ICU Clinical Experience

I feel so proud and yet so humbled to be a nurse. Helping a post-operative surgical patient regain the strength to walk brings me immense satisfaction. Collaborating with physicians to advocate on behalf of unstable patients makes me feel like a valued part of a team. Consoling tearful, discouraged patients can be gut-wrenching, but it teaches me the power of empathy. Making a real, tangible difference in my patients’ lives is what drives me toward this next phase in my career.

Having to deal with difficult situations and people is a daily task in the nursing profession. As Crystal said, never let them know that you are affected (Noah). Hospitalization is not normally a shining moment in someone’s life, it is normally a low point. Because of this, having compassion for the people that you are serving on a daily basis is a key factor in being successful as a nurse, as well as being rewarded from the people that you are treating.

There have been many studies documented in the literature regarding the reduction of CLABSIs. The majority of the studies have reported statistically significant decreases in CLABSI rates post-implementation of a quality improvement initiative (O‟Grady et al., 2011). Some studies used approaches in which multiple strategies have been implemented together to improve compliance with the use of evidence-based guidelines. A seminal study conducted by Pronovost et al. (2006), known as the Keystone ICU project, included a collaborative cohort of 108 ICUs within the state of Michigan. The strategies in this study included the use of five evidence-based bloodstream infection prevention practices for CVC insertions, use of a checklist to ensure adherence

My Story: Today, was an awesome, extremely busy clinical day; I absolutely loved it. I saw five total patients. The first patient that I saw was with Laura, this patient was diagnosed yesterday, 2/7, with cirrhosis of the liver and HEP C. The patient’s chart says he has a history of anxiety, however, the patient stated that his anxiety started when he was told in the ER on 1/25 that he could have cirrhosis of the liver (more information in part D and E). This patient was very interesting, and I was amazing by how much he was going through; I felt bad for him. I did vital signs and my part D and E with this patient, and built a therapeutic relationship with this individual. I completed my part D and E on my first patient, due to not knowing if other patients were going to cancel because of the snow, as well as I didn’t know what patients I could see because the NP, Tanya wasn’t in the office in the morning. At the end of the visit, the patient asked me if I would be coming back again. This made me feel good, because I knew listening and being there as support for this patient helped him. The rest of the day I followed the

During my shadowing experiences at UAB Hospital, one particular event was prominent in my decision to pursue a career in nursing. While in the emergency department, a suicidal patient, a quadriplegic who lost her limbs due to a spinal cord injury, was brought in for her second visit. This experience caused me to tap into my ability to stay calm and reassuring during an emergent situation, and it reminded me of my father, who lost two of his limbs in a train accident. My father’s accident in itself taught me strength and courage because he, like the patient, occasionally feels forlorn, which leads to suicidal thoughts. Watching the nurses care for my father made me realize that a nurse must be perceptive and knowledgeable about their patient’s

ICU patients suffer from a broad range of pathologies, requiring MV, sedation and use of multiples devices, which do not allow patients to protect their airway (Augustyn. 2007; Kollef. 2004).

It was a very busy night on M10, call bells ringing non-stop for pain medication, or toileting needs, IV pumps alarming, concerned family members coming to the nursing station, numerous patient admissions from urgent care and PACU. I received nursing handoff on all my patients from the day shift, gave handoff to my patient care technicians, and we had our nightly nursing huddle in the station. After hearing everyones concerns about their high risk patients, I wanted to get out on the floor as early as possible to complete my assessments, and administer my medications to leave time for the many uncertainties that my gut instinct warned me would occur. I was able to finish all my patient assessments, and pass my medications earlier than usual, and when this occurs, I always do my best to help my co-workers if they have fallen behind. I went around asking everyone if they needed assistance, and indeed one of my fellow RN’s needed help moving one of my former patients closer to the station, because she had been hypotensive. I greeted Ms. T and her face lit up like a Christmas tree, I asked her how she was feeling and the smile she had on her face immediately turned into a grimace. I assured her, that we would do our best to make her more comfortable once we settled into the new room.

For as long as I can remember, or since the first time I met a nurse, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I have always held a great deal of respect for those who care for others in their time of need, and sacrifice their own emotional health to be strong for someone else, when they could not be strong for themselves. For several years my fear of being unsuccessful held me back from pursuing this dream, until I decided to finally take the first step and become a certified nursing assistant, and enroll at Clinton Community College to begin my journey to becoming a registered nurse. In the summer of 2014 I had decided to take control of my life and pursue my dream of working in the field of healthcare.

