The Recovery Room

Critically ill patients that require mechanical ventilation are at risk of developing secondary infections that may increase length of stay and possibly even morbidity. This fragile patient population requires special attention and meticulous adherence to established nursing standards of care. These standards of care are founded on evidenced based practices. It is important that nurses receive education about why these standards are in place and what consequences can result due to not following the established care protocols.

For the majority of nurses working within the field of modern medicine, one of the most difficult tasks associated with the job must be maintaining the tenuous balance between the pull of professional ambition and honoring the responsibility owed to their current role. Nursing remains one of the most stratified occupations in terms of recognized qualification, and a wide disparity exists between the positions of Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Registered Nurse (RN) in terms of both experience and education. While standards vary from state to state, individual LPNs may be required to complete many of the same duties as their RN counterparts, including the administration of intravenous fluids, the withdrawal of blood for testing, and other crucial aspects of inpatient care. Despite the similar set of skills possessed by LPNs and RNs, the latter position commands a greater level of prestige and a significantly higher salary within the nursing field, and because of this many qualified LPN's aspire to attain the rank of RN in order to better their personal and professional lives. As a working LPN beginning the transition to future RN career, I have encountered many difficulties and obstacles which I feel will only strengthen my resolve and crystallize my ambitions. During the extensive reading required to gain the knowledge needed to work as an RN, a statement made by the authors of LPN to RN Transitions: Achieving Success In Your New Role resonated deeply with me, and I

I currently work as a wound ostomy specialist for the hospi-tal. I desire to continue to grow as a nurse and professional. I am now ready to advance my career again and become an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. In each position I’ve held, I have taken away a skill-set that has helped to mold me into the professional I am today. I have identified that there is a great need, in the Acute Care setting, for Acute Care Nurse Practitioners that can provide comprehensive and holistic care to the critically ill. According to Nursing and Health Sciences, hospital-based nurse practitioners influence team function, as well as facilitate advanced patient care, provide leadership and education as well as implement unit specific re-search. With my knowledge of the intensive care setting as well as my knowledge of pressure ul-cers, pressure ulcer prevention, wound management and advanced wound healing I feel that I would be a great asset to the profession as well as the hospital-based team. Once graduated, I plan to work in the Acute Care Setting, most likely in a specialty such as General

As an acute care nurse practitioner I hope to utilize my experience as an Intensive Care Unit nurse along with clinical knowledge and skills acquired through a graduate level program to provide the highest quality patient care. In my current role, I place high value on patient-family centered care and advocacy as well as commitment to lifelong learning. I have built my nursing career upon these values. I am excited to begin the journey of becoming an acute care nurse practitioner and to further my education and expand my scope of practice in the field of critical care, for which I have already developed a passion.

Transitioning from nursing school to working in a hospital setting can be a challenging time for a new graduate. Due to the nursing shortage, new graduate nurses are being hired with little to no experience. This is overwhelming for new nurses, especially when they are not getting adequate support or training from the hospital. The amount of stress, pressure, and lack of training is leading to a high turnover rate for new graduate nurses. With patient acuity on the rise, new graduate nurses that are filling these vacancies in the hospitals, need to be competent nurses to provide proper and safe care to the patients.

I have been a nurse for the past 25 years, and started my career on an orthopedic unit at Flint Osteopathic Hospital. After six years of developing my assessment and clinical skills as an orthopedic nurse, I decided it was time to challenge myself and apply for a position in critical care. I started working in

“A healing hospital is a place characterized by thousands of small and wonderful things and a few big ones. At the center is love. More than anything else, supports a strong culture of caring. It expresses the deep passion of both patients and caregivers” (Chapman, 2003). Healing hospitals focus on patient-centered care.

With an ever-increasing body of knowledge in the field of nursing, more education is being required to enter the field of nursing. Many healthcare institutions are raising the educational requirements in order to become employed or maintain employment in their facilities. Healthcare organizations are transitioning to hiring registered nurses (RN) who have a higher level of education, such as, a graduate from a Baccalaureate Degree Nursing (BSN) program. The goal of these institutions is to have nurses with a broader array of skills that can meet the growing demands of our patient population. BSN prepared nurses are recognized for their well-rounded skills in critical thinking, management, case management and health promotion versus Associate Degree nurses (ADN)/Diploma nurses that focus on direct patient care.

This essay discusses and reflects upon patient care in the post anaesthetic care unit (PACU) and is linked to my experiences on placement. It discusses how my approach to patient care has been challenged and analyses how evidence based practice can create a change in the way patients are cared for. It reviews the processes of managing the perioperative environment and evaluates the implications for practice when applying a change in healthcare. Wicker and O’Neill (2010) state that “The lack of immediate medical support in the recovery room means that practitioners work in a more autonomous role than any other area of the operating department” (p.379). By reflecting upon my experiences I am able to link practical and theoretical aspects of the operating department practitioner (ODP) job role. This will provide me with a greater understanding of professional practice and it will develop my personal knowledge and self-awareness (Forrest, 2008). Using a model of reflection is important as it provides a framework that can be systematically followed and acts as a guide through the process of reflection. For this essay I have chosen to use the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988) as it provides a methodical guide to reflection using a series of ordered questions that each lead to the next stage of the cycle (Forrest, 2008).

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.

The role of PACU nurse is to monitor and care for patients during the immediate postanesthesia period. Their goal is to identify prospective problems that may arise as a result of anesthesia and surgery and to mediate applicably.

VASNHS Surgical Specialty Outpatient department has a designated pre-operative management unit that oversees the patients undergoing surgery. The predicaments stem from various guidelines or protocol originating from numerous surgeons and clinics. At present, the pre-operative nurses abide simple pre-op instructions (NPO protocol, medications, what to bring, during the surgery, transportation, cancellation instructions) for the entire Surgical Specialty Outpatient department. Surgical procedures are being canceled due to lack of communications and cancelations of patients prior to surgery date.

A patient’s journey throughout the surgical process can often be a frightening and unpredictable time in a person’s life (Short & Gordon, 2015). It is therefore vital for nurses to provide holistic and safe patient centred care, in order to meet the needs of each patient through their experience (Short & Gordon, 2015). The following essay will explore the surgical journey and nursing considerations of a patient undergoing a surgical procedure. Firstly, it will address important nursing factors relevant to the preadmission and perioperative stages of care. It will then address relevant nursing factors relevant to the anaesthetic stages of care, during the surgical process.

Nursing education has progressed throughout history from one of uneducated lay persons to the current standards we know today. As the career has progressed it has become apparent that there is a need for a skilled labor forced trained to deal with the sick and dying, “the provision of nursing care by American women…demonstrated the effectiveness of skilled nursing on improving outcomes for sick and injured soldiers” (Creasia & Friberg, 2011, p. 4). However, as the career progresses so does the need for more specialized training amongst nurses to help them deal with the changing atmosphere of patient care. The future

A surgical nurse is responsible for monitoring and ensuring quality healthcare for a patient following surgery. Assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and outcome evaluation are inherent in the post operative nurse’s role with the aim of a successful recovery for the patient. The appropriate provision of care is integral for prevention of complications that can arise from the anaesthesia or the surgical procedure. Whilst complications are common at least half of all complications are preventable (Haynes et al., 2009). The foundations of Mrs Hilton’s nursing plan are to ensure that any post surgery complications are circumvented. My role as Mrs Hilton’s surgical nurse will involve coupling my knowledge and the professional