Nursing Reflection free essay sample

In the context of professional practices reflection is defined as the examination of personal thoughts and actions (David, 2004). In this essay I am reflecting on an incident that happened in my earlier years of working as a professional nurse. The incident I am sharing and the subsequent learning I have gained by reflecting it helped me in the later years of my nursing career. During my career as a professional nurse I have worked in several hospitals also attended several cases and those provided me with lot of insights and leanings. As per NMC 2002 guidelines, for protecting identify of the patient, names have been replaced with pseudo names. For structuring my experience and the subsequent reflection I am using Gibbs (1998) model of reflection as a framework. By using Gibbs (1998) model the practitioner and also take emotions into account. As shown in the below diagram, this model for reflection consists of six stages. We will write a custom essay sample on Nursing Reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Figure : Gibbs reflective cycle. Source : Oxford Brookes University Gibbs reflection starts with describing the incident, analysing the feeling, evaluation of the experience, analysis of the experience, conclusion, what else can be done as the final step also it analyse about the future plan how to approach a similar situation in the future. The incident I want to describe happened during the third year when I was working. When I was working in the causality ward, and an 11 year old named Maria was admitted. From the first sight I figured out that Maria was in great deal of pain and I came to know that she met with an accident. She was conscious and was bleeding profusely. We have done the preliminary examination and found out that one of her legs were fractured. The people who brought her to the causality already left, she was alone and her parents or relatives were not yet reached the hospital. In that stage along with keeping her conscious I was also trying to establish a therapeutic relationship with Maria to create trust and confidence. As a medical professional it is important to build trust and confidence of the patient because it will increase the self-esteem of the patient and helps in diagnosis of the situation and in the process of healing (Hark reader Hogan, 2004). During that time I have noticed that Maria was not responding to my voice and not screaming and shouting like any other children do. For a short time I was wondering the reason for that and I immediately realised that her speaking and hearing was impaired. The situation was much more complicated than I was initially thought, in short I was dealing with a half conscious deaf and dumb girl, having multiple fractures also the possibility of internal bleeding. However as the biggest challenge I felt was her corporation. I can feel from her face that she was very nervous and in pain and also helpless to convey the difficulty she was facing. Feelings For taking the case forward and working with Maria, it is very critical to establish a good connection and communication between us. I remembered that communication could be established not only by verbal exchange but also means such as non-verbal exchange also (Black Chitty, 2007). In Maria’s case non-verbal communication using hand signals was the only way of communication that possible. I have stated completing the essential medical procedures, alongside I was trying to create a rapport with her by showing some hand signals which expresses sympathy and care. When I was with her I always tried to keep an eye contact so that she gets a feeling that I am interested and wanted to help her. According to Caris (1999) eye contact is a good way to communicate the sense of interest in the person one is conversing with. From Marisa’s reaction I figured out that my efforts were giving me good results, she started pointing where all she was feeling pain. Also she tried to tell me the whole chain of events happened using hand gestures. Evaluation From the experience with Maria, spending time with a patient to understand the situation she was actually in one of the critical factors in analysing a medical situation. Also I have developed a patient centric relationship between Maria rather than a task centric relationship. This relationship helped me in gaining the confidence of Maria and gave the best to treat her. Even in my later nursing experiences I have learned that most of the Nurse Patient communication is task centric relationship rather than patient centric relationship. On the contrary Maria and me developed a warm, genuine and empathic relationship as mentioned by Burnard (1990). Analysis I realised that for a patient like Maria adaptive communication skills are important. The establishment of interpersonal communication – communication that exists between two individuals(Funnel, 2005), have played an important role in get to know the situation of Maria better. My attempt to communicate with Maria through non verbal and hand signals helped me in handling and understanding the situation more effectively. White (2005), recommends that a professional nurse should learn alternative languages and methods to communicate with the patient so that she / he could handle the situation better. Further analysing the incident, when a patient is alone away from his / her family they feel insecure. In such situation it is difficult for a nurse or for a doctor to have the confidence of the patient. In the case of Maria also in the beginning she was a bit scared with the hospital environment and me, and I could like any other personal made her cooperate with me continue my work. However, instead I have tried to better understand her situation and build her trust in me. Hence I got an overview of the situation and full corporation from Maria and gained her trust. Furthermore, reflecting on the incident, I felt my approach of being patient centric rather than task centric helped me in giving better treatment to her. Generally many of nurses working with me that time given more preference to task centric approach. I reckon the task centric approach will touch only the surface and many a times using this approach medical professionals only scratch the surface by the guess work and experience rather than getting the inputs from the patient and looking into the matter more deeply. In short, as a conclusion I could effectively give adequate medical attention to Maria by establishing a therapeutic relationship. I realised that patients are different and the ways to handle each of them differently in order to gain the trust and confidence of each other. Also I learned that the practitioner should effectively communicate with the patient both ways such as patient centric communication and task centric communication (McCabe, 2004). In the case of Maria I can conclude that I effectively handled the situation by demonstration various skills such as my approach toward the patient, getting relavent answers, being an active listener, support the emtions of the patient and showing empathy towards the situation of the patient (Walsh, 2005). Action Plan The action plan I have prepared based on the case of Maria is mentioned below. Improving my communication skills : I have learned that communication is the foundation of the relationship (Wood, 2006). So I have decided to improve my communication skills, both verbal and non verbal communication skills and also decided to learn some additional languages. Improve my listening skills: I realised that listening skills are also important as the communication skills. I am trying to improve my listening skills especially I am listening to patients with out making notions or judgements. Handling different kind of patients: This part I consider one of the most critical part I have to take care of. Equip to handle any kind of patient even if they are visually challenged or mentally challenged. Maintain a diary: I also started writing a daily journal that mentions all the major events happed during my time with patients. By writing down the important events happened in my professional career I can always refer back the successes and failures I have made during my career and think how can I improve them next time. I am concluding that the unique learning experience and the reflection of the incident happened in Maria’s case proved very useful in my professional career. I have learned a great deal from this one incident and it made me think out of the box to handle the situation. These kind of incidences and the subsequent reflection made me not only a better professional but also a better person. I reckon myself more organised and I started considering more various other possibilities before I making a choice. Also I started using established models to structure my experiences and include all aspects of it with out missing anything. In Maria’s case Gibbs model enabled me to drill down the various aspects of the incident and enhance the understanding of the situation better. Word Count : 1510

