March Madness

This was a very hectic month filled with senior project work, committees, powder puff, and what all 4 years of i-Poly has lead up to... selling chocolate bars.

For senior project we formulated our 3rd answer for approval and created our 4th interview questions. I scheduled my interview right after I came up with the questions and have actually finished early. We also had our 3rd Advisory meeting where we turned in our research grid and did our 3 column, which is conveniently posted to the right of my blog page.
I feel that my research is coming along great now that I know what I'm looking for exactly. It'll help me find more credible sources to back up my answers. My research regarding the ESA component has not been favorable. I knew exactly what I wanted to find statistics on to backup my answers. However finding data and being able to interpret them represented a challenge. I wish we'd had more time to work on it because I was unable to complete it, but will continue to work on it if only for my own personal benefit.
On another note I have completed my hours at the hospital for both mentorship and independent component 2. All I have to do is update my log with all the details of what my hours entailed. I will continue to do extra hours at the hospital to gain more insight and observe things I have found through my research in real time.
It seems that committees are in full swing and many are running at the same time. We have fundraisers left and right, drives one after another, and prom coming up. Thankfully, Powder Puff is over now and we're able to devote more time to these other events. It's been a great run for the Class of 2014 and I'm glad we had the chance to play. I had fun (winning felt pretty great too) and I'm really proud of everyone who participated: the coaches, players, cheerleaders, announcer, sign makers, and the ones who cheered us on. The guys have really grown from last year's performance, but are still as energetic as ever ↓
Oh yeah and I sold my chocolate bars (not really).    \(^.^)/ 

Blog 18: Third Answer

EQ
What is the best way for a nurse to help a patient recover from surgery?

Answer #3
Decrease recovery time by involving patients in the process of their own care.

3 details

• Patients' active participation can contribute to increased motivation to improve, follow prescription orders, get better treatment results and have a high satisfaction with received care. Patient and carers create a Q&A notebook throughout stay in Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
• Ensure that the patient/ client is at the centre of care delivery through the formation of relationships between provider and patient. John Hopkins Medicine Pediatrics Hospital implemented family centered rounds where physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team met with patients and their families all together. From 2012 to 2013, they went from the 56th percentile to the 94th.
• In 2004, the National Institute of Medicine published a report stating that nurses have a critical role in securing patient safety. At my mentorship/ independent component I see that whenever a situation arises, an alarm goes off or a patient that isn't supposed to be moving and is at risk for falling starts to get up, it is the nurse that goes to patients' rooms to talk and make sure they understand that everything is okay and how they can help their own recovery or impede it.

Research Sources

• KAE Plos, et al. "Patient Participation In Nursing Care From A Patient Perspective: A Grounded Theory Study." Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences 21.3 (2007): 313-320. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
• McCance, T., McCormack, B., Dewing, J., (May 31, 2011) "An Exploration of Person-Centredness in Practice" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 16, No. 2, Manuscript 1. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
• Fink, Shawn. "Trust in us." Nurse. Gannett Company. 5 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Aug. 2013.
• Dunton, N., Gajewski, B., Klaus, S., Pierson, B., (September 30, 2007) "The Relationship of Nursing Workforce Characteristics to Patient Outcomes" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 12 No. 3, Manuscript 3. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.
• Mentorship/ Independent Component

Concluding Sentence
Involving patients in their own care by developing interpersonal relationships between patient and provider allows both to meet each others needs resulting in decreased recovery time.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

1. What experiences have you had with patients and surgery?

2. What type of surgery has been the most challenging to work with and why?

3. How would you help a patient regain their physical and mental strength after surgery?

4. What is the best way to prevent a patient from deteriorating after surgery?

5. How do you keep patients motivated to recover?

6. What is the importance of pain management throughout recovery?

7. What role does medication play in a patient after surgery?

8. What is your number one priority when it comes to helping patients recover?

9. How do assessments help with the improvement of patients?

10. How do you conduct a proper patient assessment?

11. What are the different safety precautions a patient has to be aware of?

12. How do you educate a patient on safety measures?

13. What safety precautions do you and others in your station take?

14. What equipment is most useful to you and helping your patients?

15. What can be done to see the best improvement in a patient?

16. What is the importance of communication between patient, and not just the nurse, but the entire healthcare team?

17. What is the importance of patient understanding and participation for recovery?

18. How do you deal with those that have trouble complying with orders (confused, mentally disabled, and stubborn)?

19. What can you do to ensure that the patient recovers from surgery?

20. What struggles have you had with helping a patient and how did you overcome them?

21. Out of all your patients, which one or moment sticks out the most and why?

22. How do you keep from slowing down and losing interest in your job?