Essential Skills for Higher Education and Healthcare: A Reflection

AbstractThis pondering essay aimed to posit the key familiarity and gaps in knowledge and practice of a learner nurse. The Gibbs form of reflection was used to evaluate and analyse the learning call for of the author. An action plan is presented at the end of the essay to demonstrate the learning aims and activities haveed to achieve these aims. These are needed to prepare the author in her future(a) snip as a registered nurse.IntroductionReflection allows disciple nurses and health business organisation practitioners improve current and future nurse practice by learning from ones experiences (Bulman and Schutz, 2013). This essay aims to present a reflective account on my intention as a assimilator in health education and as a future healthcare practitioner. Gibbs (1988) model of reflection will be used to reflect on my experiences as a student nurse.DescriptionMy work as a health Care Assistant in the past six years helped me fall to pursue a care for education. I was able to work in a busy environment and experience working with endurings with divergent heathen background and a multi heathen healthcare team up. Seeing diligents improve as a emergence of the care they receive from healthcare professionals was one of the unpatternedial events that helped me decide to flummox a nurse. My life as a student nurse is challenging since I have to balance family life with work and my studies. I have to demonstrate key nursing skills, work a sovereign and supreme learner, take responsibilities, manage my season and follow rules and regulations of the university. I in like manner have to prepare myself to become a future healthcare practitioner. For instance, I have to acquire skills to meet the physiologic, psychological, spiritual and social require of my patients. I as well as have to ensure that care received by my patients is evidence-based. In addition, I have to achieve the competencies required by the care for and Midwifery Councils (NMC, 2008) code of do.FeelingsI am excited in my new role as a student nurse. My training in the past has been in accounting and business and my career shift brings both(prenominal) challenges. However, I am happy pursuing what I love to do. fleck I am passionate with my new role, I am also aware that becoming a nurse requires extensive training and study. Hence, I want to gear up skills such as becoming an independent and self-directed learner in pitch to succeed as a student nurse. I also need to demonstrate key skills in order to prepare myself to become a registered nurse. At times, I am distressed if I would be able to acquire all the skills needed to become an effective nurse. For instance, I feel that communicating with patients with several(predicate) ethnic backgrounds could be a challenge. man I was able to witness how nurses conduct with patients of different ethnic backgrounds, I am aware that this would non be sluttish in actual practice. I also fee l that I need to get skills on how to deliver patient-centred care this is holistic.Analysis and Evaluation developing the self-directed and independent learning style is crucial during the undergraduate nursing years. Kaufman and Mann (2010) suggest that problem based learning is common in checkup checkup education and helps students to become independent learners. Learning styles differ amongst adult learners. Biggs and bladder fucus (2007) emphasise that an individuals learning style is a result of affective, physical and cognitive factors. An individuals learning preference is influenced by motivation, cognitive style, attitude, personality and a students stage of nurture (Cassidy, 2004 Biggs and Tang, 2007). On reflection, I have to consider my own motivation and cognitive style in order to become a successful independent learner. I also have to rule my own stage of growth as a student.Learners are identified into at least four types of learners. These are the visual, a ural, teach, write and kinaesthetic learners (Cassidy, 2004). During independent learning, students should be able to secernate their learning style in order to optimise the learning process. On reflection, I learn best through observation (visual), reading and musical composition (R) and practicing what I wise to(p) (K). I can use all forms during self-directed learning. For instance, I can participate in simulation training to foresee the skills that I need to learn. Next, I can read on the subject field and write a reflection or notes on what I learned. Finally, I can report my learning to my supervisors or mentors through presenting clinical skills. While self-directed learning is only one method employed in my nursing curriculum as a means to acquire knowledge and skills, this learning method is very important in my future role as a nurse.It should be noted that the nurse and Midwifery Councils (NMC, 2008) code of conduct stresses the splendor of providing feel eviden ce-based care to my patients. To meet the competencies contained in the NMCs code of conduct, it is necessary that I inform my current nursing practice with current evidence from published literature. This is also emphasised in the NMC (2010) standards for nursing students in the UK. Evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010) is described as the type of