication to improve patient care quality and to also improve nurse-nurse relationships. These factors are indicative of a positive set of experiences that support and engage students in the most important aspects of nursing care and treatment for various population groups. The efforts made by nurses to engage patients and to stimulate self-care behaviors requires an effective understanding of the issues that are most relevant in their lives that may limit self-care. It is important to address these factors and to consider other possibilities in an effort to produce effective outcomes for patients, given their quality of life and the potential for improvement.

References

Altay, N., & Çavu?o?lu, H. (2013). Using Orem’s self?care model for asthmatic adolescents.

Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 18(3), 233-242.

Current Nursing (2012). Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory. Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/self_care_deficit_theory.html

Propp, K. M., Apker, J., Ford, W. S. Z., Wallace, N., Serbenski, M., & Hofmeister, N. (2010).

Meeting the complex needs of the health care team: identification of nurse—team communication practices perceived to enhance patient outcomes. Qualitative Health Research, 20(1), 15-28.

Riegel, B., Jaarsma, T., & Strömberg, A. (2012). A middle-range theory of self-care of chronic illness. Advances in Nursing Science, 35(3), 194-204.