Nursing My Clinical Reflections

Clinical Reflections

In essence, I have a very fulfilling professional relationship with my preceptor. It is under her supervision and through her wise counsel that I have been able to further enhance my skills. Thus in addition to being a good coach, she is also my role model. Towards this end, I am certain I am fulfilling my clinical goals. I must point out that I was expecting exposure to various disease processes as well as conditions during my clinical. However, in my current clinical setting, the vast majority of patients I attend to are largely healthy and the assessment is mostly with regard to specific body parts or extremities that need to be operated on.

I would rate my interactions with patients as pleasant. Most of the patients I interact with on a daily basis are mostly jovial and have likeable personalities. With friendly patients and a helpful preceptor, my days are mostly fruitful and full of valuable learning opportunities. It is on the strength of my preceptor’s helpful and supportive nature that I feel she fulfills my expectations of what a clinical preceptor ought to be in such a setting.

My clinical site is a medical and surgical hospital. The facility offers both in-patient and outpatient services. In essence, the facility’s inpatient service is meant to cater for those who are expected to spend a longer period of time at the hospital after surgery – i.e. more than 24 hours. Various surgical procedures are routinely performed at the facility. Outpatient services include, but they are not limited to, diagnostic imaging and ambulatory surgery.

Various factors facilitated my role as an NP. These include, but they are not limited to, my physical assessment skills. In addition to having a keen eye for detail, I also tend to be very thorough and, thus, I have been quite comfortable in the assessment of healthy patients where the only concern is a specific body part or extremity that needs to undergo surgery.

In the final analysis, it is important to note that I tend to have great interpersonal skills and also possess a charismatic personality. Thanks to these skills, it is often easy for me to make patients feel comfortable and at ease. This effectively facilitates the physical assessment process. However, in some instances, I could be quite indecisive about the appropriate course of action when there is a decision to be made. This is born out of my desire for perfection and fear of committing mistakes. I intend to further enhance my strengths, as I take deliberate measures to minimize my weaknesses so as to succeed in my nursing career.