Reflection (Health Care)
Reflection 1
I arrived on the ward at 7.00am ready to begin a 10 hour shift. After receiving handover my mentor assigned me the job of bed bathing Mr T with the help of a health care assistant. Mr T was admitted with a broken radius and ulna; this means that your forearm is made up of two long bones that sit side by side. The inside bone is called the ulna, and the outside bone is called the radius. You have broken both bones. A fracture means just the same as a break. The bone ends are out of line and may be overlapping. Without an operation, the bones would heal, but not in their correct position. You would not be able to turn your hand from palm up to palm down. (NetDoctor, 2009) also Mr T was recently diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease before he was admitted; this is a rare, inherited disease. It causes too much of a fatty substance to build up in tissues and nerve cells of the brain. This build up destroys the nerve cells, causing mental and physical problems. (NINDS, 2011) He was 19 years old which is rare because it is usually developed in infancy. (KidsHealth, 2010) He was mentally aware of what was going on but physically unable to demonstrate activities of daily living, including eating and drinking, as limited communication skills and is doubly incontinent. He is unsafe on his feet so mobilises in a wheelchair.
I approached Mr T’s bed and asked is consent to give him a bed bath, “ensure that you gain their consent before you begin to provide care” (NMC, 2012) While the bath was running we began helping him to undress. He looked rather nervous – I think it was because he was having two young females caring for his personal needs. As he usually has his mother looking after him, he must have felt a little uncomfortable. At the thought of myself being in his position, being the same age as him, I began to feel embarrassed too.
I thought that I could not possibly be a professional individual if I let my embarrassment and sympathy get in the way of my
I arrived on the ward at 7.00am ready to begin a 10 hour shift. After receiving handover my mentor assigned me the job of bed bathing Mr T with the help of a health care assistant. Mr T was admitted with a broken radius and ulna; this means that your forearm is made up of two long bones that sit side by side. The inside bone is called the ulna, and the outside bone is called the radius. You have broken both bones. A fracture means just the same as a break. The bone ends are out of line and may be overlapping. Without an operation, the bones would heal, but not in their correct position. You would not be able to turn your hand from palm up to palm down. (NetDoctor, 2009) also Mr T was recently diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease before he was admitted; this is a rare, inherited disease. It causes too much of a fatty substance to build up in tissues and nerve cells of the brain. This build up destroys the nerve cells, causing mental and physical problems. (NINDS, 2011) He was 19 years old which is rare because it is usually developed in infancy. (KidsHealth, 2010) He was mentally aware of what was going on but physically unable to demonstrate activities of daily living, including eating and drinking, as limited communication skills and is doubly incontinent. He is unsafe on his feet so mobilises in a wheelchair.
I approached Mr T’s bed and asked is consent to give him a bed bath, “ensure that you gain their consent before you begin to provide care” (NMC, 2012) While the bath was running we began helping him to undress. He looked rather nervous – I think it was because he was having two young females caring for his personal needs. As he usually has his mother looking after him, he must have felt a little uncomfortable. At the thought of myself being in his position, being the same age as him, I began to feel embarrassed too.
I thought that I could not possibly be a professional individual if I let my embarrassment and sympathy get in the way of my
References: KidsHealth, 2011; ‘Tay-Sachs disease, Available at http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/tay_sachs.html# accessed on 01/02/2013 NetDoctor, 2009; ‘Radius and ulna fracture – internal fixation, Available at: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/surgical-procedures/radius-and-ulna-fracture-internal-fixation.htm#ixzz2JvA4nNLp accessed on 01/02/2013 NINDS, 2011; Tay-sachs disease ‘National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/taysachs/taysachs.htm accessed on 01/02/2013 NMC, 2012; ‘Guidance on Professional Conduct for nursing and midwifery students, Available at http://www.nmc-uk.org/Publications/Guidance accessed on 01/02/2013