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REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 2

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 2

Updated Reflective Journal

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The most important key point from the module is the use of critical thinking in nursing. Decision making in nursing requires critical thinking. Most of the times, nurses are required to make life threatening decisions which require one to think critically. Nurses have to act as authority in some critical situations and help patients and their families through some emotional and stressful situations. I came across a case whereby a nurse had to decide on a patient’ life which depended on an operation that had to be done on the head. But the family members did not approve for the surgery as they feared to the life of their loved one. The patient on the other hand did not care if she lived or died because she felt her suffering was too much. Now at this point, the nurse had to sit down, think clearly and rationally, and understand the logic connections of each of their ideas in order to come up with a decision that could satisfy both the family and the patient. Therefore, for a nurse who wants to save lives and ensure that patients and their families receive quality care, critical thinking skills are necessary. According to Von Colln-Appling and Giuliano (2017), nursing students have to work hard to develop their critical thinking skills because critical thinking has a serious impact on the decision-making process in their profession.

As a nurse, I know that in the future critical thinking skills will help me in making decisions in different nursing situations. From the module, I have learnt that critical thinking is not only important in nursing but also in other life situations. Critical thinking will help me in my communication with other nurses and doctors through honest and open exchange of ideas. Communication comes at the center when offering medical activities. Therefore, I believe and hope to use my critical thinking skills successfully in the future to fulfill my professional obligations.

Another point from the module is the use of different strategies to disseminate information in nursing. The success of communication and delivery of information in nursing depends on the strategies laid down to aid the delivery of that information. In nursing, information is passed from one point to another starting from nurses to nurses, nurses to management, nurses to patients, and from patients to nurses. From this module, I have learnt that the strategy or method of delivering information you use depends on the type of information you want to deliver. According to Hyde (2018), the strategy of information creation and dissemination a nurse chooses influences the knowledge and information they pass. For example, if a nurse was to teach patients about the signs and symptoms of Malaria, they will employ the use of PowerPoint Presentation and lectures. Through PPT, a nurse can give a step to step guidance while explaining the points. Also, if a nurse was to send information to a fellow nurse, they will use messaging or email to pass the information. I believe you cannot message a patient the signs and symptoms of Malaria to a patient because some will not even understand. This means with the right strategy, the message is successfully disseminated and understood by the patient (Hyde, 2018).

As a nurse, I believe using the right strategy to disseminate information will help in my communication with my colleagues and patients in future. I learnt from the module that passing information is one thing and the impact of the information on the recipient is another thing. Therefore, if you heavily think on the impact you want your information to have on the recipient, then you will easily come up with the best dissemination strategy.

The last important key point from the module is the importance of research in nursing, especially when it comes to problems affecting nurses, nurse educators, and patients. Most of the issues and issues in nursing require extensive research in order to get solutions to the problems. I believe research has become part of nursing since the application of Evidence-Based Practice started. From the module, I have learnt that as nurses, we should carry out a research that will positively impact all the parties involved such as nurses, doctors, nursing students, nurse educators, the health care setting, and the government. For example, from the research I on the challenges facing nurse educators and their solutions, I believe both patients, nursing students, nurses, and nursing educators will benefit from the research. Solutions fund will help nurses solve the challenges surrounding nursing education such as innovative ways of educating nurses. Nurses on the other hand will be able to get the equipped knowledge and skills necessary to push their career forward. From the information, shortages will be discovered and resources can be allocated effectively. According to Ellis (2019), nursing operates in an era where everything has to be supported by evidence which is acquired from research.

From what I have learnt in this module, I believe research is going to be part of developing my career in nursing in the future. My findings in any patient condition or any proposals will have to be supported by enough evidence from research.

References

Ellis, P. (2019). Evidence-based practice in nursing. Learning Matters.

Hyde, L. (2018). Format and Dissemination of Information. In The Intersection (pp. 31-40). Chandos Publishing.

Von Colln-Appling, C., & Giuliano, D. (2017). A concept analysis of critical thinking: A guide for nurse educators. Nurse education today, 49, 106-109.