Clinical Reflection Essay

Words: 792
Pages: 4

Looking back over my first journal to help complete my final journal, it is amazing how much you can learn and experience in just a semester’s time. I remember back to the first day of psych clinical and how nervous I was to step foot on the unit. This is a complete change compared to how I feel about the unit today: not only was I able to integrate myself and interact with most of the patients, I was also able to lead a successful group without any preparation beforehand. My confidence is something I have done well on throughout the semester and I am amazed to see my progress. The group Abby and I led today was the perfect group for us to lead at the end of the semester. The patients who attended our group didn’t facilitate discussion on their …show more content…
I was also able to utilize my therapeutic communication skills today as I engaged in conversation with several of the patients on the unit. Although I believe I have drastically improved since the beginning of the semester, I always believe there is room for improvement. Therapeutic communication skills are something I believe everyone can consistently improve upon. I also think my general knowledge on medications is adequate, however for me I need to improve my knowledge on the specifics of medications. I spent my time spread amongst all the patients within the BHU so I do not remember witnessing any medication side effects. However, if after lunch I had been talking with patients on the unit I would have had a better opportunity to observe for medication side …show more content…
Coming into the semester, I believed psych nursing was something I would never be interested in and was not extremely excited about coming to clinical the first few weeks. However, while reflecting on my semester, I believe after all the nervous jitters disappeared and I was truly able to follow around a nurse for the day, I came to realize what psych nursing truly entails. Psych nursing, when not given a patient load of 10 patients, allows the nurse to build rapport and therapeutic communication with the patients rather than having to complete 75 different tasks. The role of the psych nurse is so much more than giving meds or completing a dressing change. In treatment team, the psych nurse is the main advocate for the patient, knowing what has been working treatment wise and what needs to be changed. Not only do the nurses need to know their patients, they need to be able to communicate to the rest of the treatment team the concerns and thoughts of the