Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflection

Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflection

In order to comprehend nursing practices as a science, one must have a practical understanding of clinical approaches to healthcare issues. Nurses’ awareness of healthcare concerns and evidence-based professional practice in nursing can be improved by integrating theory and practice. Taking a professional capstone or practicum course gives students the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice in a real-world setting. Nurses working in a medical facility frequently deal with patients who have recently undergone surgery. Establishing an evidence-based practice to help prevent and control hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and identifying the risk factors that put patients at risk for HAIs. The new practice approach, interprofessional collaboration, clinical and health care delivery systems, ethical considerations, and population health concerns, as well as the role of technological advancements, public health policy, and health disparities, as well as leadership and economic models, are all described in the capstone and practicum reflective journal.

New Practice Approach

Effective HAI prevention and treatment must be implemented in order to address healthcare challenges and improve patient outcomes. The capstone and practical course have given students an opportunity to learn about the many methods for avoiding and controlling HAIs. Hand hygiene and equipment sterilization, as well as room sanitization for patients who have undergone surgery, are the most effective evidence-based techniques studied in the course. Studies by Gifford, Christelis, and Cheng (2011) and Gould (2012) show that unsanitary practices by patients and healthcare providers result in wound contamination, which leads to the development of HAIs in postoperative patients. Nursing students can use this manual to learn about best practices for surgical patient care by using the hygiene practices that have been implemented. Hygiene practices should be adopted by healthcare professionals who are familiar with risk factors, causes, and current evidence-based methods in order to deliver safe and high-quality care, as detailed by Gould (2012).

Intraprofessional Collaboration

For the first time, the capstone and practicum courses have shown that nurses must always work together to improve their customers’ health. Due to the interdependence of the various healthcare specialists in an organization, they must collaborate (Braum et al. 2015). If a doctor prescribes medication, a registered nurse can perform the diagnostic, and these two must work together to avoid mistakes. Findings from the practicum study show that unless healthcare professionals work together, favorable healthcare results are difficult to achieve because of medical errors. Keeping surgical patients healthy necessitates interprofessional cooperation among a variety of healthcare providers including pharmacists, clinical officers, bedside nurses, and surgeons, to name a few (Braum et al. 2015). Patients’ care teams need to be able to communicate well to work together effectively, as demonstrated by the practicum project. Improved patient care requires open lines of communication between the various healthcare providers involved. Professionalism, a quality that fosters mutual regard for one another in addition to communication, was clearly a key factor in fostering teamwork. Professionalism among healthcare workers was essential to the project’s success in implementing the recommended hygiene procedures.

Clinical and Healthcare Delivery Systems

In addition to healthcare providers, healthcare and clinical systems play an important role in coordinating services. There is a need to restructure healthcare delivery and clinical systems in order to better fulfill the demands of healthcare professionals and patients, as stated by Erwin and Krishnan (2016). HAI prevention and management practices necessitated a major re-engineering of the healthcare facility system as well as the clinical system. Incorporating hygiene practices can help surgical patients at risk of HAIs stay healthier and meet their healthcare demands by redesigning the clinical system and procedures. In addition to allowing primary care strategies to be implemented, the healthcare system was restructured to improve the quality, efficacy, and efficiency of healthcare services provided to patients. Surgical patients’ health outcomes improved when patient-centered care was included as part of a reorganization of healthcare service delivery. As a result of the system reforms, surgery patients were empowered to control their own care, healthcare personnel was given the authority to suggest changes and implement them, and leadership skills were developed.

Ethical Considerations

Ethics must be taken into consideration throughout the introduction of new surgical practices that aim to improve patients’ health and well-being, especially those at risk of developing HAIs. When it comes to medical procedures and practices, it’s always a good idea for healthcare providers to take into account any potential ethical difficulties. It is the responsibility of healthcare practitioners, as stated by Anderson et al. (2014), not only to improve the health of their patients but to also prevent harm to them and to make use of their knowledge and experience in patient care. Despite the need of adhering to organizational cleanliness requirements, healthcare workers may face an ethical dilemma if they fail to do so. The theory-practice ethics gap, as described by Mortell et al. (2013), encompasses this ethical dilemma. Insufficient time, a lack of leadership, a lack of priority, and an aversion to antibiotics may all contribute to staff failing to fulfill hygiene standards targets. As a result of the practicum, healthcare providers are more likely to consider adherence to practice guidelines while making decisions about patient care. It was shown in the practicum that sensitive topics like patient privacy must be protected and that evidence-based procedures should be used to help patients.

