FOCUSED REFLECTION

Focused Reflection

Focused Reflection

Introduction

Reflection is the expression of personal ideas and actions. For nurse practitioners, this means focusing on how they communicate and interact with their clients and colleagues and with the environment to get a picture of their own acts and their behavior. It is a process by which nurse practitioners can understand their own values, their strengths and can take proper future actions. It is the development of professional actions in connection to personal beliefs and values. There are two forms of reflection, one is reflection-on-action and second is reflection-in-action. Understanding these forms may assist nurse practitioners in developing their professional competences (Thiel, 2011).

Discussion

Factors Essential in Nurse-Patient Therapeutic Relationship

In our work environment, it is very important to improve the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship to develop therapeutic rapport on the basis of trust and mutual understanding between a patient and a nurse. A good relationship builds trust and improves the patient's self-esteem, which helps in patient's personal growth. The role of this kind of relationship is to enhance the ability of the patient to function. To develop a therapeutic interaction, a nurse should demonstrate sincerity, caring, and trustworthiness. These attitudes can be promoted by effective communication and good interpersonal skills. Therefore, in my reflection in this paper, I would discuss the development of this nurse-patient therapeutic relationship using the interpersonal skills. Working in mental health settings, I have had the chance to practice as a psychiatric nurse there. Having had my training in medical nursing, I started training in a large, psychiatric hospital. In the ward, there were registered nurses and psychiatric assistants, who were caring for every patient twenty-four hours a day. Some nurses are particularly good at managing the conflicts in patients with disturbed behavior. The management of conflict is a desired skill of nursing. I worked there and attained the skills required to become a mental health nurse (Sheldon , 2009).

Cultural safety in Nursing Practice

In my experience, culturally safe care is consistent with good caring qualities. The nursing and cultural safety maintains a connection between the nurse and patient, who is facing stress or illness. Both value that the quality of their relationship can affect healthcare processes and their results. The views and experiences of the patient receiving care should be respected. Culturally safe care highlights the role of power, identity, and difference in making healthcare interactions. Cultural safety is associated with different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences, which influence the values of cultural safety. These differences can influence the nursing practice. To me the meaning of cultural safety includes “knowing my own values,” “how these values affect my acts, and how my acts influence others” “being a good listener” “respecting others and feeling good about what I am doing.” One important function of cultural safety awareness is to enable the nurse practitioner to give safe care that meets a patient's healthcare requirements to maintain their social, personal, and cultural identity. Identity of patients maintains their well-being and connectedness during times of stress and ...