Free Essays on The Sinking Of The Lusitania

â€Å"The war to end all wars† was what some people called it. Others called it â€Å"The Great War.† Look at it anyway you wish, but World War I was not only destructive, but it just might have set humanity back in time. To say that there was a right and a wrong in the war is impossible. Both sides were wrong with things, but in the end, Germany suffered more, by being forced to pay billions of dollars in War Debts, and let the French control a rich mine for well over 15 years. Before that, Germany was a country that was just running over the Allied Powers with hardly any sort of problems. But soon, Germany’s reign on top of World War I was coming to a close. The Germans had a naval blockade of any ships that had passed through around the United Kingdom. Despite the blockade, many ships decided to ignore the warnings that Germany sent out to the Allied countries. One of these ships was the Lusitania. The Lusitania was a ship that embarked on a voyage to England, with passengers from all around, including many Americans. A bulletin was passed around to every person who boarded the ship, which stated that a war was going on between Germany and England. It also stated that Germany had placed a naval blockade surrounding the waters of England, and that any ship in that zone was at risk of being fired at by German troops. Sure enough, as the Lusitania entered that zone on May 7, 1915, a German submarine fired a missile underwater, hitting the Lusitania and in turn, killed more than 1,100 passengers and crew, 124 of them Americans. After the sinking of the ship, outrage ensued, and The United States was brought into the war. In a letter sent to the Germans from President Wilson and Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, the United States showed how they grew tired of German submarine attacks. In an excerpt from the letter, Bryan said this: â€Å"The sinking of the British passenger steamer Falaba by a German submarine on March 28, throu... Free Essays on The Sinking Of The Lusitania Free Essays on The Sinking Of The Lusitania â€Å"The war to end all wars† was what some people called it. Others called it â€Å"The Great War.† Look at it anyway you wish, but World War I was not only destructive, but it just might have set humanity back in time. To say that there was a right and a wrong in the war is impossible. Both sides were wrong with things, but in the end, Germany suffered more, by being forced to pay billions of dollars in War Debts, and let the French control a rich mine for well over 15 years. Before that, Germany was a country that was just running over the Allied Powers with hardly any sort of problems. But soon, Germany’s reign on top of World War I was coming to a close. The Germans had a naval blockade of any ships that had passed through around the United Kingdom. Despite the blockade, many ships decided to ignore the warnings that Germany sent out to the Allied countries. One of these ships was the Lusitania. The Lusitania was a ship that embarked on a voyage to England, with passengers from all around, including many Americans. A bulletin was passed around to every person who boarded the ship, which stated that a war was going on between Germany and England. It also stated that Germany had placed a naval blockade surrounding the waters of England, and that any ship in that zone was at risk of being fired at by German troops. Sure enough, as the Lusitania entered that zone on May 7, 1915, a German submarine fired a missile underwater, hitting the Lusitania and in turn, killed more than 1,100 passengers and crew, 124 of them Americans. After the sinking of the ship, outrage ensued, and The United States was brought into the war. In a letter sent to the Germans from President Wilson and Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, the United States showed how they grew tired of German submarine attacks. In an excerpt from the letter, Bryan said this: â€Å"The sinking of the British passenger steamer Falaba by a German submarine on March 28, throu...

