Head To Toe Assessment Reflection

With Ms. Trinidad and the Weslaco Free Standing ER, I was able to perform assessments, participate in the delivery of care under her guidance and supervision including incision and drainage of an abscess, performing a pelvic exam, and repairing small lacerations with Dermabond. Ms. Trinidad also provided me with lessons on suturing and encouraged me to practice on a model several times until she felt it was sufficient. With each patient, Ms. Trinidad and myself would discuss how to formulate an appropriate clinical decision, associated clinical guidelines, interpretation of lab values and radiology reports, and the ultimate decision for each patient; including discharge or admission, prescriptions, referrals, and patient education. At the McAllen and Weslaco NPI clinics, Ms. Rossow allowed me to participate in the care of each patient. Initially, she supervised my head to toe assessment, then helped me to formulate a plan of care for each patient. After assessing my competence, she allowed me to perform each head to toe assessment before her evaluation, share my abnormal findings with her, and my clinical decisions for each patient. Ms. Rossow would
Through this experience, I have gained confidence in my ability to perform adequate physical assessments, identify abnormalities, and formulate evidenced-based plans of care. In evaluating myself, I consider myself to have experienced substantial growth in knowledge, skill, and ability as a result of this clinical rotation. For instance, in performing my first Pap Smear, I was very nervous and was not smooth in my delivery of the service. After guidance from Ms. Rossow, I was able to perform several more, each time becoming more proficient. Similarly, as the time progressed, my assessments improved, enabling me to identify abnormalities correctly, formulate correct diagnoses, and create thorough and pertinent