She was an older lady who had just under gone major brain surgery months prior and had loss her speech. The very first day I began to care for Mrs. Smith she moaned and cried about everything because she couldn’t physically tell me what she wanted for breakfast or when or if she had passed a stool. So my job for the rest of my time caring for her was to figure out with out her telling me what was more comfortable for her and what she would prefer if she could tell me. By the end of my 6 days caring for Mrs. Smith there was not a moan or cry to be heard from her room. Not only did I find the best way to care for her and to provide the utmost amount of comfort for her during this difficult time; I made her smile. I not only physically cared for her; I showed Mrs. Smith that even though she was unable to express her thoughts and feelings, that they were still present and that they mattered. But through my experience caring for Mrs. Smith I wasn’t the only one teaching, Mrs. Smith taught me that it takes a certain type of person to be a nurse, and without patience and determination there is no progression. There is no doubt in my mind that I will not only be an asset to your nursing program itself, but to the nursing field in general. Becoming a nurse would not only be a professional success, but a personal success as well. Nursing is not a conscious choice that was cultivated by my pushy parents or a college advisor; it is who I am- it is my past,

When my grandmother was dying of cancer in hospice, I had no intentions of becoming a nurse. Consistently, I repositioned her because she was in pain. Dutifully, I opened her windows because she loved the sunlight. Respectfully, I rubbed lotion on her skin because it made her comfortable. Devotedly, I prayed with her because her faith was strong, and she was ready to be reunited with my grandfather. Wistfully, I held her hand as she took her last breath, and told her it was okay to go. Afterwards, when the hospice nurses had told me that I would make a great nurse and I should consider nursing as a career, I politely said “No, thank you, nursing is not for me.”

Time spent at my mother’s bedside in the intensive care unit changed my perception of the nursing profession. I realized what unique value was integrated in comprehensive nursing care, which was built on excellence, compassion, and respect. I knew right then and there that nursing was a professional path which I would like to take. Changing my college major to nursing was not a difficult decision – I wanted to repay for all that courteous care my family received in the most vulnerable time of our lives.

This clinical experience took place at Peyton Elementary School and Prairie Heights Elementary School. Kamille, Ben and I were to teach hand hygiene, covering your cough and brushing your teeth to three Pre-K classes. First we developed a lesson plan and teaching aid for our students. Then, we gathered supplies such as spray bottles, dye, subject specific coloring sheet and a dinosaur with large teeth and tooth brush. Kids Rock dentistry in Colorado Springs was nice enough to borrow us the dinosaur and also gave us activity books for the kids. When we arrived at Peyton Elementary School at 0800, we noticed it was a very nice school. We met the school nurse at the office where we signed in. She showed us to classroom where the children

I want to become a nurse for a multitude of reasons but the main reason is because I want to impact peoples lives. Once I started taking prerequisites and nursing classes I decided to apply for a job as as Nursing Assistant at my local hospital.My job has offered me unique opportunities to interact with patients and provided opportunities that have humbled me beyond words. On one occasion I had a patient who was terminally ill and was not given much longer to live. The first day I walked into the patients room and he had nothing to say but awful and hateful things and asked me to leave. This same occurrence happened the day after that. Feeling discouraged again, I left the room. I thought to myself, “Why even try anymore.” It didn't hit me until later that afternoon that this poor man must be absolutely angry and terrified that his fate is inevitable. On the third day I entered the mans room as if I had already been defeated, and it was if the patient in that bed was a new man. He was smiling, he was talkative, and he was optimistic. I spent most of my morning bathing him and

During my first semester student clinical rotation, I was introduced to patient, 76 year old AB who was being treated at an assisted living facility. She was a wonderful patient and someone I immediately connected with. AB had been medically diagnosed with COPD and displayed all the classic physical signs of the disease such as wheezing, deliberate breathing, severe shortness of breath and nutritional deficit. She was my first patient as a student nurse and the first person I was able to complete a health assessment and nursing care plan for. I recognized early on that AB was special and someone who would be a great person to communicate with. With the initial assessment she was a little scared, but

During my clinical experience, I encountered an unforgettable situation which holds significance to me as a nursing student. My patient had an intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, as well as dementia. As a result of her conditions, she was a two- person assist. While researching my patient’s health conditions the night before clinical, I became concerned about how I was going to take care of my patient due to the anticipated immobility. When I first met my patient, I began to feel apprehensive because I realized that it was a patient who I had seen on the unit two weeks ago. This patient was groaning and crying at night, disturbing other patients who were trying to sleep. Due to her restlessness, the nurses moved the patient to the nursing station every night and then moved her back into her room in the morning. Looking at