shadow Health experience Essay

Professional Development Write a 500-word APA reflection essay of your experience with the Shadow Health virtual assignment(s). At least two scholarly sources in addition to your textbook should be utilized. Answers to the following questions may be included in your reflective essay: What went well in your assessment? What did not go so well? What will you change for your next assessment? What findings did you uncover? What questions yielded the most information? Why do you think these were effective? What diagnostic tests would you order based on your findings? What differential diagnoses are you currently considering? What patient teaching were you able to complete? What additional patient teaching is needed? Would you prescribe any medications at this point? Why or why not? If so, what? How did your assessment demonstrate sound critical thinking and clinical decision making?

Shadow health assessments provide nursing students with an opportunity to interview, examine, document, and reflect on learning experiences, and apply clinical knowledge on virtual patients. shadow Health experience Essay.  After collecting history and conducting a specific exam on a topic, nursing learners can provide recommendations alongside informative, educational, and empathetic remarks to patients as a strategy of stimulating realistic interactions. They also enable learners to reflect on their performance when applying new knowledge and techniques to real-life scenarios.

What Went Well In Your Assessment?

The introduction, interview, examination, and conclusion of the assessment went well. I started the interview with an introduction stating my name, designation, and showed interest in the interaction in a professional friendly way as a basis of building a rapport. I used the SOAP format to ask questions and let the patient tell her story in her own words. The responses she provided provoked further questioning to understand the chronology of her presenting symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis. I used the clinical guidelines, textbook, and other online resources to understand the patient’s presenting symptoms and the best course of management.

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What Did Not Go So Well? What Will You Change For Your Next Assessment?

In comparison to other shadow health assessments, I feel I did better in this assessment. However, I intend to improve my interviewing skills, documentation speed, and physical examination skills. In this context, interviewing skills encompassed effective listening skills, explanatory, non-verbal, writing, and questioning skills to collect vital and accurate information from the patient. I took a long to document the patient’s responses to ensure a proper organization and flow. According to Davis & Murray (2016), in a real-world nurse-patient scenario, this is not only time-consuming but can impair an impatient client. Areas to improve in my interviewing skills include: how to encourage patient agreement and participation in history taking how to offer general leads and prompts, how to focus a discussion, sequence problems or symptoms, and to make observations that encourage a patient to discuss his/her symptoms. shadow Health experience Essay.
What Findings Did You Uncover?

The patient is an asthmatic, compliant to her albuterol inhaler, which is currently very effective. She also has a poorly controlled T2DM since she is non-compliant to medications. Currently, she has a wound on the right ball measuring 2cm X1.5 cm, is 2.5mm deep with red edges, serosanguinous drainage, mild erythema but no tracking and edema.
What Questions Yielded The Most Information? Why Do You Think These Were Effective?

Open-ended questions yielded the most information and helped to ensure that I missed nothing when taking the health history. The patient was inspired to disclose information since the open-ended questions gave her the impression of an attending nurse who was ready to listen to her story.  However, after the patient had completed telling her story, I used close-ended questions to focus on the most important issues, obtain additional details, and seek clarification on symptoms and remarks.

What Diagnostic Tests Would You Order Based On Your Findings?

• Random blood glucose-the patient has an underlying history of type 2 DM diagnosed at 24 years, has not been compliant with medications and the last blood glucose test was taken in the ED and was elevated. A current RBG test will help to determine the course of action in managing her T2DM.
• Wound culture and sensitivity-to determine the exact causative organism of the wound before initiating treatment with a specific antimicrobial agent.
• Blood cholesterol (TC, HDL, and LDL)

What Differential Diagnoses Are You Currently Considering?

• Cellulitis
• Soft Tissue Injury
• Diabetic foot

What Patient Teaching Were You Able to Complete?

I was able to educate the patient about lifestyle modification (moderate-intense routine physical activity and dietary modification) as a management strategy for obesity and type 2 DM. shadow Health experience Essay.   The additional patient teaching required is about medication adherence for glycemic control and preventing the micro and macrovascular complications of type 2 DM, regular blood glucose monitoring,

Would You Prescribe Any Medications At This Point? Why or Why Not? If So, What?

Yes. I would particularly prescribe a stronger painkiller at this point to relieve the patient from pain. Pain causes discomfort and inattention. However, by prescribing painkillers, the patient will be relieved and be able to take part in the rest of the assessment.
How Did Your Assessment Demonstrate Sound Critical Thinking And Clinical Decision Making?

As suggested by Ball et al, (2015), I used the subjective and objective data collected from the patient to determine the most likely diagnosis, differential diagnoses, and course of action of in management.

References

Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination ((8th ed.) ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Davis, J. L., & Murray, J. F. (2016). History and Physical Examination. Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 263–277.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4557-3383-5.00016-6. shadow Health experience Essay.