Women’s Health and Wellness

NUR 4020

Professor Leinung

Discussion #2 –  Quality of Life : Achievement of Personal Goals.

 Achievement of personal goals is one of the domains of a person’s quality of life that was mentioned by Sammarco (2017).  In centuries gone by, women were deemed inferior to their male counterpart and were expected to perform domestic duties and be housewives and child bearers. However, in our society today the roles of women have evolved and many women are more dependent, self- reliant and career driven. They have broken the glass ceiling and are now holding positions in the work force that were commonly male dominated.  Many women strive to achieve a certain quality of life therefore they initiate this by enrolling into school/ college in quest of getting an education to attain a degree, hence to offset a career. However, at times these goals can be derailed by many unforeseen circumstances.

For example, often times we hear stories of women who dropped out of high school and college while in the process of securing a career. The disruption of this domain negatively impact their lives, because many are unable to redeem themselves and resume pursuance of their goals; as they are faced with the responsibility of raising a child. Being unable to achieve their career goals often times they have to settle for other jobs that pays minimum wages and so they have financial constraints. Ultimately because they were unable to achieve their personal goals of securing a career, this negatively impacts their quality of life because they are unable to afford a lifestyle that they had envisioned for themselves.

Disruption in this domain can negatively impact a woman’s quality of life but it can also have a positive impact as well. Some women, like myself will use a negative circumstance like the one mentioned in the example and transform it into a positive one. I would empower myself to return to school and complete my degree and secure my career. This achievement would enable me to live a comfortable and affordable lifestyle. I would also empower other women who have had the same experience to return to school and pursue their dreams and careers because the sky is the limit. This will give them a sense of satisfaction that they have achieved their personal goal.

 

Reference

Sammarco , A. (2017). Women’s health issues across across the life cycle: A quality of life perspective . Burlington, MA: Jones &Bartlett Learning.

 

 

Community Health Nursing

NUR 4010

Self-Reflection

 I am Rochelle Smith-Frew, a nursing student currently enrolled in the RN-BSN program. I work full time at King’s County Hospital in the Emergency Room. I aspire to pursue a master’s degree as a Nurse Practitioner, after graduating with my BSN. The site for my clinical rotation was at our lady of Refuge Church which operates a food pantry on a weekly basis. It involved a lot of interaction with residents of the community living in the Flatbush area, zip code 11203. Every Wednesday I report to site where my clinical rotation is held, we conduct blood pressure screenings, body mass index check and also offered the flu vaccine to the community residents who visited the food pantry.  The community, as we discover has a lot of middle aged and elderly individuals whom either has no job or has low income paying jobs, and are undocumented. We also discover that quite a few of these residents are hypertensive and has limited access to healthcare. Based on the assessment of the residents of the community our clinical group formulated a service learning project designed to provide information about healthcare rights for these individuals who are undocumented. As a nurse, what I learned while doing this project is that educating people is very important and it plays a key role in their decision making about their health. For example, many of these people who has hypertension were never taught how to read the nutrition labels on food products, especially the sodium content. Educating these individuals not only help them to make healthier choices in food, but it also helps to prevent them from having episodes of elevation of their blood pressure. I am proud that I have made a difference in the lives of these individuals with the educational health information that I contributed. This experience has taught me a lot and it prepares me for other endeavors as I advance in my nursing career.

       I have never worked as a community nurse and was curious about what my experience would be like. I was very open to learn about the clinical aspects of working in the community.   Being a registered nurse and knowing that my job description entails providing care to people on a whole. I take great pride in adorning myself in a professional manner try to be punctual for my clinical as well as other engagements. I actively participate in clinical conferences and give input to whatever subject is being discussed and thrive to stay abreast of my assignments so they are submitted on time.

 At the clinical site we conducted blood pressure screenings, body mass index checks and on one occasion offered the flu vaccines to people of the community. Although the environment is not conducive to a lot of privacy, when screening for blood pressure, each individual is spoken to on a one on one basis, and in the process information about their medical history and medication regimen is gathered. When each individual is screened, privacy is maintained and the documentation of the blood pressure reading is only visible to the nurse who is recording it. If an individual is found with an elevated blood pressure reading, I would consult with my professor who in turn speak to the individual in regards to their medication regimen.  If the individual appears symptomatic and requires further medical assistance then they are sent to the hospital.

 Effective communication is a key component that helps me to connect with my patients as well as my peers and professor. In this community a vast amount of the individuals are Creole speaking , some fluent in both creole and English while others needed translation in order to communicate. At times when they have elevated blood pressure readings I ask my classmate to relay the information that I need to convey to the patient because she fluent in both Creole and English. I think that some people are visual learners, so I incorporated a blood pressure reading chart when teaching the residents about maintaining a healthy blood pressure, as well as educate them about healthy eating habits and the importance of exercising. Information about blood pressure are printed on pamphlets in both Creole and English. I feel empowered to teach the people who comes to the pantry on a weekly basis, because of the feedback that they give when I encounter them on their next visit to the pantry. I feel my input was effective when they share their desire to change their lifestyle and adapt to a much healthier one.

  One of the disadvantages that the undocumented people in this community encounter is limited access to healthcare because of their status. Therefore, I provided them with brochures and pamphlets regarding information about clinics and hospitals in the vicinity where they can seek care.