Postgraduate Study in Mental Health Nursing RPL Essay

Categories: Professionalism

The aim for this task is basically to reflect on some of the professional practices and developments that have arisen in my clinical practice. The document will be emphasized on the basis of communication. This reflection is characterized by the need for nurses to have therapeutic communication skills with specific endpoints to ensure comprehensive care and good relations with patients. As a basis for this article, the Gibbs reflection cycle (1988) was chosen. To ensure the need for the Data Protection Act (1998) and the professional directives of the NMC (2007), which names have been changed for confidentiality purposes to ensure individuality.

Reflection is a method of investigating past events that promote learning and development. The reflexive Gibbs cycle (1988) can be viewed as a recurring character that combines six stages, allowing me to continually improve my learning ability for best practice in the future.

Mental health is one of the careers that are very challenging and somehow compassionate. The challenge comes from the fact that one deals with individuals who are mentally challenged.

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For helping other, there are specific skills which one needs to develop in order to survive in the field. These are: excellent observation skills, excellent communication and listening skills, the ability to gain a patient's trust, empathy, and the ability to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds, the ability to stay calm in difficult situations, assertiveness, and the ability to represent patients' interests. Mental health nurses are knowledgeable in assessing, diagnosing and treating people with psychiatric problems. They provide medical care for the patient as part of a team.

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Some of the general duties of a mental health nurse are:

  • Evaluate patients’ mental health needs;
  • Provide patient treatment plans;
  • Provide psychotherapy services;
  • Provide personal care to the patient;
  • Work with families, doctors, and other health professionals to provide adequate care for the patient;
  • Give medications.

Personality and communication skills are an essential factor of being a mental health nurse. It requires a good knowledge of mental health problems and how to apply it at work. They need to be warm and lovable while display real empathy with service users and their individual situation. This may include the social stigma of mental health problems which can be as equally hard to overcome. Violence is part of risk that associated with mental health nursing and various technique are needed to notice the build-up of tension and be able to alleviate it. The techniques are

  • Observational
  • Interpersonal communication
  • Psychosocial
  • Quick thinking and staying calm
  • Problem solving
  • Good judgment
  • Offering advice

The desire and pleasure to help this group of disadvantaged individuals can be said to have been an instinct that motivated me to work in such a role earlier. During my high school I had undergone different mental health awareness project where questions are used to be provided to us, which we had to fill. The results of questionnaires were then sent to the psychiatrist and then they used to telling about mental problems students were undergoing. Being always part of that program and finally in the last grade at high school I took part in making those questionnaires. Deciding about the questions and how each will analyze the thoughts of student made me learn a lot about personality. That was my first ever introduction with the mental problem when the answers for every student was checked and the results were displayed in the classes I used to go for reading for all of them and get a clear perception of how different answers to general question tells about the mental state of a person. Actually, my connection with mental health began from there.

In my teenhood, I was a support worker looking after people with learning disabilities. I supported a service user who had physical and communication difficulties and she would fight, bite and scream at staff. However when we were together, we would laugh and developed an amazing relationship from there. I realised I had a special skill for caring for people who were considered challenging, and the whole nursing business escalated from there.

Work experience is a crucial attribute in profession development. Well, I have been engaged and involved in various work positions where I have developed exclusive skills such as quality leadership, good organization skill, good customer service and ability to manage people. Demonstration of these skills in my working places have made me believe I will be successful in the health industry. However it has been my dream, and believed I am ready to fulfill it by embarking on the action of advancing my academic standards at the postgraduate level to get my career with specialization and exclusive professionalism.

It is clear that the position I held as a healthcare assistant in the initial stages of my career is the one that drove the development of the positive attitude I hold currently towards anyone in the society. While working on the position of health care assistant I had to fulfil the following responsibilities:

  • observing, monitoring and recording patients' conditions by taking temperatures, pulse, respirations, and weight;
  • establish effective communication with patients, relatives, and nurses;
  • assisting the nurses with clinical duties;
  • providing personal care which includes infection prevention and control, food and personal hygiene;
  • promoting positive mental/physical/nutritional health with patients;
  • checking and ordering supplies.

Precisely, nursing is a career that requires positive attitude among medical practitioners. Therefore my understanding of the career requirements of people with a mental health condition places me in a strategic position to further my academic experience to postgraduate level. My experience as health assistant had made me learn a lot that I am sure will be helpful in my further study of mental health nursing.

