Wednesday, December 3, 2008

SPOT tests and Diversity Presentations

As exams get closer, the assignments come to an end. Overall I had fund this semester in regards to school and life in university; I’m looking forward to next semester as I am going to finally start clinical for the first time in my life. I found that the final SPOT testing was not as nerve racking as before as the practicum worksheets have helped with the procedures as found in the rubric. The time plan comes in handy when there are multiple amounts of tasks to be done. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief that I’m in the clear.

The diversity presentation on the Caribbean had intrigued my perspective and knowledge of another unique culture present in our community. Going to the restaurant and seeing how the “natives” interact and their laidback lifestyle is certainly different for a university student! Yet, it is significant that we learn cultures apart from our own as it can help us a lot during clinical. Noticing ones dietary or cultural customs and laws can help with the nurse-client relationship and ultimately gives the client a sense of dignity and respect. I have learned a lot throughout the class presentations and I hope to implement those special values next semester!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

In Class Blog Assignment II

Ever since the rise of technology, the efficiency and productivity factors have greatly enhanced communication techniques in health care. Simple measures such as implementing an electronic records database (ERD) and the usage of personal digital assistants (PDA) have relieved the stress for many nurses and are more cost effective in the long term. Patient data and influxes are monitored wirelessly and changes can be monitored via the PDA, thus the ERD can make changes and corrections which can be viewed around the hospital via computer workstations. The paper based method can be removed as the storage and production costs would increase with the rise in patients. Therefore, the rise technology is not intended to replace nurses, but it can be an asset for nurses.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Development of Self Class Presentation

Our student facilitated discussion assigned in the Development of Class pertained to the Ways of Being called to care by L.M Berman. The article explains and philophisize that the calling to become a nurse is different for everyone. Everyone has their own unique reasons; in which the calling is direct or indirect. People choose to become a nurse based on their preferences and opinions, on the other hand people are drawn into nursing indirectly through observations or experiences with nurses. A lot of hard work and countless revisions made up for some sleepless nights. At first I did not understand the article at all, it was upon further reading and note taking that the whole situation came to me. Nurses come from different dimensions regardless of background. Before the morning of the presentation, a whole new PowerPoint presentation had to be made up as one of the members had a family emergency, throughout this experience the group did bond together very well to cope with unexpected change, this teamwork was rewarded with an 85% mark. I firmly believe that my calling into care was indirect as a result of my experiences with nurses during my time of need.

Refrences:

Berman, L. M. (1994). What does it mean to be called to care? In M.E. Lashley, M.T. Neal, E.T. Slunt, L.M. Berman, & F. H. Hultgren Being called to care (pp. 5-16). New York: State University Press.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Practicum Worksheets

Hello fellow peers,

Today I was introduced the practicum worksheets in praxis class. At first, the concept seemed simple but once introduced with scenarios and examples it seemed difficult to fill out. I must practice more to absorb the information given and to clarify which terms go under the correct headings. I believe that it is important to understand the reason and importance that these worksheets are to patient care. The worksheet provides us with a concise summary on the patient’s condition and needs. Adapting to this new process is going to be tough, but in practicum class we are already learning to adopt this worksheet in class and in the lab settings.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

my very first blog post

Hello fellow peers,

My name is Brian Nguyen and I am one of the 3 male Asians in the class. I was born and raised in Marseille, France. I currently reside in Mississauga with both parents and an 11 year old brother.

The idea of blogging is a wonderful invention as a means of global communication. It is where you are able to express your thoughts or opinions freely and anonymously. It can be used as a focal point for discussion on controversial topics. I hope that I will come back to my blog throughout the year to share my thoughts and options with all of you.