Self-Care: An Action Plan for Reflective Nursing Practice
A. Reflection on Personal Self-Care Practices in the MANE-BSN Program
1. My values about healthy self-care activities
In my opinion, the relevance of healthy self-care activities cannot be overstated in the contemporary nursing environment. It is important to note that it is part of a nurse’s duty to promote the health and wellbeing of patients in an often stressful and challenging health care environment. In so doing, nurses could neglect their own needs and thus box themselves into a corner – from an emotional, mental, as well as physical wellbeing perspective (Jackson, 2004). For this reason, there is need to ensure that even in seeking to meet patient needs, one’s own health are not entirely neglected. Some balance ought to be found. Practicing regular self-care is of great relevance in seeking to manage the strenuous nature of the profession. It helps to be able to cope with daily challenges, and promotes physical, emotional psychological and spiritual wellbeing. It also enhances the safety and quality of patient care.
2. Reflection on personal self-care practices
For those in the helping profession, self-care could easily be one of the most important activities in the entire health and wellbeing promotion equation. This is a fact I never gave much thought to prior to joining nursing school. My schedule was largely crowded and I had to juggle between work, school, and taking care of my young kids. I totally lost myself in this setup. Today, I am fully aware of the relevance of practicing self-care given its direct link to the further promotion of better care for others. The assignment I wrote about self-care on the first semester of nursing school completely changed my perception. Thanks to this assignment, I developed a different perception of self-care and got familiar with key concepts of self-care.
At present, my schedule remains busy but I continue to practice the relevant self-care activities. Towards this end, I routinely practice activities that promote each category of self-care:...
physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual. Addressing all categories is of great relevance given that “emotional and spiritual health are interrelated with physical and mental aspects of life (Crane and Ward, 2016, p. 339). Activities that help me to stay physically healthy are inclusive of developing a regular sleep routine, eating a healthy diet, and getting exercise on a regularly basis. On the other hand, activities that help me promote my emotional and psychological wellness include keeping a reflective journal, balancing leisure and work time, and creating time to engage with friends and family. I also tend to be a deeply spiritual individual who is well aware of the...…and a reduction in the risk of certain diseases” (150). To be able to execute my duties as a nurse effectively, I ought to be able in good physical heath. That way, I can actively participate in the maintenance and promotion of other people’s health and wellbeing.
b) Share your hopes / goals for your baccalaureate nursing practice that includes
1. Ideas integrating reflective nursing practice
I tend to be a rather emotional person. This is to say that in addition to being passionate about my engagements, I also tend to be quite temperamental and could, for instance, be easily put off by another person’s unreasonable behavior. Towards this end, I fully recognize the need to develop emotional intelligence so that I can better manage my emotions. This is more so the case given that in a healthcare environment, one is constantly exposed to the volatile sensitivities and sentiments of colleagues, patients, and their family members.
2. Ideas about working in nursing and healthcare teams within a system
The relevance of teamwork cannot be overstated in the healthcare setting. The health and wellbeing of patients is promoted when healthcare personnel engage in collaborative efforts. I tend to function well as part of a team. However, I need to further enhance my communication and persuasive skills so as to play an effective role in task-focused…