Article newspaper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Newspaper - Article Example On the other hand others, normally the martial arts students who are taking part in this award ceremony are also sitting on their knees while presenting this award. Ian Barrie is currently working as an instructor at Gorioch Sports centre which is one of the topmost sports training centres in Britain. For the last 30 years, he has worked in this Sports centre, training hundreds of people in martial arts especially in Nanbudo. He is giving trainings to the students Gorioch Sports centre only two days in a week; Monday and Thursday evening, whereas on Saturday evening he gives training at the Kinellar Community Hall. Nanbudo is practicing only in fifteen countries worldwide at present. Like most of the other martial arts, Nanbudo has also its origin or roots in traditional Japanese style of Karate. It should be remembered that there are many styles of karate practicing globally at present. Chinese styles and Japanese styles of karate are the most prominent ones at present and Nanbudoâ €™s resemblance is more towards the Japanese style of Karate. In Nanbudo, even though most of the actions and steps are similar to that of Karate, the defence and offence techniques are more polished or restructured to make them more effective.

Personal experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal experience - Essay Example Disagreements may be inevitable at times, but being a good listener will avoid unnecessary clash of ideas and lead the group to think together, look at one another’s views logically and proceed from a crude set of ideas to the natural progression of significant and pragmatic solutions that carries the weight of experience and good will from the part of all. Maintaining eye contact and connecting with people, no matter whether you are in the work place or in other public spaces, will make others feel comfortable in your company. One can make clear with facial expressions that others are welcome to occupy their spaces next to oneself. A smiling countenance will lift up the spirits of others in most cases whereas an indifferent mouthing of greetings may just create space for the same from others. Words are very much important in a community but the facial expressions that convince others of one’s genuineness are more important. People usually like to be acknowledged for their contributions in public life. Recognizing even the smallest forms of contributions, even through their little acts or thoughts of kindness may thus be significant. Being a good listener and observer makes you a kind, perceptive person in the group. Neglecting those who do not follow your thought processes or acts may have a negative impact. It is necessary to draw others’ attention to one’s opinions and views with the help of proper presentation. Persuasive and convincing arguments that do not discount the possibilities of others ways of looking at it usually brings people closer to one and the willingness to listen to the ideas of everyone else will drive people together to valuable, proactive resolutions. When one witnesses a heated argument between people, it may be helpful and relaxing to make use of some sense humor. But one has to remember that no reference should be made that hurts the feelings of anyone who is involved in the argument. It