The success of a profession is measured on the line of academic achievements. While learning, it is good to diversify the ways of acquiring knowledge. Despite having my first degree in the field of Business Management and Marketing where I obtained a Second Class Upper grade, I have executed roles and help people effectively in activities that they were unable to tackle when I was Health Care Assistant. I had limited knowledge in the healthcare sector, but I contributed a lot in the sector and significantly learnt the current ways that I am using to treat people. The decision and motivation that led me to undertake NVQ 2 in Health and Social Care and currently studying NVQ 3 in the same role. Initially, I had interest in the business field when I studied Business Studies and Marketing in my early career but ultimately I have found my passion in nursing.

During my experiences, I developed a specialty to watch out for possible side effects and to evaluate patients in accordance to their specific conditions. My knowledge of crisis intervention is highly sharpened as I have had to deal with a number of critical and often disagreeable cases over years that I have worked as a health assistant. Developing and implementing patient-ready care plans is my another area of expertise as I am very knowledgeabe in researching each aspect of a patient’s history and managing individual plans in accordance to the information that I derive from their files.

My confidence and knowledge have been obtained while working with WGC, Amonet Homecare and Sceptre Prints Ltd. At WGC, I worked tirelessly to become a supervisor a position which I held for six months. Indeed while working as a supervisor, I delivered quality service to the respective hotel. As a result of my efforts, the company acquired more contracts. Secondly, I have worked with Amonet Homecare for five years as a healthcare assistant. While in the position, I acquired and developed good leadership skills. This was because I provided directions to the team making the period of working marvelous. Also, I have been in managerial position while working with Sceptre Prints Limited in Nigeria as an Administrative Officer. The position equipped me with relevant leadership qualities and the tasks assigned were achieved as expected.

During my leisure time, I enjoyed playing and watching football. Playing football in a team helps in developing collaborative skills in a person. A person starts to learn how to communicate under the worse circumstances and how his patience can be challenged by any team member. Playing football has inculcated all these abilities into me which I am sure can be supportive in my career as mental health nurse. I have those habits which have made me get control over myself. I also love watching documentaries and movies that are related to mental health and nursing. Knowing how people help someone with a mental disorder as for me, it is the most crucial phase of someone’s life where nobody is willing to help. A person become offensive and I love how some movies depict different techniques of communicating with them and making them follow you. In all the institutions that I have previously engaged in, both school and working place, I have been a good ambassador and represented them to raise money for charity. Also, I have a passion for the role of coaching people in football.

In general, the attributes I hold put me in a good position to materialize my intention of furthering my academic experience to postgraduate level and achieve a high-class degree that will greatly help me to pursue my career plans in nursing. Having exemplary knowledge and a rich work experience in the mental health nursing field, I believe that I will display the personal attributes of patience and empathy that defines the level of emotional feelings one requires to have in other to successfully discharge the duties in this field.

During the placement, I saw positive and negative communication. In the process of taking the relay, I was educated: "Macy" suffered from dementia, deafness, aggression, and now loss of memory. During the transfer, Macy went to the nurses in the office, and they looked picky and surprised. The nurse's employee took her voice and suggested that Macy confidently returned to her room, shouting: "We are going now, returning to your room." Nurses and health care partners show them in the program. The laughter between them exchanged a deliberate appearance and imitated Macy's voice, saying that she might be such a nuisance. I have not yet seen Macy, I suggest helping her to meet her cleaning needs and let her sleep. I woke up in the room she went into. Macy stood up conservatively and seemed to be upset and upset in every way. She shouted that she needed an answer. I showed that I would encourage her and try to encourage her. At this point, Macy explained that no one had told her why she was in the rehabilitation facilities, or the place of her little girl (primary health care provider). As I studied the Macys’ care plan, I found that she fell on her girlfriend (Barbara), and her child told me that Barbara had been resting for seven days. After exchanging with Macy I fixed it in my notes, so different people from the multi-disciplinary team will understand that Macy could not check her situation.

After talking with my mentor, I returned to Macy with my guide. I seized the seat next to her, and clarified her motivation in the clinic quietly, soothingly, soothingly. In any case, Macy seems to be embarrassed and asks me to talk to her with her left ear when she does not hear. I patiently repeated what I said, and after I said the name of her girlfriend, she looked brighter. Macy conducted several studies, and I tried to answer these questions accurately and without hesitation. Macy grinned and believed that she knew that she might be away, but she felt ignored, and no one cares what she needs to say. She also said that she cannot calm down, because different patients call her. After the performance, I gave Macy assistance in her cleaning needs. She expressed gratitude for the time spent and "simple conversation". Macy said that she felt much better. Some people opened the door to listen to her conviction and find out what happened, rather than ignoring and "inadvertently."

