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Running head: PRACTICE SUMMARY PAPER

Practice Summary Paper

Jessica Snow

Old Dominion University

I enrolled in the RN-BSN program to further my education as a nurse and meet the

minimum requirements to continue my employment with Sentara Heart Hospital. During this

program I hoped to learn how to properly communicate within my profession and work towards

being the best nurse for my patients and coworker. I was excited to learn about leadership,

community involvement, and improve the skills I find necessary in nursing. My goal to become a

competent nurse has remained the same throughout my journey to become a nurse.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to draw conclusions from evidence in a fast, effective

manner and apply these findings to guide practice. Old Dominion School of Nursing expects

students to “demonstrate critical thinking to facilitate nursing practice through inquiry, problem

solving, and synthesis”. My critical thinking has developed from basic disease process and

treatment to disease process and the holistic approach to caring for my patients.

In Nursing 363 I completed a research project with my peers to explore the use of

probiotics for treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. This assignment allowed for me

to explore alternative methods to treat or prevent diseases. After the realization that there can be

unexpected solutions to problems, I am able to further question methods of treatment for illness

in my patients. With attainment of this behavior, I plan to find unconventional solutions for my

patients. I continue to develop my critical thinking skills with creative problem solving by not

being limited to generalized care for a disease, instead I am able to suggest interventions such as

decreased awakenings to promote sleep for healing or utilizing therapeutic music to calm an

anxiety-ridden patient rather than medicating them.

Nursing practice is what sets nurses apart from other healthcare team members, our

ability to see the patient as a whole and work within the team to help our patients achieve

desirable outcomes. Old Dominion School of Nursing expects students to “perform therapeutic

nursing and interdisciplinary interventions to deliver nursing care in the cognitive, affective, and

psychomotor domains.”

In Nursing 403 I completed a therapeutic nursing interventions paper where I explored

evidence-based practices in the prevention of pressure injuries. I found that there were many

ways to prevent pressure injuries that were nurse driven interventions. This assignment

motivated me to learn more about the products available to prevent pressure injuries for my

patients. I found that my workplace offered more options than I initially thought. All of the

interventions available were within the scope of practice for nurses to implement. I continue to

develop my nursing practice by learning about the therapeutic interventions within my scope of

practice to achieve quality measures and promote patient safety. Currently, I use a product called

Interdry in moisture rich areas for my patients because it is a moisture wicking fabric that is easy

to use and lasts longer than traditional, protective ointments and foam padding.

Communication

Communication is the ability to relay information in a way that your audience is able to

understand. Old Dominion School of Nursing expects students to “justify verbal, non-verbal, and

written communication techniques appropriate for clients and professionals.”

In my clinical experience, I encountered a patient suffering from post-operative

psychosis. This challenged my normal, high-spirited communication style. During the nursing

program I interviewed my leadership for Nursing 490 and learned the importance of adaptation
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to make an environment more comfortable. I was able to lower my voice and slow my speech for

my patient. I was able to noticeably enter and communicate with my patient by creating a calm

environment with lowered lighting, less distractions, and simplified language. I continue to

adjust the environment depending on my patients’ needs to allow for better communication such

as utilizing the whiteboard and verbal repetition.

In Nursing 417 I participated in multiple discussion boards with topics on technology,

informatics, and communication devices. One of the discussions debated smartphone usage in

nursing and I was able to research the pros and cons to smartphones in healthcare. This

discussion board prompted me to investigate the phone capabilities at my workplace. I was able

to learn how to send text messages to healthcare providers instead of calling. This learned skill

with our technology allows me to reach providers and receive orders needed for my patients with

elevated blood pressures in a timely manner. Now I am able to get an order in the system in half

the time of a typical callback page and the information is sent directly to the provider, increasing

patient safety and improving patient outcomes.

Before this nursing program I relied heavily on the patient education material provided

by my workplace on their employee website. In Nursing 417 I completed the PEMAT (Patient

Education Materials Assessment Tool) assignment. This assignment required that I evaluate

websites found on the internet. I focused on researching congestive heart failure materials that

were easily accessible with a simple web search similar to how my patient would research their

condition. With this tool I am able to suggest which websites are appropriate for my patients to

conduct their own research about their congestive heart failure. I continue to access the websites

with my patient’s for better understanding of their diagnosis at their fingertips.

Teaching is the act of communicating effectively to an audience that generates

understanding and engagement in the information provided. Old Dominion School of Nursing

expects students to “utilize teaching strategies to maximize client health and enhance

professional development.”

Readmissions to the hospital are common when a patient does not understand their

disease. In Nursing 492 I was required to complete a community needs assessment. During this

assessment I focused on the military community within Jacksonville, NC and found that cigarette

smoking was most common in the area, as well as a high prevalence of lung cancer. I interacted

with the members of the community and found that many were unaware of the programs

available to them to quit smoking. I evaluated the efficacy of the military health promotion for

quitting tobacco use and found them to be ineffective. I found that introducing the military

members to the phone application “SmokeFreeVets” assisted three of the ten individuals I

worked with tobacco cessation.