Gospel of John vs Synoptics Essay Example for Free

Gospel of John vs Synoptics Essay Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the first four books of the New Testament. These are also called the â€Å"Gospels,† and they contain a detailed story of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. However, upon reading the four books, one will notice that there are significant differences between the books contents. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree on many details, the Gospel of John differs from them. The first three books are the Synoptic Gospels. They are called such because they have many things in common, such as events or details, language, and paragraph structures. However, these are not the only things which make them similar. According to researchers, the possibility exists that one or all of the Gospel writers used other Synoptics for their source material. The Gospel of John, on the other hand, is different from the three. Thus, it is not a Synoptic gospel. The reason behind the differences in Johns accounts from the Synoptics is because he he wants to provide another point of view to the events surrounding Jesus Christ (Conte). In addition, these differences lie in the fact that some materials appear in the Gospel of John but not in the Synoptics and vice versa. Noticeably, the Gospel of John contains a prologue but not in the Synoptics. It also contains a narrative of Jesus Christs childhood, whereas the Synoptics do not include infancy narrative. â€Å"Signs† have also been discussed in John 2, and these started with the wedding at Cana (Just). These â€Å"signs† encouraged the people to follow Jesus, according to John (Neyrey 117). Another material missing from Synoptics but is included in the Gospel of John is the dialogue with Nicodemus, which can be found from selected verses of Chapters 2 and 3 of John (Just). Differences can also be seen from the accounts of baptism. From the Gospel of John, it says that Jesus and his disciples baptized people. However, from the Synoptics, there are no accounts testifying that Jesus was baptized. In addition, there are events that occurred in the Gospel of John but are not recorded in the Synoptics. In the same way, there are events only found in the Synoptics. For instance, the Gospel of John contains details of the Samaritan woman that Jesus met. He also healed a sick man near the pool of Bethesda. Other events include the feeding of the 5,000 people, healing a blind man, raising Lazarus from the dead, and the washing of the feet of the disciples (Just). These events did not appear in the Synoptics. There are also other materials that do not appear in the Synoptics. For instance, they lack the childhood episodes that are present in the Gospel of John. In addition, the Synoptics do not have details about the temptation in the desert, or details about the sermon on the Mount. The Synoptics further lack the Lords prayer, or the list of the names of the disciples. Another obvious details missing from the Synoptics are the parables and the ethical teachings. The Synoptics further lack the predictions about Jesus return and the details about his ascension (Just). Furthermore, the events that John recorded took place during the Passover, or the feast of bread (Neyrey 117), and the ministry of Jesus covers three Passovers. However, the Synoptics acknowledge that Jesus ministry lasts for a year (Just). The differences can also be seen at Johns accounts of the feeding of a large crowd. His accounts tell that â€Å"Jesus asks the disciples about feeding the crowds. † In the Synoptics, it says that the disciples approach Jesus and â€Å"ask Him to send the crowds away. † In addition, the Synoptics claim that Jesus orders his disciples to give the people food to eat, which they did. On the other hand, John claims that it is Jesus who distributed the bread to the people. Also, the Synoptics do not mention names of the disciples. The Gospel of John, however, mentions Philip and Andrew (Neyrey 117). Other prominent differences are seen on other details. Whereas the Synoptics discuss the tenet â€Å"Love your neighbors/enemies,† the Gospel of John emphasizes the importance of loving one another. The Synoptics also believe that the future eschatology, or the destiny of the humanity, is the coming of Gods kingdom. On the other hand, the Gospel of John believes that the eternal life is already upon humankind. Jesus also visits Jerusalem in many occasions, as told in the Gospel of John, but the Synoptics only acknowledge one journey (Just). Aside from these, the differences are obvious from smaller details, such as the claim of the Synoptics that John is â€Å"Elijah† who preaches about repentance. The Gospel of John claims John to be the baptizer and also a witness to Jesus Christ. It is also obvious from the Synoptics that the ministry of Jesus started after John the Baptist is arrested. The Gospel of John shows that the ministry of Jesus overlaps with that of Johns. Furthermore, there is a difference in the accounts of the first disciples of Jesus. The first three books claim that the first disciples of Jesus are Simon Andrew, James and John. However, Johns accounts claim that there are five persons who became Jesus first disciples, namely Andrew, an unnamed person, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael (Just). There are still other differences from details. For instance, the Synoptics tell of an anonymous woman anointing Jesus at Bethany, and this is objected by anonymous people. The Gospel of John claims that Jesus is anointed at Bethany by Mary, Lazarus siste, which was objected by Judas Iscariot. There are also differences from accounts near Jesus death. The Synoptics tell about Jesus being in Gethsemane to pray where he was betrayed by Judas with a kiss. The Gospel of John tells that Jesus is in a garden in Cedron, and He identifies himself to the men who arrived to arrest Him. It is also interesting to note that the time of the crucifixion from the Synoptics accounts is at nine in the morning during the Day of Passover. By three in the afternoon He dies. But John claims that Jesus is condemned to die before the Passover; and when He is crucified, He dies quickly (Just). Upon closer reading of the Synoptics and the Gospel of John, one will notice other differences between their accounts that are not listed in this paper. Perhaps these differences would be dependent on the understanding of each reader. But these differences are meant to provide people with other angles and point of view of all the events that took place during Jesus time. Works Cited Conte, Ronald L. 2005. â€Å"The Writing of the Gospels – Relationship between the Synoptics. † Catholic Planet. 26 June 2009 http://www. catholicplanet. com/TSM/NT-synoptics. htm. Just, Felix. 2006. â€Å"Contrasts Between John and the Synoptics. † 25 June 2009 http://catholic-resources. org/John/Synoptic-Differences. htm. Neyrey, Jerome H. The Gospel of John. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Postpartum Depression Essay -- Health Medicine Reseach Papers