Population Health Concerns

Health concerns vary from one patient demographic to the next, as demonstrated by the capstone and practical course. At the conclusion of the capstone project, it became clear that the surgical patient population had a higher risk of contracting HAIs because they have a wound. However, according to Botarelli et al. (2016), surgical patients should be concerned about HAIs as they are linked to worse quality of life and increased mortality rates. The financial toll that HAIs take on society is just another cause for concern. Pinto et al. (2016) state that providing quality health care to surgical patients who have HAIs is a costly endeavor because the infections are related to higher medical expenses. There is an ongoing battle to lower the cost of health care, which may result in a reduction of utilization of health care services for key concerns, which may lead to poor health outcomes. Capstone and practical courses have demonstrated how healthcare providers and surgical patients can collaborate to overcome these difficulties. The capstone and practicum course indicated a start toward resolving these difficulties by fostering patient-provider partnership in the adoption and maintenance of hygiene habits.

Role of Technology

Healthcare’s technological integration exploded in the twentieth century, with nearly every process including some form of technological innovation. When it comes to implementing a new practice, electronic record-keeping is a useful tool because it helps healthcare providers share information more easily. Many healthcare professionals are engaged in the care of patients who have had surgery, including surgeons, bedside nurses, and physicians (Braum et al. 2015). Quality and evidence-based care for patients can be encouraged through the use of technology. Patients with diabetes, a condition that has been linked to an increased risk of HAIs, can also benefit from the use of this technology, which allows healthcare providers to take preventative measures. In addition to this new technology, predictive analytic technology was discovered to have a significant impact on practice change. According to Baum (2014), predictive analytic technology is effective in analyzing patient bacterial data, identifying antibiotic information, and performing PCR testing to pinpoint the precise source of infection. As certain patients are resistant to specific medicines, it is possible to determine the optimum strategy for managing HAIs with the use of technology.

Health Policy

A health policy is a road map outlining a specific course of action to be taken in order to accomplish a specific objective. WHO (2013) defines health policies as activities, strategies, and decisions taken by an organization in order to attain a set of predetermined outcomes. Projects and organizations can fulfill their goals more successfully by clearly defining their visions, which creates the project goals as well as reference points. The capstone and practicum courses have shown that policies must be designed to guide the target organizations in the implementation of any change practice. The capstone project, rather than using hygiene habits as an intervention, adapted them as a health policy to influence health care delivery in order to improve patients’ health. As stated by WHO (2013), the policy establishes priorities that are communicated to the organization. The project implemented a key preventative approach for HAIs by implementing a shift in practice. An organizational practice strategy aimed at improving care for patients includes the organization’s objective to offer care before inquiries about payment options are made.

Leadership and Economic Models

Change can be difficult at times. A key takeaway from the capstone and practicum courses is the necessity for students to adopt highly effective leadership models. To avoid and control HAIs, transformational leadership theory is the most effective model. The transformational leadership model, according to Tomajan (2012), calls for leaders and their followers to work together to solve a specific problem while also inducing change. HAIs can be prevented and managed more effectively with the help of the theory’s implementation, which also aids in the transfer of leadership abilities from a leader to his or her subordinates. Because the change practice does not impose any financial impact on the business, it was unclear whether any economic model could be used to explain its deployment.

Health Disparities

Health disparities are a prevalent problem in a multicultural community. Factors like age, geography, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disability have been linked to health disparities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013). As DHHS (2000) noted, health inequities exist that obstruct the achievement of Healthy People 2020 objectives. After surgery, a person may be rendered inoperable. Disabled people’s infrastructure and procedures have been successfully implemented by healthcare institutions, on the other hand. On socioeconomic aspects, the organization has been focused on the implementation of ObamaCare and the Affordable Care Act in order to improve access and utilization of the services that are provided.

