Nursing Reflective Essay

I have always had an interest in critical care nursing as I have grown up in the medical field. My grandpa once spent a month in the ICU. Being present with him during this time made me realize what a special person it takes to do critical care nursing. Not only is it a great responsibility to care for the critically ill, but it is also incredibly challenging. However, with great challenge can come great reward by being able to see the direct effects of your actions and know that you are making a difference in someone’s life.

I believe I have the passion, leadership, and quick response skills to care for these patients. I am also eager to grow in my prioritization and critical thinking skills to help me become a better nurse. Every situation

My patient was admitted to the unit with nausea/vomiting and was under constant supervision for an eating disorder. While I oriented the patient to their room, the nurse gave the patient an IV push of Dilaudid. The nurse left the room and I talked with the patient for a little while before the patient fell asleep and stayed asleep for some time. After being with the patient for ½ an hour I was relieved to go to the restroom. When I came back, I talked with the nurse about putting the patient on remote observation as they could monitor the patient and eliminate the need for a one-on-one sitter. We decided that it was appropriate, so I set-up the remote observation system. When I returned to the patient's room with the nurse, I expressed concern to the nurse about the patient having a sleep apnea snore. The nurse reassured me that the patient was fine and left. However, I had an inclination that something was wrong. I tried to arouse the patient, but they didn’t move. I immediately knew the patient was in respiratory depression. I quickly placed the vitals machine on the patient and discovered the patient had a pulse, but their O2 saturation was below 30%. I rushed to called the nurse into the room, and she pushed the code blue button. My role was to clear any excess equipment out of the patient room and direct the code team to the correct