care supported by findings from published literature, personal experiences, expert opinion and patient experiences. Becoming an independent learner will help me in future role as a nurse since this will help me seem for literature and evidence on the current and best form of preventative for proper(postnominal) healthcare conditions.Apart from becoming an independent learner, I also realised the sizeableness of developing my colloquy skills. The NMCs code of conduct states the importance of developing empathy to patients and providing them with quality care. This is only possible with effective confabulation (Purden, 2005). Barcla y et al. (2007) suggest that effective communication is possible if patients have learned to consider their healthcare practitioners and are allowed to participate in healthcare decision-making. Communication involves audition to both verbal and non-verbal messages of the patients and identifying their healthcare needs (Barclay et al., 2007). It is noteworthy that language barriers may become a deterrent to effective communication (Leonard et al., 2004). This is especially evident when patients and nurses have different ethnic background (Leonard et al., 2004). These differences may contribute to mistaking especially if patient education is not ethnicly keen or nurses fail to consider the patients preferences, heathen background, tradition and beliefs onwards introducing an intervention.As a student nurse, I am aware of the importance of communication and why it is necessary for me to develop communication skills that are sensitive to my patients culture, traditions and belie fs. Developing these skills during my student years will help me become more(prenominal) sensitive to the needs of my patients. It has been presentationn (Barclay et al., 2007) that effective communication is a prerequisite to quality care. Many patients (Majumdar et al., 2004) express that the time nurses spent with them allowed them to communicate their feelings and needs make better since they were able to communicate in an unhurried environment. On reflection, it is necessary that as a student nurse, I will learn how to listen to my patients and determine their needs. It is also essential that I receive training on how to develop cultural sensitivity when dealing with patients with different ethnicity. Majumdar et al. (2004) stress the importance of designation patients with different ethnicity to healthcare workers who share similar ethnic background. However, this might not be achieved in all instances in actual healthcare settings. Hence, it is essential that nurses shou ld be trained on how to develop cultural sensitivity.On reflection, I also learned the importance of developing skills on how to promote psychological, social, emotional, physical and spiritual care of patients. As a student nurse, I am static beginning to develop these skills and understand that it will take time to develop all these skills. I realised that these skills are best learned when working with other healthcare professionals. Hence, it is crucial that I learn how to fall in effectively with other healthcare workers. Apart from developing effective communication skills, I also need to learn how to work with others and manage conflicts during meetings. It is suggested that conflicts (Leonard et al., 2004) do not lead to poor team working but provides an hazard for team members to choose the best form of intervention for a specific healthcare condition. Conflicts also allow team members to view an issue from different perspectives.ConclusionIn conclusion, there are many skills that I still need to develop as a nursing student preparing to become a registered nurse in the future. To date, I need to hone my skills in independent or self-directed learning. I also need to develop communication skills, cultural sensitivity and learn how to collaborate effectively with other team members. All these skills are necessary to help me observe the NMCs code of conduct and gain competencies for registered nurses in the UK.Action excogitationThe future(a) are the objectives of my action planImprove skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learning. Develop communication skills. Develop cultural sensitivity. Learn how to collaborate effectively with team members Table 1. Action Plan AimActivitiesWeek(s)Mentor/Supervisor Comment(s) Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learningEngage in self-directed learning on specific topics in nursing.1-4 Develop communication skillsAttend simulations on how to communicate effectivel y with patients suffering from inveterate or acute conditions Observe/shadow senior nurses on how they communicate with patients suffering from different conditions5-8 Develop cultural sensitivityAttend simulations on how to develop cultural sensitivity watch videos showing nurses demonstrate cultural sensitivity when condole with for patients with different ethnic background shadow senior nurses and observe how they show cultural sensitivity to patients with different ethnicity9-12 Learn how to collaborate effectively with team membersBecome part of healthcare teams/ shadow healthcare teams and observe how they collaborate with from each one other13-16References Barclay, J., Blackhall, L. & Tulsky, J. 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