Welcome to my blog about patient education in nursing. This blog will be used to teach future nurses' the best ways to teach their patients'. Nurses' should be constantly providing their patients with education materials on topics such as: surgical procedures, how to clean their surgical wound, about a patient's disease or condition, etc.
My name is Amy Wade and I am a student in the School of Nursing. I am graduating this May and am interested in working in either labor and delivery or the intensive care unit. My clinical experiences through NIU will be completed on 2/26/09. I have previous work experience as a lifeguard, a certified nurses' assistant, and I also worked as a nurse intern this summer on the step down intensive care unit at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL.
Currently my clinical is at Rockford Memorial Hospital on the Labor and Delivery unit. While on this unit I work side by side with a registered nurse to provide patient care, perform patient assessments, document patient care, administer medications, assist with deliveries, monitor patient's recovering from c-sections, and assist during c-sections.
Several patients that I encounter are nervous about being in the hospital, which is understandable; a hospitial can be a scary place. I believe that the more educated a patient is about their hospitalization, the more comfortable they will become. Would you agree or disagree with this statement based on any experience you may have had, even if it is just for a doctor's office visit.
Amy Wade
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hey Amy. I personally am terrified of going to the doctor because I always think they will try to give me some sort of shot. I am a lot less nervous if I know exactly why I am going to the doctor/hospital, because I know what to expect. I think most people become a little nervous if they do not know what situation they are getting into.
ReplyDelete-Kendell Hunter
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI really do not mind going to the doctors office, but going to the hospital really freaks me out! When I got stiches the nurses where so nice and friendly that I felt really at ease. I do think that if the nurse or doctor tells the patient what is going on and really seems to know the procedure that the patient will feel way more relaxed. I also think that if the nurse or doctor has a great fun personality that the visit goes better!
-Kristen Kennelly
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI personally do not mind hospital or doctor visits. I give partial credit to my parents because they explained why I was there and what was going to happen. The rest can be explained by my lack of being squeamish; therefore never had any problems with shots or any phobias related to doctor visits. I agree that a better educated patient can gain a comfort level with medical visits.
Warren Kurr
I have a huge fear of doctor offices, hospitals in general. I had sugery when I was younger and my floor was elderly people who were very sick an near death, it was a sad experience for me at such a young age that I hate visiting hospitals when necessary. Good luck with the rest of your semester.
ReplyDeleteKathleen
Amy,
ReplyDeleteWhile I have never minded visits to the doctors office, I agree with the fact that the more educated a person is about something, the more comfortable they will be. With respect to the doctors office I also think that the more a person knows about his or her surroundings or what exactly they are going through the better they will be. This comfort level also has to do with how much they trust the people attending to them so it would seem that there is a high level of openness and ability to be social is needed by the doctors and nurses.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that really bieng able to teach your patients is a very important idea. I know that it makes me feel more comfortable when things are explained to me thoroughly and when I feel like I can understand what is bieng explained. I think making people feel comfortable is very important.
-Lauren Perna
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that patients would be more at ease if they knew what was going on around them. I was never scared of the doctors office until this summer when they told me I needed to have my tonsils removed. I would have to undergo surgery and stay in the hospital. This was my first time having surgery. I was so afraid! I asked so many questions and felt so much better when they were able to explain what was going to happen.
-Kimberley Gilger
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI am not afraid of the doctor or the hospital, whether I know why I am there or not. I know that doctors would never do anything that is unnecessary so I have complete confidence that when they are done doing whatever it is they had to do, I will feel better. I actually have to go to the doctor this weekend. I'm not feeling to well.
Steve
Kendell,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. When I was younger I was terrified of the doctor's office. It usually took more than one nurse to hold me down for a shot and it was usually because I didn't know I had to have one until it was time to receive it! That's a big reason why I'm an advocate for teaching patients as much as possible about their hospital stay and upcoming procedures.
Kristen,
I think you make a good point, if the nurses and doctors are more talkative it helps ease a patient's mind. I don't know that this is true for everyone, but I think a vast majority. I think that with each procedure that is performed the doctor or nurse should be telling the patient exactly what to expect next. Anything that can be done to help ease a patient's mind is definately important.
Warren,
You're lucky, I think your one of the few people that don't mind the doctor's office or hospital. I'm glad that your parents were able to help you adjust. Parents can definately be a big help for their children. I agree with you, though, I think that patient's should be as educated about their hosptial stay/illness as possible.
Kathleen,
That is too bad that you had a bad experience in the hospital! I'm surprised that you were put on that type of floor and not on a pediatric floor. I think that it is important for nurses to be aware of how much a hospital stay can affect a child, and try to make them as comfortable as possible throughout their stay. That is part of the reason why it is so important to have pediatric units.
Eric,
I agree with you that doctors and nurses need to be able to interact with their patients. Often times we deal with very personal situations and it is important for the nurse/doctor to establish rapport with our patients before entering into these personal situations. I think this is something that definately makes patients feel more comfortable in the doctor's office or hospital setting as well as being informed.
Thank you all for commenting on my blog!!
Amy Wade
I completely agree! I’m a visual person myself, and when teachers just stand in the front of the class and lecture I don’t get anything out of it, and those are usually the classes I struggle in. Or when math teachers use math notes they have already written, I have no idea how they came up with their answer. Not only kids struggle when teachers don’t address their needs college students do as well, and it’s a shame that teachers in college don’t address the needs of their students.
ReplyDelete