Conclusion

Theoretical and hands-on learning are always required for nursing students. There are few courses that can compare to the professional capstone and practicum since they put students in real-world scenarios. Nursing processes and how healthcare practices affect the health and well-being of patients have become clear to me after completing the course. From the beginning of one’s professional career, the course has helped bridge the gap between theory and practice, increasing one’s ability to produce.

References

Anderson, D. J., Podgorny, K., Berríos-Torres, S. I., Bratzler, D. W., Dellinger, E. P., Greene, L., & Kaye, K. S. (2014). Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 update. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 35(S2), S66-S88.

Baum, S. (2014). Can predictive analytics help reduce hospital-acquired infections? MedCity News. Retrieved from http://medcitynews.com/2014/06/can-point-care-diagnostic helpphysicians-reduce-hospital-acquired-infections/?rf=1

Botarelli, F. R., Queiroz, Q. J. R., de Lima Fernandes, A. P. N., de Medeiros Araújo, J. N., Júnior, M. A. F., & Vitor, A. F. (2016). Nursing diagnosis Risk of infection in patients in the postoperative period: a cross-sectional study. Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing, 15(2), 245-253.

Braun, H. J., O’Sullivan, P. S., Dusch, M. N., Antrum, S., & Ascher, N. L. (2015). Improving interprofessional collaboration: Evaluation of implicit attitudes in the surgeon–nurse relationship. International Journal of Surgery, 13, 175-179.

CDC (2013). Center for Disease Control and Prevention health disparity and inequality report – the United States, 2013. Health equity – minority health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/chdireport.html

DHHS, (2000). Healthy People 2010. Washington, DC: US Dept of Health and Human Services, 13.

Erwin, K., & Krishnan, J. A. (2016). Redesigning healthcare to fit with people.

Gifford, C., Christelis, N., & Cheng, A. (2011). Preventing postoperative infection: the anesthetist’s role. Continuing Education in Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain, mkr028.

Gould, D. (2012). Causes, prevention, and management of surgical site infection. Nursing Standard, 26(47), 47-56.

Martin, D. L., Brewer, M. K., & Barr, N. (2011). Gradually guiding nursing students through their capstone course: registered nurse preceptors share their experiences. Nursing research and practice, 2011.

Mortell, Manfred, Hanan H. Balkhy, Elias B. Tannous, and Mei Thiee Jong. “Physician ‘defiance’towards hand hygiene compliance: Is there a theory–practice–ethics gap?.” Journal of the Saudi Heart Association 25, no. 3 (2013): 203-208.

Pinto, A., Faiz, O., Davis, R., Almoudaris, A., & Vincent, C. (2016). Surgical complications and their impact on patients’ psychosocial well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 6(2), e007224.

Tomajan, K. (2012). Advocating for Nurses and Nursing. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1).

WHO (2013). Health policy. The World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/health_policy/en/

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This assignment is two, please write them separately

1)  Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflective Journal 

Assessment Description

Students are required to submit weekly journal entries throughout the course. These reflective narratives help students identify important learning events that happen throughout the course and the practicum. In each week’s entry, students should reflect on the personal knowledge and skills gained.

Write a reflection journal (250-300 words) to outline what has been discovered about your professional practice, personal strengths and weaknesses, and additional resources that could be introduced in a given situation to influence optimal outcomes. Each week there will be a specific focus to use in your reflection. Integrate leadership and inquiry into the current practice. Please make sure to address all areas in your writing.

Topic Focus: Practices of Culturally Sensitive Care and Ensuring the Integrity of Human Dignity in the Care of all Patients

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite to verify similarity & plagiarism.

2)  Strategic Plan Summary

Assessment Description

Assess the culture of the organization for potential challenges in incorporating the nursing practice intervention. Use this assessment when creating the strategic plan. Discuss with your preceptor the culture of your organization and what are the potential problems.

Write a  strategic plan (150-250 words) defining how the nursing practice intervention will be implemented in the capstone project change proposal.