Learning Plan

SECTION 1 - Context of Clinical Area & Potential Opportunities for Learning

Introduction

Nursing is a noble profession. These nurses are the first line responders that ensure patient safety and support. From over a decade, the nursing profession is subjected to advancements. This modernization has led to a number of changes including the invention of brand new fields in the nursing profession. My learning clinical expertise is the cardiac care unit, also known as coronary care unit. This assignment explains in detail, the definition of the cardiac care unit and how I find it potentially useful in learning. For the conduction of my study, i have chosen Calvary hospital.

Context of Clinical Area

Cardiac Care Unit

Cardiac care unit is one of the most critical units in a clinical setting. The cardiac care unit is designed for the heart patients, who needs patients need extensive and critical care with crucial monitoring. These patients have either suffered from congestive heart failure, dysrhythmias, myocardial infarctions, cardiomyopathies, congenital heart defects, congenital heart defects or those patients who are waiting to get a heart transplant (Appleyard, Gavaghan, et.al, 2000). The reason why I have chosen this unit for my clinical placement is the extent of knowledge and clinical experience it would provide me.

Objectives of the cardiac care units

The cardiac care unit holds the utmost responsibility of providing the patients with a reduction in stress, and improving their health condition (Salamon, 2008). The visitors are restricted, except for the family and close relatives, which might meet the patient but only on a particular time. This helps the patient get the necessary isolation and care.

The patients that are shifted to cardiac care are suffering from heart pain, chest heaviness, heart failure, coronary artery blockage or other issues that are related to the heart. In United States on America, the cardiac care units are usually subdivided into two sections, the acute cardiac care units, also known as critical cardiac care, and the sub-acute cardiac care unit (Tennant, 2008). The responsibilities of these two units slightly differ on the basis of the severity of a patient's condition. The critical cardiac care unit treats those patients that are under intensive care, while the sub-acute care unit monitors and treats the patients that are comparatively in a better shape.

The basic objective of both of the aforementioned units is to secure the patient from heart attack or myocardial stress, and to improve the quality of his life.

Specificities of a cardiac care unit

In cardiac care units, the patients are not allowed to bring their own food, neither the families are allowed to feed them without the permission of the doctor. Cardiac care patients are at high risk, and they need care and monitoring. Unhealthy or inappropriate food might be an obstacle in this therapeutic regimen planned by the health care professionals. The visiting hours for the ward are also limited and only a few people are allowed to visit the patient. This usually includes family and close relationship (Hasin, Danchin, Filippatos, ...