I was so angry and embarrassed that the staff effortlessly agreed that Macy was just embarrassed and portrayed her problems, and did not study why she seemed to be upset. I was completely shocked. As a nurse, they were readied to drive Macy out, as usual. I was annoyed, because everyone thinks that copying and ridiculing the patient is alright. I'm a bit discouraged, no one took the opportunity to find out what happened to Macy. When I helped Macy, I was glad that I had the opportunity to get to know her better and watch the other side of things. I was glad that I can calm and relax Macy so she can be treated legally.

When Macy approached the nurse, there was no interaction between the nurse and the patient, and most likely he was laughing, and then deviated, not a terrible experience for her. Davis explained that on this day, for example, there was not enough time to help patients who need help, time to eat and coming to the ward. In any case, if the care team discussed with Macy, she can feel respected and understood, not offended and abandoned. The NCC Code (2008) defines a number of direct measures, and they should be trusted by a registered nurse, including "You must treat a person sympathetically and in good faith" and, "you must receive and respond to the general population in your care. Their cares and inclinations. As for the possibility as a nurse, we must agree with the "Code" (2008), it is necessary to do a lot of work to increase the importance of communication in the provision of assistance.

In 2007, NMC demonstrated the basic clusters of skills. These basic skills will be brought to the attention of each of the enrolled nurses, one of which includes care, compassion, and communication. The NMC showed these ligaments, demonstrating the importance of relationship skills with nurses, and the huge relationship in calls for care. In this incident, the nursing team did not express concern or sympathy for Macy and did not participate in the discussion of the appeal.

I believe that I learned a lot from Macy and the nurse's reaction to her when she was helpless. This is not a pleasant experience, because I feel that such things should not happen in practice. In any case, while the curriculum is great, he tells me that the most important thing is to be sensitive to patients who are worried. This is going well, because I already know that patience and the ability to adjust patients are crucial because it affects people's well-being and affects their feelings. The ways employees and nurses react is not the biggest benefit of patients. I'm not interested in their methods, because they do not try to show support or any understanding, because it is called an "unpleasant" patient. Stockwell (1972) wrote a sloppy book called "The Unpopular Patient," in which it was found that a survey of communication in the nursing affair revealed shortcomings in the practice of nursing. Stockwell (1972) describes the relationship between a nurse and a patient, which often turns out to be unsatisfactory, especially when treating patients who are "troublesome" or "dislike". I feel that the care team is overwhelmed with the problems that Macy faces at the hearing, which will most likely make the staff feel uncomfortable in continuing the resistance. Perhaps, that is why Macy is considered an undesirable patient, because she is considered a requirement, which can be the reason.

Explanation Macy is annoying, and the care team reluctantly encourages her, all of which come from such things. As we found out the ability to communicate and reflect on practice has a huge impact on the ability to provide the most demanded nature of care. In addition, time and commitment to the patient are innumerable, because he will never be distracted from it. We also need to understand what will respectfully affect our relationship with the patient, so we appreciate the different qualities and beliefs of our clients about ourselves, which allows us to understand why they think and continue. Some people think that communication with others is hard work, but we, as nurses, need to understand that communication is a channel for effective patient care and improving their skills.

After thinking, I immediately saw how communication can be effectively divided, if not between nurses and patients, within a multi-disciplinary team. I will use my experience as part of my nursing training, consider the importance of convincing communication and the ability to analyze experiences and separate them to discover real situations. Taylor (2000) describes how the reflection in action is perfect. He explained that when analyzing and interpreting the thin elements of the case, incomplete and reproducible, we will consider whether all parts of the environment can add new knowledge and corrective actions. He cites: "Fundamental reasoning is the basis of security practice." This should be a progressive and extensive process for all nurses. I will pay more attention to interaction with others and will constantly reflect on my experience and see the whole range of care services.

Updated: Feb 21, 2024
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Postgraduate Study in Mental Health Nursing RPL Essay. (2024, Feb 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/postgraduate-study-in-mental-health-nursing-rpl-essay-essay

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