Week 7 as a Level 2 Nursing Student

This week I learned the importance of patient advocacy. That is, speaking out for what your patient needs and wants. I had a patient who was in pain and the nurse advised that we did not give them their prescribed narcotics because it would make their constipation worse. The patient had two bowel movements that afternoon so I was wondering why we couldn't administer them. There was a very intense conversation between myself and my buddy nurse that ensued. My nurse said to administer acetaminophen (Tylenol) but my patient claimed that it would upset their stomach and declined my multiple offers. I had another conversation with my nurse and she said that a lot of the time, pain was psychological, but I knew that it was the biggest concern for my patient because I spoke to them about it quite extensively. A few hours later, I spoke to my instructor about this concern of mine and explained my rationale behind my way of thinking and he was incredibly supportive, went to ask the RN for the keys to the narcotic cupboard, and we gave my patient their narcotic.

This week was my first time having such a tough nurse since I started school. Assertiveness has always been something that I've struggled with, because I feel as though if not done appropriately, it's just being plain rude. We're always taught to 'play the student card' if we're questioning the rationale behind our buddy nurse's decisions, but this week, it just didn't work and I was having a really hard time communicating. I'm still thinking about how I can improve this weakness in myself, but I'm also really glad how far I've come in the clinical setting in terms of assertiveness. There's still a HUGE way to go, but this is the most improvement I've seen since starting in January.

The second invaluable lesson I learned this week was on patient education. I had the honour of helping my patient learn about an abundance of things related to their condition. I was able to teach them about lab values, community resources like peer support groups, the blood transfusion they were about to undergo, etc. I have been trying to work on my patient teaching and this week I just really felt like I was able to do it. Another thing I noticed is that I really connected with this patient this week and leaving wasn't hard for me. The last time I really connected with a patient, I had a really hard time leaving and even cried (I know, emotional!), but this time wasn't bad...I must be understanding this whole 'therapeutic relationship' thing.

I didn't have an exceptional week, or even a good week for that matter, but I really learned alot; and that's what's important, learning.