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This is my professional self-reflection of how I met the different objectives for my Community Nurse course. The clinical facility that I was located at for my clinical rotation was Visiting Nurse Service in, Brooklyn, New York. I was exciting about experiencing being a community nurse. I feel that this course have made me gain a new aspect about patient care.
Objective 1: Demonstrates individual professionalism through personal behaviors and appearance.
I feel proud to say that I have demonstrated professionalism in my behavior and appearance. I practiced professionalism in my clinical site at all times, by making sure I was properly dressed. I always wore a white collared shirt and black or dark colored bottom as per the clinical facility. I always made sure that I arrived to the clinical facility and the patient’s home on time. I maintained patient confidentially by not enclosing any information about the patient. At the clinical facility, I protect the E computer that my partner and I use for documentation by securing the password and proper location of the computer. When I had interactions with clients, I maintained good communication skills. I always introduce myself to the patient and told them what agency I am from. I remained polite and attentive throughout the course of conversation. When I did not understand something about the patient, I made sure to seek guidance from my clinical professor or the nurse supervisor at the clinical site.

Objective 2: Employ analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills when providing care to individuals and families in the community setting.
When providing care to individuals and families in the community setting, I was able to use analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills. I gathered medical information about the patient that I needed to record in the E computer. My partner and I collected important data based on the diagnoses of the client by asking the patient questions to see how much they knew already. One thing I realized is how important culture and religious belief are to the patient. Culture and religious practices have a major impact on the patient’s lifestyle such as the food they eat. I remained respectful to the clients’ practices but apply teaching where it needed to be done. For example, one client had hypertension but, stated that she loved to eat fried food and sometimes added salt to the food. She also stated that she would just make sure to take her blood pressure medications. When I had taken her blood pressure, the values were really high. Medications were not administered during this clinical rotation but were allowed to educate the patients about the medications they were on. Most of the clients I received were elderly clients who were very independent. I completed a physical assessment on the clients that had more than three diagnoses and applied teaching. I always ensure my personal safety when working in the community setting by being aware of my surroundings.

Objective 3: Effectively communicate with diverse groups and disciplines using a variety of strategies regarding the health needs of individuals and families in the community setting.
In community setting, effective communication is needed with such a diverse population. Nurses need to be aware of the different cultures, religious practices, and values in order to facilitate better care. Many patients have their own practices for their health and will not totally accept what American healthcare professional have to say. That is were good communication skills come in. I worked mainly with the Russian population. At first I found it very difficult to communicate with them about medications and other teachings. My partner spoke Russian and was able to communicate with the client while I did the physical assessment. I learned to use other ways to communicate with the client by using gestures. I communicated clearly with the professor about information on the clients. Communication was effective with the professor because I had to report to her after every visit. I documented in the E computer after the professor reviewed the information. I have learned a lot from the residents of the settlement house. Depending on the diagnosis of the client, I would ask them if they had any concerns. Many of the clients welcome the thought that as a professional, you care for their wellbeing. I learned to treat all my clients with respect, courteous and to judge. I have learned a lot from working with the patients at VNS.

Objective 4: Establish environment conducive to learning and use a plan for learners based on evidence-based practice.
In my clinical facility, the environment was conducive to learning. I reviewed VNS policies and procedures to ensure proper care of the clients. We were able to discuss concerns that we had as a group during our preconference and post conference meetings. One concern I had was the time between traveling to the patient’s home and making back on time to document. Community nursing requires for the nurse to be knowledgeable about different environment. It really depended on how far the client lived from the clinical facility. I assumed the responsibility of educating my clients on their diagnosis by using current literature. I also reviewed literature given to me by VNS to keep on current nursing news.

Objective 5: Utilize informational technology when managing individual and families in the community.
I gathered information about the client through the E computer, which have documented assessment, medical history, basic information on the client and their family. The E computer also provides all information about the client from other healthcare disciplinary. The information was kept strictly confidential at all times. The information is updated in the system after every visit with the client. I maintain all the clients’ records in strict confidentiality by making sure I log out of the clients record when I done reviewing it. I also make sure that the computer is kept in a secure place.

Objective 6. Demonstrate .a commitment to professional development
I demonstrate a commitment to professional development by keeping up to date on current literature which will allow me to better care for my clients. I have learned that throughout my career, I will always be learning something new in order to better myself as a nurse. As a nurse, continuing education is important because we have to keep up with new developments that are being researched on in the nursing field. During clinical and at the end of the clinical rotation, I do self -evaluation to see how much I have developed as a nurse. I also focus on the areas I need to improve on.

Objective 7. Incorporate professional nursing standards and accountability into practice
As a nurse, it is important to incorporate professional nursing standards and accountability into practice. Following these guidelines ensures the safety of the client. I have learned many different standards for the nursing practice such as the code of ethics, different ways to build on my nursing skills and new research developments from the American Nurse Association site.
Objective 8. Collaborate with clients, significant support persons and members of the health care team
I collaborated effectively with clients, family members and other health care team. I communicated with my clinical professor or the nurse supervisor at VNS whenever I had any questions about the patient. I was partnered with another student, which was very helpful. After getting our clients, my partner and I worked together looking at the client’s record. I encouraged my clients to make good lifestyle changes according to their diagnoses. For example, I had a client who was on continuous oxygen and was overweight. She was still smoking and her eating habits were really bad. She ate mostly fast foods and did not exercise. I discussed quitting smoking and better eating habits the client. We talked about other resources that will be useful to her.

Objective 9. Recognize the impact of economic, political, social and demographic forces that affect the delivery of health care services
The health care services are impacted greatly by economic, political, social and demographic factors. Many patients are face with making hard decisions about their healthcare coverage every day. Learning about Medicare and Medicaid programs is difficult for some clients to understand. For some clients, healthy eating habits are not possible because of lack of money. Many are unemployed and have other responsibilities that may be more important to them. Also, there are many gaps in the healthcare system because some clients lack the knowledge they need in order to better care for themselves. One major example about how demographic factors have a major impact on health care services is Hurricane Sandy. Many clients were faced with problems getting around or getting their medications. I realized how important community nursing was. Nurses were going around providing help and support to people who needed it most.

During this course, I have gain an enormous knowledge about community nursing. I feel that I have accomplished the requirements of this course to the best of my abilities. I conducted myself in a professional manner.