When completing the needs assessment for Nursing 492, I used hospital websites in the

area to research the needs of the community for the past six years. Tobacco cessation was

consistently a priority in the needs assessment which guided me to develop my community

teachings about tobacco use. Everyone knows tobacco use is bad, but this research gave me

knowledge of its effect on the military community in Jacksonville, NC. This knowledge helped

me have facts to present to the military members I worked with that were relevant to them.
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Research

Research is the ability obtain current information on specific topics of interest or

importance in order to apply the findings appropriately. Old Dominion School of Nursing

expects students to “incorporate nursing research findings as a basis for therapeutic nursing

interventions.”

Nursing 402 focused on nurses as educators and required me to develop an educational

plan to fix a problem within my workspace. I researched the usage of standardized report and

documentation. When a standard report sheet was used within a clinical site continuity of patient

care was improved drastically. I shared these findings with me colleagues and worked with them

to develop a standardized report sheet and a reference sheet for required documentation on our

patients. Upon doing this research and the assignment, patient care in continued more easily and

safely.

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to set an example and the skill of seeking to guide others to

reach their full potential. Old Dominion School of Nursing expects students to “demonstrate

self-direction, professional accountability, and advocacy adhering to legal and ethical nursing

practice as a novice nurse.”

When starting on my unit for my first job as a nurse I struggled with delegation. I felt that

it was like I was bossing around a teammate. Throughout the leadership course I was able to

learn ways to delegate tasks and understand that I am simply making sure the right person is

doing the right job to assist the patient in their time of need. A specific example was when I held

myself accountable for missing a patient’s bladder scan. I did not follow-up on the task I

delegated. I did not blame my care partner because it was my fault for not using what I have
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learned from the program in this moment. As a nurse I have learned that it is our duty to be our

patient’s advocate at all times. I was able to advocate for my patient in this situation by ensuring

I fixed my mistake and was able to bladder scan them. In the program I learned to supervise

tasks that might be unknown and to always follow-up to ensure care is appropriately provided.

Professionalism

Professionalism is being competent and holding yourself to higher standards through

accountability and continued professional growth. Old Dominion School of Nursing expects

students to “demonstrate advocacy, accountability, and adherence to standards of practice and

legal and ethical principles.”

In Nursing 417 I was able to further my professionalism by finding sources of

information that help me in nursing by creating a MERLOT account online. This allowed me to

communicate with other professionals to find resources for standards of practice for cardiac

surgical patients. I have used this website to hold myself accountable to the standard that I have

created for myself in nursing. Knowledge and having the resources to learn more assists me with

being able to advocate for my coworkers by providing feedback to my management about

knowledge deficits. For example, I was able to find telemetry strip competencies on the

MERLOT website that I suggested to my manager to ensure our staff gained a greater

understanding of an area in which we were lacking.

Culture is the collective beliefs, values, and standards shared amongst a group. Old

Dominion School of Nursing expects students to “demonstrate cultural awareness and

sensitivity.”

During my first year as a nurse I encountered my first Jehovah’s witness patient.

Unfortunately, the patient had been receiving Albumin which is a blood product. The patient was

in no condition to make decisions himself. The wife researched the medication hanging in his

room and confronted me. In the notes the nephrologist stated that he spoke with the patient and

the spouse. In order to correct this, I quickly contacted the doctor and then the patient care

coordinator. I was aware of the patient’s culture and their concern regarding blood products.

Professionally I was able to advocate for this patient and their family by working with the

healthcare team to address the issue.

Summary

When I started this program, I did not expect to learn as much as I did. I was expecting

more knowledge about disease process and practical nursing care. I was surprised to find that the

program focused on core competencies that guide us to becoming well-rounded nurses and

leaders. I acquired many skills with writing papers and creating documents/presentations for

others to view. Overall, I believe I have grown with understanding my ability to learn from every

experience I have and how my foundation built from school will support all that I learn in the

field. I have attained the core competency behaviors which prepare me for the endless

opportunities nursing has to offer.

My knowledge of nursing theory has influenced my overall philosophy and practice of

nursing by providing steps to be the type of nurse I want to be. Each theory discussed in our
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Nursing 306 course made me realize that we all want the best outcomes for our patients, but we

are recognizing different factors that we may find more important than others. I feel it is

important to take from multiple nursing theories to create your personal theory.

Before my enrollment into the baccalaureate-nursing program I was focused on the

practical parts of nursing and after my enrollment I have learned that we have a much bigger role

in our patient’s life. Before the program I was involved in patient care and I have always cared,

but I was lacking with truly seeing every aspect of the patient and how everything can affect

their health. I plan to be reminded of this for the rest of my career to ensure that overlooked

information doesn’t become missed opportunities to help my patients.

Honor Code Statement

I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of
academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member
of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor
Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.

Jessica Snow