Topic > ICU Experience

IndexTransitionEthicsCommunicationCritical ThinkingVocationWorks CitedIt is the requirement and hope of all universities and life in general that a nursing student moves forward; from nursing student to nurse in practice. A process that can be defined as transitional. You need to develop various skills and experiences. One of the required lessons is practical experience working in the Intensive Care Unit. Students are expected to acquire essential critical care skills and knowledge. They are exposed to the roles of intensive care nurses. I had the opportunity to practice intensive care nursing. This article is the description of my experience. It includes transition, ethics, care, health promotion, communication, standards of practice, critical thinking, vocation and implications in various areas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Transition The transition from being a student nurse to practicing in the field is stressful, especially in the intensive care unit. Sometimes, when my tutor questioned me, I felt as if I had forgotten everything. Throughout my experience, at different times, it was overwhelming to put into practice everything I had learned and be able to understand why I was doing it. However, the more I worked and the more my preceptor and those around me taught me, the easier my job became. For the future and for the transition into my role as a nurse, I like to think of a quote I heard when I was in high school “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is courage that counts”. (Winston Churchill). I think of this quote because sometimes the transition from student nurse to practicing nurse seems overwhelming and scary. However, I need to know that anyone who has gone from student nurse to practicing nurse has made mistakes, doesn't know everything, and will always continue to learn. I read in an article that they gave some excellent ideas on how to solve problems during the transition. Assess the problem, identify what is holding you back, identify stressors, use effective communication, respect personal space, look at both sides of the problem, and develop a positive action plan. (Hunt, 2016). The other method I would use involves seven steps. Below are the steps:I. Identification of problems II. Understanding the interests of stakeholders (stakeholders)III. Write down possible options or solutionsIV. Option ValuationsV. Selection of the best optionsVI. Document the agreementVII. Establish contingency agreements, monitoring and evaluation. The process was very constructive in making decisions. However I always consulted my team (Hicks, n.d.). Ethics When I think about ethics and nursing, I think about nonmaleficence, beneficence, faithfulness, justice, and autonomy. These are some of the first principles we talked about when we entered the nursing program. I think they are fundamental to ethics and nursing because they protect the patient and are fundamental concepts in nursing. These concepts are “do no harm,” be good, be honest, follow through on your commitment, and have respect for the patient. Many ethical conflicts occur in the ICU. There are often ethical dilemmas. Some of the ethical issues I encountered included end-of-life care issues and verbal abuse. According to the ANA code of ethics, patient autonomy must always be respected. Patients have the right to decide how they want to be treated (Kim, 2015). Some of theThe most difficult moments were when I saw ethics come into play more than any other moment. For example, when patients' families decide to entrust their loved one to comfort care and let him or her go peacefully. When you talk to the family about this option, you can see that some members didn't necessarily want it, saying "give up," but they also see that sometimes that's what the patient wanted instead of staying on the machines for a while. prolonged period. I think that ethical questions will always arise for my future in nursing. However, I must remember that my job is to advocate for and respect my patient's wishes, whether I agree with them or not, that's not why I'm there. I also think that, if possible, I would like to learn more about working in palliative care, so that I can better educate myself and understand myself all that it entails. Especially in this area, I plan to continue working in critical care, whether it be for children or adults. Caring is one of the foundations of all nursing; both for patients and for themselves. A good nurse should have a caring nature among other qualities. One thing I have learned from my practice is that the best nurses genuinely and sincerely care for their patients. In intensive care, comforting and supporting patients is very important. Patients are vulnerable and afraid of many things, but especially death. Deaths are frequent in intensive care. The patient must receive support and find a friend from the person who takes care of him. I always made sure to create a bond with the patients I cared for. I was able to learn about patients' fears and be able to support them. I thought it was an easy task, but from experience I realized that having a person to trust is not an easy task. However, I am well prepared for the future. I believe that nurses play a very important role in promoting health. As nurses, by teaching our patients about evidence-based research, communicating the best information available, we can help our patients and their families lead healthier lives. Who knows in the future where I will be for sure, but the great thing about breastfeeding is that you can do so much. I could promote health promotion in education, practice or even research. Communication Communication in intensive care involves both verbal and nonverbal expression. A nurse must be able to tailor messages so that they are clear. Message delivery should involve both verbal and nonverbal cues. Better expression of concepts and ideas using body language, facial expressions and gestures is a very important skill (Comprehensive Integrated Clinical and Communication Skills Approach for Patient Interviews and OSCE Examinations, n.d.). Communication in the intensive care unit can sometimes be difficult as many patients are intubated. However, it is still very important to talk to patients and let them know what you are doing or what you will do next. Because you don't know if they can hear you and if they can they are prepared for what's about to happen. Communication with the patient's family is also very important to ease their anxiety and help them understand what is happening. For patients who have communication problems, the use of pictures, symbols and icons has been of great help. A skill I learned in practice (a skill I will always have) is calming difficult patients. Encounters with difficult patients and family members are very common. Calming and soothing them is very difficult but crucial for effective communication. When I think about the standards of/