Nursing Reflective Essay

A. Establishing a good rapport and communication with the patients and their families is a key component to nursing. I make sure that when treating my patients, this is one of the first things that I do. By letting my patients and their families know that I am there to help them in any way possible, allows me to not only better address my patients needs but also aids in helping the family with their needs as well.

B. Patients from all different ages, ethnicities as well as different psychological developments present themselves to the emergency department on a daily basis. As their nurse, it is my job to know what is the best and most appropriate way to communicate with them. Recently I had a patient who came into the emergency room with a history or a traumatic

During my initial patient assessment, I make sure to ask my patients about their values or preferences in regards to treatment. If my patient conveys any preferences or values that they would like to have followed while under my care, I make sure to incorporate their values and preferences into their treatment and care plan.

D. In the emergency department, the patient charting system that we use is able to retain previous patient information and records. Upon initial assessment of the patient, I am able to pull up any previous records and data from previous visits that may be pertinent to the patients current visit. If this information is not sufficient enough then I will get in touch with the patient's doctor to obtain any information that might be needed.

E. Through continuing education and constant training in the emergency department, my knowledge and skills are constantly being enhanced. Recently I attended an online class on the latest treatment standards for treating patients who have overdosed on heroin. The class consisted of a video portion along with other charts and documents that presented up to date information on how to best treat these patients not only initially, but also long