Gerontology and working with older individuals were something I had some experience in prior to this class. I have worked in long term care facilities, hospice, and homecare for the past five years, so much of my experience was based on what I saw at work. I think my baseline views were based on seeing older individuals with illnesses, so I viewed aging as a negative process where people are in pain and sick. While I mostly have an interest…
In all healthcare settings, both the physical and mental health needs of patients are important. We don’t fully understand all the ways our body connects to our mind because the connections are so complex. Physiologic and psychologic health influences each other in an infinite number of ways. For example, high and consistent amounts of stress will increase cortisol levels, which can lead to physical reactions such as hypertension, weight gain, and headaches. On the other hand, physical ailments can cause…
Many patients have gastrointestinal conditions that require various modes of care. One of those is an ostomy. An ostomy is an opening created in the abdomen that brings fecal matter via the intestines through a stoma and into a collection appliance (Hinkle, Cheever, & Overbaugh, 2021, p. 1318). This is usually due to a malfunction of the colon or other section of the intestines. A stoma is the end of the intestines that the surgeon brings to the surface of…
For this project, I joined a team that I feel will be able to create a high-quality paper. I anticipate my group collaborating ideas on the topic and selecting one we all agree on. For writing the final paper, we can divide each section evenly, so everyone does the same amount of work. Our communication plan will be through team meetings and text, allowing us to discuss different aspects of the project any time. We will have established deadlines to…
As I get closer to beginning my nursing career, I’ve considered many different specialties and I’ve found some that interest me the most. Labor and delivery, pediatrics, and flight nursing are my top three specialties. I’ve always had a lot of compassion for newborns and children, so that is what sparks my interest in labor and delivery. I like the fast-paced environment of flight nursing and how my shift could take me anywhere. I would like to know what a…
The stigma surrounding mental illness has always been prevalent. There are many things that factor into the stigma, such as media portrayal. In the media, mental illness is often portrayed poorly, such as movies depicting people with mental illnesses as dangerous. Many see these depictions and interpret them as true, leading to harmful stigmas. They may assume that all people with mental illness are dangerous and should be ostracized, which is harmful to the person and may prevent them from…
While doing the medication reconciliation for my client, I found many safety concerns. Some of those concerns were risk of bleeding, risk of orthostatic hypotension, and risk of falling. Atorvastatin, ondansetron, oxycodone, and Miralax all cause CNS effects, which could cause orthostatic hypotension and increase my client’s risk of falls. Some of these concerns were also related to my client’s older age and her cognitive status. My client sometimes got confused about what each medication was for and when to…