Postpartum Depression In 2001, Andrea Yates, a Texas mother, was accused of drowning her five children, (aged seven, five, three, two, and six months) in her bathtub. The idea of a mother drowning all of her children puzzled the nation. Her attorney argued that it was Andrea Yates' untreated postpartum depression, which evolved into postpartum psychosis that caused her horrific actions (1) . He also argued that Andrea Yates suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her fourth child, and that she attempted suicide twice for this very disorder ((1)). What is postpartum depression, and how can it cause a mother to harm her very own children, altering her behavior towards her children in a negative way? One in ten women experience postpartum depression ((2)), a condition that often goes undiagnosed, and occurs in women after childbirth. A reason for the lack of diagnosis of postpartum depression is a milder, more common form of depression after childbirth, often known as the "baby blues". Th e baby blues occur in mothers three to five days after childbirth ((2)) , and may last for as little as a couple hours to a couple weeks ((4)). These symptoms include * mild sadness * tearfulness * anxiety * irritability, often for no clear reason * fluctuating moods * increased sensitivity * fatigue ((2)) The treatment for the baby blues are frequent naps, a proper diet, and plenty of support from partners, family, and friends ((3)). Generally, the baby blues subside without any sort of serious treatment. However, the baby blues may evolve into postpartum depression. One study discovered a link between postpartum depression and the baby blues: out of the women that were diagnosed with postpartum depres... ...lso drop during childbirth, and thus may be a factor in postpartum depression ((4)). Consequently, ways to prevent another Andrea Yates from going too far is to treat postpartum depression seriously. Because the baby blues are so common, postpartum depression and psychosis are often misdiagnosed as the baby blues, or even more frequently, not diagnosed at all. Thus, postpartum depression must be taken seriously. References 1)Study Works! Online: What is Postpartum Depression? http://www.studyworksonline.com/cda/content/article/0,,NAV4-42_SAR1208,00.shtml 2)Postpartum Depression and Caring for Your Baby http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/home/ppd_baby.html 3) Postpartum Coping: the Blues and Depression http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ01243 4)Frequently Asked Questions about Postpartum Depression http://www.4woman.gov/

How Are Responses To Disasters Shaped By The Bureaucratic Structures Of Humanitarian Institutions?

Accident, be it natural or man made, are common these days. It is not that in human history that disasters never happened but the modern world is a close contact global village and with willingness any country is able to help the other in peril. However, there are several clauses attached to it along with strings that are attached to international politics. As a result, it should be taken into account that any action taken against any incident of disaster follows the path of evaluation and analysis on the parameters of bureaucratic judgments and willingness.It should also be taken into account this bureaucratic evaluation of the incident is subjected to the political scenario in long or in short run. Furthermore, it is also to be considered that all the humanitarian institutions responsible for the deliverance of aid to the disaster stricken area would ultimately be depended on the willingness of the bureaucratic system. The bureaucratic system work strictly on the principals of adva ntages and benefit of the action thus aid becomes relatively more obvious in areas of vested interest than the areas that are not directly linked up with the interest of the bureaucratic scheme. Olsen, 16)It is true that the Western Society has proved to be the most powerful in terms of finance and resource in the modern era and thus it is the call of the Western world that determines the severity of a disaster in a given situation and the amount of aid that should be granted as a relief. It is obvious that the bureaucratic system is the most instrumental part in this entire scenario of politics of aid and thus all the humanitarian institutes are in alignment with this system.The connection between the bureaucratic system and and the humanitarian institutes are also revealed in the local perception of aid or relief during a disaster. If the Tsunami of the Indian Ocean is taken into account it would be clear that in the island of Sri Lanka it was found that such bureaucratic discrimi nation in the parameters of race abd religion was taking place. Here the bureaucratic system was playing in the hands of the government formed by the help of the majority consisting of the population of the Sinhalese language.This bureaucratic system then influenced the humanitarian institutions to offer major part of the relief to the Sinhalese population rather than the Tamil population of the northern parts of the island. (Walker, 5) The example of Sri Lanka and the relief discrimination between the Sinhalese and the Tamil population could be regarded as a classic example of bureaucratic system induced humanitarian misuse or under use of the aid. In conclusion it should be mentioned that there are several examples that point towards proper distribution of aid during the time of disaster by institutions like Salvation Army and the Red Cross.However, the point that should not be missed is that the action taken during a disaster is an emergency and is purely based on humanitarian gr ounds thus the equal and proper distribution of aid and relief should always be one hundred per cent and there should not be any bureaucratic influence to state otherwise. As a human being this is the minimum requirement and the maximum amount of resource should be employed to attain the goal.