Reflections
The Impact of Nurses By Melanie A . Fradella
During my clinical experience in my junior II semester of nursing school , I was a part of multiple births and in-person experiences among families in the labor and delivery unit . The nursing profession has shown me the different qualities that nurses express and how they incorporate these qualities into the care for their patients . For example , nurses express caring qualities , patient advocacy , and are family-centered in almost everything that they do .
Although everyone is different , one aspect that almost all nurses have in common is the trait of caring . Nurses are the people who are there to make the patient feel at home and comfortable . When I was on the labor and delivery unit in my clinical rotation , I had a first-time mother who was very anxious about the whole process . She was 41 weeks , and her baby was 10 pounds . The baby was so heavy her pelvis felt like it was cracking every time she moved around . Every 15 minutes or so , I would go in the room and check on her to make sure she was
Whether it ’ s the patient themselves or the family , the nurse is there to support and provide resources for them .
comfortable . During her epidural , I was holding her shoulders forwards telling her to relax . I distracted her from the anxiety surrounding the huge epidural needle by asking her questions , keeping the conversation light , and telling her to take deep breathes . She expressed her gratitude towards me and told me that I was very caring and was going to be an awesome nurse in the future . She said that I was very supportive and empathic when she was getting the epidural . I also put her catheter in after the epidural and she said that I was doing a great job and did not even really need my nurses help . She expressed that I made her experience a little bit better and that every nurse she has encountered has made this day unforgettable .
Patient advocacy is another very important quality that nurses portray in their many different fields . An example of patient advocacy was implemented on the labor and delivery unit for my patient . My patient was 10 cm dilated , 100 % effaced + 3 station . After checking on the patient , she told me to get the nurse and doctor because she could
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